Marketing the Church

delivery boyianity in the ordinal century when put side by side with its first century opposite turn of events employing the aid of history impart assistance clearly expose any discrepancies and similarities of problems separately generation encountered. People utilize euphemisms in place of very weighty terminologies to differentiate and attri providede the state of affairs for deterrent example issues in place of problems. It is understandable though the rationale for such changes despite the subtleties they whitethorn entail concerning definitions and descriptions. Today, Christians are facing myriad problems especially where the objective faith has to be reckoned with. This body of doctrine had broken through and through centuries of conflict, persecutions and changes, and still the Bible continued to pose the pith.The depicted object is still the same, heretofore, despite motley attempts that were made to dilute, twist and suit to egoistic wads own cerebration and vested interests. The issues as they are comm save termed right away, accept anything non just to disparage simpleton believing Christians and the practice of their faith issues press those that had continued to conflict conventional movementforces thinking and the usual rationalistic and humanistic viewpoints of life, non to mention those presuppositions that financial support the truths of Scripture from sinking deep into the recesses of a persons mind as well as superstitious beliefs (e.g., divination and the like) that are just so wonderful anybody would wonder why this is happening to both(prenominal) poor souls (de Waay 2007).In much of the controversies facing the perform service service today, nonhing is more than prevalent and has so affected significant influence to the perform building building building at macroscopical as the marketing-the-church border on. The savvy or the key to why it is so influential among many churches is in its virtual (a) method on doing church business. Gary E. Gilley has captured the amount of money of the whole scheme of this advanced figure of speech coggle that has force many to suit its strategies in his four-part report critique of this kindhearted of churchs strategy (Gilley p 2 2000).He observed that because the double instalment of the church has occasion content with its so little impact on the large mass of masses in society, round of its leaders began to think that it exponent be because the church is not doing its work right. It might be that many of those occupying leadership positions in the church are simply proceed what has been passed on to them. They are doing it in the traditional direction that past generations of pastors had done it. So these leaders decided to strategize and think of new ways to repackage the church so that it would denounce fast and effectively draw large number of the population into its sanctuaries.This simply is the thought process la vatory marketing the church. The church has release just any former(a) product. oneness just has to learn how to merchandize it like a skillful salesperson or a good businessman. There must(prenominal) be a better way, the church crop gurus waste surmised. It should not continue the way it is being done. There must be ways to improve the quality of the churchs appearance to the watching populace. The unequivocal indispensableness of the day was new techniques to drop dead the lost. The church doctrine singing must be masked in a wrapping that get out catch the attention of the world so they will bother to check whats in the inside. The religious doctrine, according to the observation of these church growth gurus, is rejected outrightly the moment it is sense by prospective converts. The religious doctrine is not the problem, it is the outdated form that it is being presented that has move the problem (Gilley p 15 2000).The situation of idol for SalvationWhat ine vitably to be remembered at this point is the fact that the New will has made it very clear that the only in additionl that God is using for the transmutation of people is the gospel. Church workers must be convinced of its inherent ability to con and draw people to the Lord. It does not need any coating so people will get attracted to it. On the other hand, contrary to what church growth consultants promote (to repackage or add other elements to the gospel so it will become grateful to its market), whenever the message of the cross (gospel) is mixed with humanistic opinions and philosophies, the Word of God is r hold onered void of its power (1 Cor.117). What is worse in this kind of approach is that it falls under the category of discussion the word of God deceitfully (2 Cor.42).If thither is anything that the church must do at this point in time, it is not to reconcile new ways to present the gospel but to educate its people around the content of the gospel and its suffi ciency in administering redemption. This is the real need of the church that has not been dealt with seriously by the great mass of Christians. The reason why the paradigm shift is deemed as the only solution for the inefficaciousness of the church in reaching its fraternity is actually because a significant number so-called Christians are ignorant of what the gospel consists of. Apostle Paul said, it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes (NKJV, 1982).The Bible has already forewarned us of the negatively charged impressions people would have of the gospel message. It is flakiness and a stumbling block to people who could not apprehend it. The good news however is that it is effective and will definitely work positively to those who ready to accept it. Thus, cohesive to its purity will always take in charge a result. It may not be as massive as the churchs marketers strategies but its fruit is genuine conversion of those who rattling have grasped and acc ept its terms (Gilley p 17 2000).ConclusionTo learn to market the church and to strategize as to secure a substantive number of attendance in a churchs service may be in itself considered a advantage in todays church growth measurement. But Biblically speaking, even in Jesus elaboration on what it rattling elbow room to be His true supporter (Luke 1425-35), simply being among the crowds does not guarantee being genuinely converted to faith. Sticking to Gods prescription of the gospel as the only authority to secure salvation and true harvest of souls in Gods nation may not be as explosive in result as the marketing approach, but its result is sure, and hence, more effective if measured by Gods standard of succeeder.The temptation to harmonize with the standards of the times is always a dispute to the church of Jesus Christ. The pressure to become popular and trustworthy in todays culture is still an intensified battle facing Christians everyday. The question of relevanc y is not actually the issue. When the church deprave into the ploy of the culture and coerced to measure her success allowing those outside to judge whether she is effective or not in her work, it simply means that the church has shifted from using Gods Word as the gauge to auditory sense to surrounding discontented world. It is no long-dated God who has the say. Remember that, naturally, humankind in its rebellion and sin against God is inimical and antagonistic to the gospel message. It is only when it is drawn through the message of the gospel in Gods terms that it will ever get nice and pleasing to the ways of God.Of course, it is not an easy proletariat for the people of God. It hasnt been. The preaching of the gospel and the charge to teach people (educate them) of the teachings of Christ is the primary duty of the church. Any strategies that end up short of making people Christs true disciples are not effective when appraised through the aims of the broad Commission. U nfortunately, the attempts of those who want to compete and enjoin the church in the field of the corporate world are not biblically sound and too risky. The danger lies in its potential to via media and invent another gospel. It is not that generator refuses to be relevant in fact, the message of the gospel is so pertinent comely that on its proclamation hinges the solution to almsgivings real problem.What the church needs in general is to have ample faith in the effectiveness of the message of God to address mans deepest needs and correct those inner problems which when it in conclusion happens will automatically appease facile cravings. The solutions offered by church marketers address the come to the fore only. In the end, after all of the attractions of the strategies have lost their bite, the ultimate question must still be answered Is the gospel accepted in its own terms or not?Works Citedde Waay, Bob, Contemporary Christian Divination. 2007. Critical Issues Commentar y Accessed December 1, 2007. http//cicministry.org/ comment/issue83.htm.Gilley, Gary E. The Market-Driven Church A look behind the scenes Think on These Things. September, 2000 p. 1- 20. Southern capture Chapel, Springfield, IL.