Are you promising more than you can deliver?

These simple, practical examples from real church promotions seem harmless enough...

1. "Come to this year's women's retreat where you'll develop friendships that last a lifetime."
   
   It’s what we hope happens, but it’s out of our control. Yet we still promise something we can't guarantee. I had a woman complain to me that she joined a volunteered to make friends. After two years of serving, she felt duped because she had not made one friend. She held the church responsible for false advertising. Yes, her opinion is a little extreme. And, yes, it's a little outrageous and unrealistic. However, it's a recurring perspective we experience with people on their journey. What can we do to help them along?

2. "Come experience a community of grace."
   
   Again, nice goal, but you can't control the outcome. I had promised a “community of grace” for a friend of mine and she finally joined me for a weekend service. During the message, her cell phone went off. A man sitting behind us scolded her for being rude and selfish. He even asked her not to come back if she couldn't have the decency to turn her phone off during church. True story. Yes, it's a distraction for others when a cell phone goes off. Obviously. However, what isn't obvious is that my friend was taking a gigantic step by attending church for the first time in years. My friend didn’t look at the man as an individual, she looked at him as the church. And, I had not delivered on my promise.

Hey, are you being honest with yourself (and others)?

• What are you "putting out there" that you should really cut?

• What expectations are you setting that are unrealistic and out of your control?

• If people think churches are liars anyway, what are we doing to diffuse this perception and build trust?

• Are we making statements as if they were facts, when in reality they are subjective and left to personal interpretation?

• Are we promising something we can't deliver on?

• Are we baiting people with exaggerated benefits?

A lot of times, the solution is as simple as providing "just the facts" and nothing else. Remove the fluff. Eliminate our “hope” in the content. That's the first step towards turning a potentially negative experience into a great one.

Comments

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[Michael Parks]

That is a great thought to keep in mind for those of us looking to "brand" our church. Perhaps we are seeing the influence of secular advertising in church promos, and need to remember that we are not selling anything. You can't sell an experience, you can only encourage people to come and engage in an experience.

[Graham]

wow. I never thought of it that way.

I'm glad I'm learning all this stuff before I start editing copy for our new website!

Definitely something to keep in mind.

[Mark]

Love it!

[Lee Fields]

this is perfect...

[Paul Steinbrueck]

Hey Kem, IMO this raises an interesting dilema. I agree with you that we don't want to over-promise. But on the other hand if you eliminate the "hope," what's the motivation to participate?

Isn't the reason anyone does anything with a church because they hope it will change something?

People visit a church for the first time because they hope to connect with God or hope to learn how to fix their marriage or hope to give their kids a solid spiritual foundation. People join a small group because they hope to develop close friendships or hope to grow in their relationship with God. People serve because they hope to make a difference.

We can't promise these things WILL happen, but isn't a church supposed to give people hope they CAN happen?

[Jim]

i'm more concerned about the dog...

[Donna Frank]

I just found your blog...I'm so pumped!

Great post. I think if we focussed on advertising the truth (just the facts), more people could find the hope they're searching for.

[Dennis Richards]

Great thoughts Kem!