Jesus Needs New Marketing

This post began as a disjointed and rambling series of thoughts on the modern evangelical church, and the state of evangelism in it.  It hasn't changed much, so please excuse me if my thoughts trail off.

I actually began teaching on this subject some in my church, when asked to fill in for people.  I think I might provide a "different" perspective on what evangelism and witnessing is and should be.  In my Marketing 101 class in college, a definition of "marketing" was given that has stuck with me for several years:  the study and act of connecting people with needs, wants, and desires with the goods, products, and services that will meet those needs, wants, and desires.   Or at least it was something to that effect.  I think we, as Christians, can learn a lot from marketing concepts, when it comes to how we connect with people around the Gospel.

The methods by which the Gospel has been shared have changed very little over the last several hundred years.  In that time, the culture itself has changed so dramatically, so many times, that what was relevant to the average person in the 1600's is totally foreign to the same average person today.  I'm not talking about the Biblical methodology of salvation, found in Romans 10:9,10, and 13.  I'm talking about the way we connect with other people, and share the message of Jesus, personally.  I'm sure we can name tons of programs, gimmicks, and special events that churches have used for centuries to get people to come into the church, and hear the Gospel, and accept Jesus.  Some have seen amazing successes in their day, but in an era when the most successful messages are preached around seeker-sensitive talking points, and sin is never mentioned, it's difficult to find a modern counterpart to any of those that actually works.

I think we can learn a lot from how the business world approaches these same changes, and an incredibly important lesson is that during times of true cultural changes, the business world is not afraid to throw out the old and irrelevant methods of reaching people, and adopt new methods.  Since the industrial revolution, we've seen amazing changes in the way businesses sell and market their products.  Once upon a time, what mattered was that you built the best of something, and people would "beat a path to your door."  We've been through times when sales were push-centered, and ads focused mostly on "selling" a product on features and benefits.  We came through the pull-centered era when marketing worked to built interest and desire, and encourage people to come looking for your product.  And now ... well who knows what works.  The internet is in the process of revolutionizing the ways we connect and  communicate socially, and businesses want to be involved in the change.  The problem is, no one really knows quite what it will look like once it really comes into maturity.

During those same times, the message of the Gospel has largely stayed the same.  We're still attempting to reach people using methods and practices that may have worked 200 years ago, but haven't changed in respect to the cultural shifts, and changes in societal attitudes towards Christianity.  We have a relatively secularized society today, where few people "judge' you for indulging in any kind of sin, however not that long ago, you could very easily be a social pariah in some areas for being a pregnant teen, or a light drinker.  As society and cultures change,what is "relevant" to people hearing the Gospel changes as well.  Jesus was a master at making the Gospel relevant for his listeners, by telling parables that related to them and their daily lives.  But we're still trying to reach hi-tech, text-messaging, and connected young people with a message intended for pre-industrialized agrarian peoples.

We have a very real problem . . . and these ridiculous Christian Rock Bands, and skateboard ministries are far from a relevant Gospel - they are hokey imposters.  The problem is this:  in order to remain relevant, the Church has been trying to become more like the world, hoping to attract more people, but has made itself impotent and ineffectual in the process.

I'm hoping that we can begin to rethink how the Gospel is shared, while maintaining the integrity of the teachings of Holiness that can show us how to be sold-out, on-fire Christians who live a life of service to God, and not ourselves.