Church Marketing 101: Preparing Your Church for Greater Growth (Paperback)

by Richard L. Reising (Author)
Key Phrases: spiritual signposts, church marketing, perception management, Moving Forward, Mountain Dew, God's Word (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...Church leaders need to read this book." -- Darren Whitehead [Next Gen Pastor] Willow Creek Community Church

"...Required reading for every pastor in America." -- Brad Abare, founder of Personality(TM) and the Center for Church Communication

"...This book is a must-read for anyone who is committed to reaching their community with the gospel." -- David Dykes [Pastor] Green Acres Baptist Church

"Richard Reising has an important message for the church to hear and apply." -- Robert Morris, senior pastor, Gateway Church, Southlake, Texas

"Richard does not take a cookie cutter approach to marketing, but makes every effort to establish a biblical approach." -- Dr. Bill Lawrence, president, Leader Formation International

Product Description
Over 90 percent of all Christian churches in the United States have fewer than 200 members. While they vary in shape, size, ethnicity, and denomination, they have one thing in common: the desire to grow. So why is it that some churches fail to grow for years, while other congregations in the same community increase exponentially? The problem, says church marketing authority Richard Reising, is that most churches should not be doing promotion. Instead, they should focus on the preparation that will make members eager to invite others. In ChurchMarketing 101®, he demystifies basic marketing principles for the church, evaluates them against biblical principles, and illustrates how simple changes can remove roadblocks that hinder members from reaching out. Reising's simple yet insightful approach will be invaluable to pastors and ministry leaders from churches of all denominations and styles.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801065925
• ISBN-13: 978-0801065927
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,395 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Go Ahead Buy this Book!, March 14, 2006

By	Chris Forbes "gmnonprofits.com" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Everyday in the United States people are bombarded with a communication avalanche. It has been estimated by communication experts that the average American experiences 1,500-3,500 attempts to get his/her attention per day. With all that competition, what hope do we who want to communicate to church members and unchurched people about our church events and ministry opportunities have of getting people to hear us? How do we keep the message we know is so important from getting drowned by the information tsunami? The only solution is to learn to become more strategic in the ways your church communicates with your community. Marketing is a discipline that can help you communicate better.

Church Marketing 101 is a good resource to help you learn how to apply marketing know-how in your context. Richard Reising does a great job in making marketing concepts accessible to ministry leaders. He makes as clear an explanation of the concept of branding as I have seen anywhere. And he does it without too much technical jargon. Reising's heart for ministry also shows through in this book. This is a very readable, practical church marketing book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visitor's perception, August 4, 2006

By	Cathy Messecar "co-author, A Scrapbook of Chr... (Montgomery, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I gained so much from Mr. Reising's book Church Marketing 101.

Reising's profound love for the Lord and his desire that Christians rightly influence the unchurched and the unsaved is compelling.

He teaches the body of Christ how to follow Colossians 4:5-6 by making the most of every opportunity with conversations full of grace, seasoned with salt, and able to answer all inquiries.

One key insight from his book stands out: that Jesus, Paul, King Solomon, and others managed the perception of contacts because while God looks on the heart, most men judge by sight. Read to find out the particulars of how churches can have a greater influence on visitors.

I'm recommending this book to the elders and leaders of my home congregation. Thank you, Richard, for sharing your expertise.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book a few times, July 18, 2006

By	J. P. Sindorf "Director of Media & Marketing ... (Michigan, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have bought a ton of church marketing books... most are a waste of time and money. This sucker rocks. Here's what you do: buy it and read it with a highlighter. Then read it again with a notebook and pen. Then gather your senior staff and start making changes.

Every book has bad stuff (even Ludlum!) so here, in the interest of full disclosure, is what I thought sucked a bit: The author tells us too often that we need to hire an outside third-party expert (uh, like maybe his firm) so we can really be objective. The book establishes this guy as an expert, he knows his stuff, we don't need to be sold on his agency too... save that for the website.

This is one book you really can say WOW about.