About

Churches have the greatest story ever told, but they don't know how to tell it. We think there's a communication problem. That remarkable story is lost thanks in part to poor research, little or no planning, bad clip art, cheesy photos and ignorable ads.

We believe there's a better way. It's not simply flashy designs or catchy slogans, but effective and authentic communication. If we can't communicate, how can we fulfill the great commission?

We want the Church to matter.
We want your church to matter.

We help the church by offering information, resources, advice and starting the conversation about church communication.

We are a non-profit organized by communications professionals who have been serving the church and mainstream clients since 1998.

Defining Church

When we talk about 'church' we're not talking about a brick building on the corner. Church is community, not buildings. We're also not talking about a specific denomination. We're talking about the worldwide, Christian Church—capital 'C'.

It's not about the increase of an institution. People are what matters, the structure is secondary. So whether you're a small group or a mega-church, we believe good marketing and communication can help you connect with people. That's what it's all about.

Team Members

Brad Abare, Founder
As a pastor's kid Brad grew up in the church. He's been trying to help it ever since. He's an entrepreneur at heart and started his first company at 14, launched a publishing empire at 16, and founded Personality™, a marketing and communication consultancy, at 19. Brad is also the assistant vice president and director of communications at the central offices of The Foursquare Church, a Los Angeles-based denomination with a worldwide constituency of over 6 million. Brad and his wife Jamaica live in downtown Los Angeles.

Joshua Cody, Labs Assistant
Doesn't a college student have better things to do? Study or find a real job? Probably, but Joshua has a passion to help churches communicate more effectively, come up with new ideas and seize the day. With a background from Georgia to Los Angeles to Kenya and wedding bells in July, Joshua is a big fan of chasing dreams. He is a temporary resident of Athens, Ga., and there's no telling where in the world his future might take him.

Kevin D. Hendricks, Labs Director
After attending the same fundamentalist Baptist church for 18 years, Kevin branched out in college, trying an Evangelical Covenant church, a Lutheran Native American church, and finally settling on a charismatic Episcopalian church. After working in the web department of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Kevin founded the writing and editing company Monkey Outta Nowhere in 2004. He's been an avid blogger since 1998, well before the word came into common usage. Kevin lives in St. Paul, Minn. with is wife, daughter and two dogs.

History

The Center for Church Communication (CFCC) started as an idea to help churches communicate better. The initial roots go back to the late 1990s when Brad Abare started a marketing agency that worked with a handful of churches and ministries. The idea was to help as many people as possible for as little money as possible. As is typical with big dreamers, it quickly became clear that ministry pricing didn't equal financial sustainability. Brad continued to help churches on the side while growing the company to be a marketing and communication consultancy, known today as Personality™.

Several years later, in 2004, Abare tried again to launch a separate division of his agency that would work exclusively with churches. During a planning meeting for the launch of CFCC, the idea for Church Marketing Sucks was also born. Together, the Center for Church Communication and Church Marketing Sucks would both serve to help churches. It wasn't so much about making a bunch of money—that was the job of the "profitable parent," Personality™.

With the rapid growth of Church Marketing Sucks, and the mediocre response to CFCC, the decision was made to incorporate CFCC as a non-profit organization, and discontinue the idea of selling marketing services. CFCC would be the non-profit home for Church Marketing Sucks, and continue to foster and facilitate a community of church communicators through CFCC and beyond.

Kevin D. Hendricks, a longtime friend of Abare, and a freelance writer for over 10 years, has been the primary caretaker of the CFCC labs, including the role of lead blogger for Church Marketing Sucks.