How inappropriate is modern music?

According to the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, quite a bit. Researchers analyzed Billboard magazine’s top 279 most popular songs of 2005 to determine what percentage of songs referenced tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. Here are some highlights from their findings:

• 1 in 3 songs portray substance use (33.3%)
  >> 4 in 5 rap songs (77%)
  >> 1 in 3 country songs (36%)
  >> 1 in 5 R&B/hip-hop songs (20%)
  >> 1 in 7 rock songs (14%)
  >> 1 in 10 pop songs (9%)
• 1 in 25 songs have antiuse messages (4%)
• The average adolescent is exposed to approximately 84 references to explicit substance use daily in popular songs, and this exposure varies widely by musical genre.

Although the study did not analyze the frequency of sex and violence in popular music, 46% of substance use references were associated with sex, and 29% were associated with violence. This should come as no surprise to youth pastors. But it is surprising from the perspective that the average teenager hears 588 messages a week about substance use compared to one message a week from the youth group. A youth pastor better make his message count.

[via Rolling Stone]

2 Big Lessons from Jesus’ Ministry Marketing

Overall, two big lessons stand out to me from Jesus’ ministry marketing.

1. Product is Priority.
   Great products market themselves. Always be striving to improve your ministry. Above all else, strive to be more Christlike.
2. Maximize Your Distribution
   Jesus was purposeful in reaching new people. I believe it is the church’s responsibility to utilize technology to maximize their reach.

For Discussion:
What do you think the role of marketing is in the church?

>> Read part 1 of the series.
>> Read part 2 of the series.
>> Read part 3 of the series.

Why doesn’t church marketing look like Jesus’ ministry marketing?

Quite simply, we aren’t perfect. We have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Ideally, a church should have the crowds of Jesus. Ideally, a church should impact people’s lives in such a way that that the entire region talks about it. But no church is perfect. We aren’t Christ, but we are trying to become more like Him. And I believe that as a church becomes more Christlike, it will create more word of mouth.

I have yet to hear of a church that generates the kind of sustainable word of mouth that Jesus’ ministry had, which is why advertising, direct marketing, and public relations are valuable tools for many churches.

>> Read part 1 of the series.
>> Read part 2 of the series.
>> Read part four of the series as I share the two biggest lessons I’ve learned from Jesus’ ministry marketing.

How would Jesus market His ministry today?

Had Jesus’ ministry taken place 2,000 years later, I do not think much would have changed. His ministry (His product) would still be perfect and would garner significant amounts of word of mouth and press coverage. It would still be of no charge financially. The biggest change would be His use of technology. Without question, Jesus would use technology to its fullest potential to distribute His message to as many people as possible.

But what would Jesus do for promotion? Would He use advertising, direct marketing, interactive marketing, personal selling, public relations, or sales promotions? I think He would use interactive marketing and personal selling. He would have a website to bring His message to a greater number of people globally, and He would still have a personal face-to-face ministry. The other areas are debatable. With large levels of word of mouth and press coverage, why spend money on advertising, direct marketing, or public relations. I definitely cannot imagine Jesus using the gimmicks of sales promotions to attract people.

>> Read part 1 of the series.
>> Read part three of the series as I take a look at why church marketing does not look like Jesus’ ministry marketing.

Over the years, I have heard quite a few perspectives on church marketing and whether or not it has a Biblical basis. I believe that church marketing is a good thing although, as with any area of ministry, I have also seen church marketing taken to negative extremes.

Lately, as I have been reading Mark, I have been thinking about how Jesus’ ministry fits into the modern definitions of marketing. Specifically, I have been thinking about the 4 P’s of the marketing mix - product, price, place (distribution), and promotion. Jesus’ ministry is an example of what ideal church marketing should look like. Although I should warn you, Christ’s example always sets the bar high. So here are some of my insights:

The 4 P’s of Jesus’ Ministry Marketing

• Product
  Jesus is perfect. He was sinless. Therefore, His ministry was perfect. It was remarkable, and consequently, it created word of mouth.
• Price
  Jesus’ ministry was free, financially speaking. It was accessible to both the wealthy and the poor. However, because Jesus’ ministry (His product) was perfect, He frequently experienced more demand for His ministry than He and His disciples could supply. People were willing to tear a hole in someone else’s roof so their paralyzed friend could see Jesus (Mark 2:4). In Mark 3:20, Jesus and His disciples could not find time to eat. And when at the lake, Jesus used a boat as an escape plan just in case the people crowded Him off the beach (Mark 3:8-9). Sometimes to lessen the demand, He raised the cost of the time and effort needed to see Him by traveling to a secluded place (Mark 1:45). But people still came from everywhere to see Him.
  
• Place (Distribution)
  Jesus frequently traveled to make Himself accessible to a greater region of people. He ministered in the synagogues, the streets, and the countryside. He ministered everywhere.
• Promotion
  Jesus had no need to promote His ministry because the “product” was flawless. People promoted His ministry for Him. However, because He had a face-to-face ministry, it could be said that He used personal selling for promotion.

>> Read part two of the series as I take a look at how Jesus would market His ministry today.

If you enjoy reading Church Relevance, you may be interested in a new blog I am starting called KentShaffer.com.

I will still be blogging here at Church Relevance, but KentShaffer.com will be a place where I can blog about similar topics but on a broader scope.

If interested, please subscribe to my posts at KentShaffer.com via the RSS feed or via an email subscription.