WQED Weekly
Ad Campaigns for Churches
Clip | 4m 36sVideo has Closed Captions
This segment explores ad campaigns encouraging people to attend church.
This segment of WQED Weekly explores the ad campaign created by the ecumenical group Religion in American Life to encourage people to come to church. Reverend Lloyd of the Christian Associates organization talks about the power of media and advertising to reach people, and the increase in attendance local churches have seen since the ad campaign started.
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WQED Weekly is a local public television program presented by WQED
WQED Weekly
Ad Campaigns for Churches
Clip | 4m 36sVideo has Closed Captions
This segment of WQED Weekly explores the ad campaign created by the ecumenical group Religion in American Life to encourage people to come to church. Reverend Lloyd of the Christian Associates organization talks about the power of media and advertising to reach people, and the increase in attendance local churches have seen since the ad campaign started.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Gets them there on Sunday morning.
Listen, I'll do anything almost, to get people into church the first time.
That note of desperation in the reverend's voice is there with good reason.
Churches and synagogues have fallen on some hard times.
It's not that God's popularity is down.
98% still say they believe in God, but in the last 15 years, the number of people attending worship services dropped steadily from 50% of the population to 40%.
In Pittsburgh, the situation is even worse.
Attendance is down 20% here just in the last six years.
I think that, that, religious bodies are recognizing the fact that they just can't sit back and twiddle their thumbs and say well, come on in the door.
You have to go out.
Just, just like, you know, the the old expression, you got to go out where the people are.
I think that, religious groups have to be able to take their message and like, the old one and put it new one.
The modernization process takes on different forms in different churches and synagogues.
But the new look in evangelism is definitely advertising.
I think a few years ago or early in my ministry, I might have said that this was a gimmick and that, you know, if a person really wanted the faith, it's there and you better come and get it.
But you can't live in this society today without recognizing that the media is the message, and that the people are totally engrossed in an advertising society.
And I think, you know, as the Scripture says, greater things than these you will do after I'm gone.
I keep thinking to myself well, Jesus was here, He wouldn't lock himself away someplace and say, I'm not going to use that media.
So doing as Jesus might have done, an ecumenical group called Religion in American Life hired a New York ad agency to prepare the materials for a month long campaign.
They spent $40,000 for TV and radio commercials, newspaper and magazine ads, billboards, bus cards, the whole thing.
And when Reverend Lloyd's organization Christian Associates agreed to run the campaign here, the Blitz was on.
We feel like we belong to a community, the family.
And it showed us how to be kind.
- For the love of God, visit his house this week.
Were media conscious and, and it's an inescapable fact, but it's a question of how you use it.
And I think the I think the churches and synagogues should use the most powerful mediums in the world for the most powerful messages.
Not trying to sell something what we're trying to promote is, there's an attitude.
When the promotion ended and the numbers were counted, it was obvious the campaign was a winner.
Despite the cold winter weather and the severe gas shortage here last February, church attendance jumped 4%.
I'm pleased at it.
Many people, you know, went out of their way to ask a friend to come to church.
And it they felt it was all right to do.
And this this is the crazy thing.
See, the media says it's all right.
You see our mentality.
The media says it's all right so we can say it.
Bridge.
How about coming to church?
It was a fantastic growth that we can't attribute to anything else.
The latest word is that another campaign is being prepared, this time for Indianapolis.
So stay on top of this trend.
The day isn't far off when Archie Bunker or the Steelers will be interrupted with a commercial message from the sponsor of all sponsors.
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