Recently, the Chicago Tribune looked at the issue of churches marketing themselves online, and more specifically, the Cultivate Conference recently held at Park Community Church:
On Tuesday, 250 Web-savvy Christians — from blogging pastors to iPhone programmers — gathered at Park Community for Cultivate 09, an interactive conference on ministry communication, which includes marketing strategy. More than a third of Americans younger than 50 don’t have a religious affiliation, according to a 2008 study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, but conference organizers say Web-based campaigns help bring younger, “unchurched” people into the Christian community.
The article covers the benefits of connecting via technology as well as the potential pitfalls of bypassing personal relationships in favor of online connectivity. It also includes a mention of Center for Church Communication founder Brad Abare:
The conference’s proceeds benefit, in part, the Center for Church Communication, a nonprofit that tries to steer churches away from bad clip art and ineffective marketing. In its online labs, 3,500 people have shared their innovative ideas, said Brad Abare, 30, the center’s founder.
Don’t hesitate to read the entire article to see their view of churches marketing and communicating online.