G3 Insider

I thought this post from Kem Meyer was really good. You can read her blog HERE.It is definitely something I think about a lot. False advertising is the best way to get people to walk right out the back door. If you say you are friendly church or a grace filled church or a giving church or an evangelistic church you BETTER be able to back that up with your actions. Not only will people be turned off by your false advertising but they will tell all of their friends about it and pretty soon you’ve made the exact opposite impact on the community that you were hoping for and will be spending a long time trying to dig yourself out of the hole that could have been prevented if you would have only given as Kem says and Jack Webb (Dragnet) said before her, “just the facts.”

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.