"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
- Jesus Christ
"To speak to the masses" means to address a large group of people, typically using language and ideas that are easily understood by the general public, aiming to reach a wide audience and connect with them on a common level; essentially, communicating in a way that resonates with the majority of people. Google AI
I was called once to consult with a newly appointed pastor of a fifty-year-old church to work with them on building attendance. The economy had recently improved, and his town of 3,600 was multiplying. The pastor was interested in reaching new families relocating, hoping to bring growth and vitality to the church.
I mentioned the possibility of doing a direct mail postcard campaign once or twice a year with a sermon series geared towards young families, this would also capture all the new families that have moved into the area every six month. However, the pastor said he didn't think it would work. He said the church had been around for fifty years, and since it was such a small town, everyone already knew they were there. He said, "If someone wanted to attend church, they would have come already." What I heard him say was:
"If people need God, they know where we are. They will come."
In my opinion, after working with churches to grow their congregation for the past twenty-plus years...this mentality is partially responsible for the decline in attendance in our churches today.
Pastors preach messages based on their feelings or what some long-time members want to hear on a Sunday morning rather than what nonbelievers in their community need to hear.
I am not suggesting that messages should be watered down or compromised. What I am saying is:
The needs of THE MASSES - The 80% of your community who do not attend church must be factored into every aspect of your marketing...and realize it or not, your sermons are a form of your church's marketing.
Yes, the "masses" are "messy"; yes, they have issues and require special time and attention. Their marriages will be in decline, they may have substance abuse issues, they may be addicted to pornography, having affairs and so on. Broken people are a lot of work.
But it is not your job as the church to decide who the Holy Spirit calls to your church.
Paul said, "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some" (1 Cor. 9:22b). Paul knew well that understanding and addressing the needs and worldview of those he spoke with was necessary for evangelism.
Church marketing should focus on the 80% who do not attend church regularly rather than the 20% who do not attend or the people already in your seats.
Do you have a problem aligning my statement above with a biblical view? Look at how Jesus prioritized His ministry. He spent most of His time with the "sick," not the "healthy." He spoke mainly to the sinners, not the self-righteous. The Lord didn't have direct mail, radio, TV, billboards, social media, or anything else today for marketing. Instead, He did those things that only the Messiah could do. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, cast out demons, raised the dead, and performed many other miracles. Naturally, word spread and the people flocked to hear Him speak. He spoke to their spiritual needs often...
Adapting His message to the needs of the audience.
Imagine 10,000 people within a 5-mile radius of your church, and data shows that 2,000 are already attending church somewhere. Why gear your marketing to the 20% who attend church with church slang or "churchy" sayings? Why spout verses in your marketing that only a bible scholar would understand? Why use messages and pictures that only a Christian would "get"?
Or even worse... close your church off to the "messy" and "broken" people in your community.
Wouldn't it be far better to gear your marketing to the 80% who do not attend church with life-applicable sermon series that reach them where they are in life? You are reaching a nonbeliever for the Kingdom and have a much larger audience to pull from. All church marketing you push to the general public should speak to that 80%. That includes your print materials, social media, and even your website.
The most "on-fire" people I have met in the church are those who found the church in their brokenness, and God transformed their lives so they could be a witness to what the church and God can offer.
God designed people with a built-in desire to seek relief from pain. This desire helps to keep us alive. The church that crafts its marketing around addressing the felt needs that cause the most pain WILL BE SEEN AS RELEVANT. Even the 80% will get out of bed on Sunday if YOU TELL THEM YOU HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THEIR SUFFERING.
Yes, they need Jesus! And your church needs to share Jesus with them. But first, you need to get them in the seats. To do that, you need to speak a message that they understand.
John Squiric
Adapted from "Marketing Like God"
Great Insight