Thinking About the Church's Future

First, let me make clear that almost any time I hear "church" and "marketing" in the same sentence (paragraph? half hour?), I get nauseous. The connotations that the two terms hold for me guarantee, in my opinion, an admixture as consonant as oil and water.

Having said that, I thought I'd pass on a link to a fellow named Chris Forbes, who is an unabashed and self-proclaimed church marketer. The reason I pass on the link is that he continues to post material (like this interview) that asks questions and raises issues that I am seeing raised in very few other places in my (admitted limited) web surfing. I certainly don't agree with everything he (or the people he quotes from) says. But he gets me thinking about topics that I think are deeply important to the future of the American Church in the 21st century -- and I like to think that helps me to be a better pastor, and a more faithful servant of the Body of Christ.

His personal website is www.MinistryMarketingCoach.com, but two articles he wrote recently are at www.fundraising123.org -- they are The Secret of "Me" Marketing vs. "You" Marketing, and -- more thought-provoking -- Fads, Trends, and Preparing the Faith-Based Organization for the Future.

Full disclosure: I don't know the guy personally, nor do I stand to benefit in any way from passing this info on to you (except insofar as it might lead us both to some honest reflection and faithful ministry in Christ's Church in the future). He is, in fact, the first (and only) person I've met through the Internet (on Facebook).