Presbyterians in Tennessee are the latest group of mainline Protestants to plaster ads about their denomination in a push to reverse declining membership.
"We have, just like most of the other presbyteries, been experiencing slow-to-no growth," said Donna Hoppestad, marketing and advertising consultant for East Tennessee Presbytery and an elder in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), according to the denomination's news service. "Everyone is having problems with attracting new people."
The presbytery is spreading word about the PC(USA) through television advertising spots and roadside billboards that read "Find Peace. Here and Now. We are the Presbyterian Church (USA)" along with eight other sayings. Ads are designed to inform the public that their churches are open and welcoming.
The "awareness campaign" launched in December with TV spots which are now supported by billboards. The first of 30 billboards went up in March, according to Hoppestad.
Many churches have had trouble finding ways to draw people in and spreading the word to their communities that they were still there, Hoppestad explained.
"They just didn't know how to go outside their doors," she said about the local churches.
The PC(USA) is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country but has seen shrinking membership for years. Membership over the past year dropped by 2.36 percent, according to the National Council of Churches' 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches.
Members of East Tennessee Presbytery are the latest to jump on board with other religious groups that have invested millions of dollars in advertising.
The United Methodist Church has continued to purchase cable television spots every year since 2001 to raise awareness of the denomination. The Methodist ad campaign also includes billboards and most recently the mainline body has ventured into online advertising to reach younger audiences.
PC(USA) ads in Tennessee will run for six months but the local churches are exploring more outreach opportunities, including festivals, to bring people in.
Presbyterians across the denomination are scheduled to convene in June for the bi-annual General Assembly meeting. The top issues that will be addressed at the meeting include a revised polity that would be more flexible and ensuring a church for future generations.
Comments
Sigh. No reply?
Well it kinda does matter since a church is a relationship. The Catholic church could've recognized their mistakes and humbled themselves, but they decided to be abusive. It's the only time where the Bible recognizes where a relationship is abusive, then it's essential to get out. Perhaps we should leave this for another time because this would open up old wounds, but does that mean you have to be a Catholic in order to gain salvation?
Lex,
Churches in the PC(USA) do just that. A lot of times though the general public doesn't notice because they are too captivated by churches that offer cheap grace, entertainment for worship, and emptyheaded sermons and classes.
Doesn't matter. Yes, there were errors that needed to be corrected, but this is still the church that Jesus Christ founded, hell will not bring it down, and you won't either! God bless....
Tallguy,
I like to hear your take on the Reformation. Afterall, didn't we all stare at skulls of deceased disciples, buy indulgences, and couldn't read the Bible for our own? What is your thoughts on it?
Wouldn’t it be nice if all Christians were one, the way Jesus intended when He gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom! “On this rock I will build my Church” – (NOT my churches). If we had all remained Catholic instead of following Martin Luther’s little rant we would not have these problems today of trying to steal people from each other’s tiny little congregations. Instead we could focus that time on actually Worshiping Jesus! Imagine that! AMEN. May God bless and keep you Holy
You don't need to open a soup kitchen or pick up trash on the highway. Preach the Holiness of God, the depravity of man and Christ crucified as the exclusive way of salvation and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
If a community doesn't know that a local church is still there, something is wrong. You don't need more advertising, you need more love. Open a soup kitchen, adopt a highway, partner with a local crisis pregnancy center. Jesus said they'll know us by our love.
Advertisements, that's rich... why not preach, communicate, show, write, talk, live... the gospel, the full councel of God?