In the movie "Field of Dreams", Kevin Costner's character famously quotes "If you build it, they will come." That may have worked in the movie (there were also baseball players coming out of the corn fields), but not so much in real life. You need to get the word out about what you are passionate about, whether that is a cause, a product, an idea, a service or a theology. Everyone is assaulted every day by ads to "buy this", "do this", "join this", so what makes you stand out? You! Your passion, your personality, but mostly, your personal relationship with your audience is what brings your message to the forefront. So often, we spend so much time "building" that we forget to invite others to join in. It's like planning a great party and not calling anyone to come and join the fun! Then you're stuck sitting at the party alone. Talk to people - personally. E-mail blasts, form letters and generic Facebook invites don't count. Be sincere. Build it - but spend at least as much time inviting them to come.
"If you do not pass the people test, nothing else matters. Promotion without connectivity is destructive. I often share with church leaders that most of the churches in the United States should not promote themselves. Why? Simple. If your current membership is not actively inviting people or visitors are not staying, there are reasons why. If you do an advertising campaign, you are asking people to come in your doors only to realize why no one wants to invite anyone to your church. They never come back and leave to tell all their friends what they did not like about your church. This is not good marketing. The heart of marketing is people. Don’t start with mailers. Start with people. Ask yourself, “What am I doing this week to learn how to reach people more effectively? It's time to evaluate. Are we creating an atmosphere that fosters growth or are we ministering unto ourselves?" http://www.beyondrelevance.com/index.cfm/PageID/913/blog_year/2010/blog_month/2/index.html...
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