Easter Ad Campaign Reaches Unchurched at Record Numbers
Written by Mark Van Steenwyk : February 8, 2008
Rod Billings is the pastor of Journey Community Church in suburban Chicago. Started in the late 90s, Journey saw steady growth. By 2000, there were close to 3200 in attendance every week. But then things started to taper off.
“I don’t know what it was,” says Billings, a stylish, handsome man in his 40s. “We were seeing a lot of growth early on, but eventually it petered out. We tried all the major church-growth approaches to seek continued growth, but nothing worked. Even 40 Days of Purpose was a bust.”
By January of last year, attendance had settled around 3000 in attendance. It was then that Billings struck creative gold.
“My pastoral staff and I were pulling an all-night brainstorming session. We knew that we needed to think outside of the box. After all it was thinking outside of the box that helped us grow in the first place,” says Billings.
Indeed, the early success of Journey Community Church grew out of a daring, pioneering spirit: “We did things that non-churched folks hadn’t seen before. I wore jeans and a t-shirt when I was preaching. Our worship band played music not unlike the stuff we were hearing on the contemporary rock stations. And we used a mix of cutting-edge drama and edgy videos.”
According to Billings, the new “outside the box” idea struck at the end of their late-night brainstorming session. Says Billings, “I was tired and cranky. I was ready to call it quits when our community life and families pastor suggested that we ‘find out what seekers really want.’ When he said that, I knew exactly what we needed to do to reach the unchurched.”
The Birth of an Easter Campaign
According to Billings, the average unchurched person in suburban Chicago isn’t interested in religiosity. They want, he suggests, a “deep spirituality that fits into their busy schedule.” Instead of making Jesus challenging or complex, Billings offered a Jesus that “gives people exactly what they want.”
And Billings set off on a brilliant campaign that offered them just that. Last Easter, Journey Community Church launched its “Jesus died for” campaign. They sent mailers to 200,000 area residents with a positive message that “connects with the unchurched.” They also ran TV and radio spots on local television. Their ads centered around the message of Easter–the
death of Jesus Christ–but with a twist. Billings explains: “People don’t want to hear about their sins, and Jesus’ death for
those sins. Nor do they want to hear about how Jesus challenged the status quo. My church-goers have benefited from the status-quo, after all. Instead, I show them a Jesus who died for their problems, for their concerns.”
Pastor Billings credits last Easter’s mailer for the increase in weekly attendance–which is up to 4000. One new member, George Eliason praises the approach: “Look, I really love what Jesus offers. But most churches make it inconvenient to be a Christian. Journey does a great job conforming Christianity to me, rather than asking me to conform to some abstract “rules” spouted off 2000 years ago in the Middle East.”
The campaign has proven so successful that Billings and his team are planning on a similar campaign this year. In addition to the mailers and media coverage, Journey Community Church will be opening a Starbucks in the back of the sanctuary as an additional way of wooing busy families.
According to Billings: “If Jesus were alive today, he’d be pleased; we’re reaching a whole new generation of people with Jesus’ gentle message of acceptance and love.”
Editor’s Note: This post is a work of satire.
Mark Van Steenwyk is the general editor of Jesus Manifesto. He is a Mennonite pastor (Missio Dei in Minneapolis), writer, speaker, and grassroots educator. He lives in South Minneapolis with his wife (Amy), son (Jonas) and some of their friends.If you appreciate articles like this, consider making a donation to help Jesus Manifesto pay the bills.
Print This Article
for further reading . . .
- None Found
Comments
Add New Comment
Viewing 11 Comments
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Add New Comment
Trackbacks
(Trackback URL)