Church Marketing Communication Methods

Abstract

In a study of 247 Southern Baptist Convention churches, data were collected on the use and perceived effectiveness of twenty-five marketing communication methods. The most frequently used methods were in-house visits and telephone calls to people who visited the church. These methods also had the highest perceived effectiveness. Churches in primarily urban areas were more likely than rural churches to use the marketing techniques investigated in this study. Newspaper advertising and telephone calls to people who visited the church were more likely to be used by high-growth churches. The overall use of marketing communication methods appears to be more important in achieving church growth than the use of any specific method.