A friend recommended The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout to me and I enjoyed it. It has gotten me thinking about the kind of perception that people have of church and what is needed to change the perception. Perhaps the reason why church plants tend to reach most unchurched people is because they’re able to start with a clean slate and don’t have the baggage that other churches might.

Some are afraid of the word “marketing”. But every church markets themselves to one degree or another. A sign in front of your building is marketing. Invitation cards to your church is marketing. The issue to me is “what is the impression you want people to have when they think about your church?” Marketing is how you present yourself to your community. It’s not simply promotion. This is what made the book interesting to me. I’d recommend it.