Photo by DeaPeaJay at Flickr.com
After reading about a local issue that’s gaining much publicity, I thought I would examine the issue for myself and generate feedback from my readers to see what their thoughts are.
According to a recent Associated Press article, Metro South Church in Trenton, MI, has started an advertising campaign to “drum up attendance at services.” The campaign entitled, “Satan Hates Metro,” uses three main signs to convey its message: “metrosouthchurch.com makes me sick, sucks, and is killing me.” All messages are signed by Satan.
The campaign centers around I Peter 5:8 which says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (www.biblegateway.com, ESV). The church’s message is that Satan’s mission is to destroy, but God’s mission is “to have a real and fulfilling relationship with Him” (Those Little Signs). Have questions? Visit our church to see what this is all about.
The church’s tagline is “Modern, Relevant, Different.” The church emphasizes being different by having a casual atmosphere with modern music and creative services using “drama, comedy and video to communicate Biblical Truth in a modern and relevant way” (www.metrosouthchurch.com).
The following video is from Week 1 of the campaign. The video from Week 2 can be viewed at www.satanhatesmetro.com.
What are your thoughts concerning marketing the church? Is the motive of this campaign right or wrong? Are the means to the motive putting the focus on the right thing?
Comments
I started an article about marketing, advertising and the Church and scrapped it because I didn't think it was relevant. Your article, here, convinced me I need to publish it after all. I will post a link as soon as it is published. Thank you, Nina, for a thought-provoking contribution.
Dear Nina, Great article. I heard about the signs but never had a chance to read about them.
I hadn't realized these signs existed. I thought a marketing campaign would be a good idea, but think these messages are a bit extreme for my taste.
Thanks for the encouraging comments! Hone, I'm glad you feel led to publish your article about this issue. I'd love to read it!
Think marketing is OK for the church; think a video like this may appeal to a certain group of people. I am older and the approach isn't right for me. I believe whatever gets people thinking about eternal things is a good thing!
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