Jesus’ Ministry Marketing (1 of 4) :: The 4 P’s
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.
Matt Farina Said,
February 4, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
Jesus knew how to package the perfect product (himself) so that people saw the true Jesus. I wonder how far off we are in knowing what the actual product is? How bad is our packaging compared to Jesus packaging?
Kent Shaffer Said,
February 4, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
Great input, Matt!
Mike Anderson Said,
February 4, 2008 @ 2:01 pm
Jesus was an amazing communicator. When I read “Made to Stick”, Jesus seemed to do all of those things. He was the best.
I think the idea of price has to be worked with a bit. While grace is free, it also costs everything. Because grace changes everything. You can’t hold on to your old life, because grace means your not following your old ways, but you’re following God now.
Luke 14: 25-33
What Jesus was asking was very costly. Drop everything and follow him. Try to pull that one off today. Go down to the docks, and tell people to leave their boats and follow you.
Mikal Caldwell Said,
February 8, 2008 @ 7:33 am
Jesus was an excellent marketer. He was particularly great at creating buzz. Think about how many times he healed someone and then told them not to tell anyone. What’s the first thing they did? Tell EVERYONE! The best way to create buzz is through an exceptional customer experience. That goes for churches too. Jesus was the master at this. A great website and slick logos and banners are great, but what are we giving them that makes them want to respond like the woman at the well who told everyone “Come see a man…”
Natt Said,
February 8, 2008 @ 5:24 pm
Jesus did accept donations from individuals, namely widows, to continue his ministry. Yet, there were no tax-deductible receipts. (Luke 8:3)
Natt Said,
February 8, 2008 @ 5:37 pm
Scratch that, this passage doesn’t state that they are widows, but it seems pretty clear that they were women.
Arvell Said,
February 10, 2008 @ 9:01 pm
Great article.
Few thoughts.
I think Jesus had two products and they would need to be looked at differently.
The first was the love and healing. Which spread and was promoted rapidly as you address.
The second was discipleship, and entrance into the Kingdom. Which actually would cost person EVERYTHING. Which was not very popular nor had the same word of mouth viral market ability.
Thus it seems to me when the church does it’s marketing it needs to have at least the two products differences that Jesus had. In which we do not charge for the things that are free (love, healing etc) nor cheapen the life (discipleship, surrender, etc) God requires that we live - which costs everything.
Kent Shaffer Said,
February 10, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
Thanks, everyone, for the input! Great discussion.
I agree with Mike Anderson and Arvell that the concept of grace/salvation/discipleship is different from ministering/serving/loving others. When a church follows Jesus’ example for loving and serving others, it will naturally attract people just as Jesus’ ministry did. This kind of “ministry” is free.
Salvation costs everything. So does committed discipleship.
Any other thoughts?