The Colossal Marketing Mistake of Christian Churches

The colossal centuries-old marketing mistake of Christian churches is that they did not have a strategic marketing plan in place. That is completely understandable because for 1,500 years the hierarchy of needs of their audiences had not changed much. Today, the hierarchy of needs of contemporary believers has changed considerably.

In designing a sustainable organization of any type to remain in sustainable existence, we must have a strategic marketing plan that includes tying the longevity of the organization to human motivation.

Please see: ADDENDUM, “Human Motivation,” page 98, especially “Values, Value Interpretations, Hierarchies of Need, and Social Change.”)

Briefly, what has occurred over the centuries of the existence of the Christian church is that the circumstances of life have changed immensely for believers. The Industrial Revolution, world wars, the encroachment of materialism into all areas of life, multiple social and entertainment distractions, and many others have shifted the hierarchies of need for billions of people from the quiet lives they once had to the hustle and complexity of contemporary living. For centuries, the hope of an afterlife helped people endure the burdens of survival, but once survival was assured millions of people began leaving the church.

Today they seek the means to make their lives easier, particularly in their personal and social environments. The values are the same as our ancient ancestors, but the interpretations we give to them has changed radically.

The church has failed to adapt to serve the changing needs of believers. The Christian church needs a strategic multi-millennia marketing plan.

A strategic marketing innovation. Historically, religions have put their own “hype” and “spin” on social innovations to identify them with the church. They are under the assumption that “branding” will give them social identity that they can build on. The same occurs with other organizations, whether they are commercial entities or others. Few have taken on the marketing strategy to provide a neutral, unbranded service to the public that serves the good of everyone. That would mean providing a service that serves the hierarchy of needs of believers and their public audience WITHOUT it being identified with the name of their church organization.

For contemporary couples and singles with families that would mean providing a service for the parents and children, as the children will probably become parents at some point in their life. The greatest need of contemporary societies is social stability, families that produce socially competent and responsible children, and a multi-generational program to achieve those ends. Consider the program discussed below that is more suited for an altruistic venue than a public agency.