Can PyroMarketing be used to grow a church? I think it can. In fact, you can see PyroMarketing principles in the life and ministry of Jesus.
I believe the best way to understand the marketing process, the way its messages are sent, received, acted upon, and spread, is to think of it as fire. I call it PyroMarketing. It’s the four-step process visible in successes like The Purpose Driven Life, The Passion of the Christ, and even the life and ministry of Jesus. It is also the best way for churches to reach out to their communities.
Many churches shy away from marketing because they feel it is somehow incompatible with ministry. I think this is because through the years unscrupulous people have exploited people in the name of marketing. But that demonstrates the fallen nature of man, not the fallen nature of marketing.
Marketing is really quite simple. I believe it involves connecting people with needs to the product or service that will satisfy them. The deeper the need, the more likely they are to respond. The more profoundly your product meets their need, the more satisfied people will be. The more satisfied they are, the more people they will tell. The more people they tell, the more you will sell. Marketing, then, by my definition, is nearly indistinguishable from ministry and wholly appropriate for churches.
If the marketing process behaves like fire, then you should build marketing plans the way you build campfires. Here are the four steps to PyroMarketing.
1. Gather the driest tinder: Focus your efforts and resources on the people most likely to respond. These people have the greatest need and will be most satisfied when you meet it. What’s more, they will become unstoppable customer evangelists who spread your message through word of mouth to others. 2. Touch it with the Match: This means giving people an experience. Experience is a shortcut to understanding. If you want people to laugh, don’t tell them you’re funny, tell them a joke! Jesus didn’t walk around claiming to be the Son of God. He admitted that only reluctantly. Instead, he touched people with the match by performing miracles—giving people an experience with those things only the Son of God could do. 3. Fan the Flames: People spread messages more effectively than advertising. The fire is hotter than the match. Fanning the flames means equipping people to spread your message to their friend, family, and neighbors. 4. Save the Coals: Keep a record of the people you encounter through your marketing. In other words, begin and maintain a consumer database. Does your church have a registry of guests? Do you keep a record of regular attendees? Businesses know that their most frequent customers are also their best. Do you know who attends your church each Sunday? If you did, you could quickly identify those people most likely to serve, or evangelize, or give in a time of need. PyroMarketing is simple and it really works. I’d love for churches to use it to advance the gospel and meet people’s needs. You can learn more about the principles behind each step by reading the book. However, because I believe in using PyroMarketing to promote PyroMarketing, I would like to touch you with the match by letting you experience the whole book for free. Once you register, you can stream or download the audio version at www.pyromarketing.com. Spread the fire. GS
Jesus didn’t begin by speaking to crowds of 5000, he called the twelve disciples. Those men were so inclined toward his offer that they left their families, their possessions and their occupations after a single exposure to Jesus’ message. “Put down your nets and follow me…”
Who are the neediest people in your community? How can your church meet their needs? Is it single mothers? Is it the homeless? Is it divorcees? Is it people with Aids? Is it troubled teens?
Mass marketers waste millions of dollars trying to convince “attractive” audience segments to buy their products rather than speaking honestly to the people who already need what they offer. Is your church making the same mistake?
Give people an experience with your church and its ability to meet their needs. And, if people won’t come to your church to get it, then take the experience to them. That’s what Jesus did.
What about letting people experience your choir or your praise and worship team through a series of free concerts in public settings and familiar venues? People who have never been to a church may be afraid of “what goes on in there” but would gladly listen to your musicians in a local theater or concert hall. Do you only provide nursery on for people who attend church on Sunday mornings? Why not offer a nursery on a Saturday night so married couples in your town can go on a date? If they experience your church on a Saturday night, they may come back on Sunday morning.
Jesus gave his disciples the great commission, but he also equipped them for effectiveness by sending his Holy Spirit. Properly equipped, the disciples were an unstoppable force. They walked to the ends of the known world and most died as martyrs passionately spreading a message that was not originally their own!
How are you equipping the saints to spread news of your church? What if your Sunday morning bulletin was a self mailer that doubled as an invitation? Describe the next week’s service and sermon topic and provide a space for people to write a personal note and place their own stamp. Then encourage the congregation to send it to an unchurched friend Monday morning. Imagine the impact if every bulletin on a Sunday morning turned into an invitation to the next Sunday’s service and at no additional cost!
Jesus has a record of people and their deeds from the beginning of time called The Book of Life. Yes, Jesus has a consumer database and, no, you cannot rent his list.
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