When Evangelism Is the Ad Model

From The Advertising Age: Mara Einstein's 'Brands of Faith' Eyes Movement as Product with a Shelf Life by Mya Frazier

"Is the evangelical movement suffering a midlife crisis? Or, for those with a more brand-centric world view: Is evangelism entering the "mature" stage of its brand life cycle?

...corporate marketers stand to learn a thing or two about pushing product from "Brands of Faith," specifically viral and word-of-mouth efforts. The real gem of Ms. Einstein's text is an in-depth look at one of the most successful leaders of the evangelical pack: Rick Warren, whose spiritual guidebook, "The Purpose-Driven Life," is second only to the Bible as the best-selling hardcover of all time.

Similar to the way Sam Walton figured out where to plop Wal-Mart stores, Mr. Warren planted his Saddleback Church in the late 1970s based on demographic and census data citing the "least churched" regions of the U.S. He isolated Orange County, Calif., one of the fastest-growing areas in the country at that time. He went door-to-door, surveying only those who didn't attend church regularly. Instead of stealing parishioners, he'd make more. Mr. Warren's foray into e-mail marketing and focus groups is discussed in detail, as is the promotional network created for his first book, "The Purpose-Driven Church," a guide initially targeted to church leaders via a website, Pastors.com.

Ms. Einstein credits the ad industry for the rise of evangelism in the last decade: "Interactions with advertising have led us to expect certain things from marketers, specifically convenience and entertainment ... these expectations have migrated to the realm of spiritual practice."

She likens the evangelical movement's success not to some historic spiritual awakening or God's hand at work, but to the use of secular marketing tactics.

Editor's note: Hello Rev. Pastorpreneur, you haven't fooled everyone. But you are truly fooling yourself.

See related articles: The Soft Sell: What Can Jesus Do for You? , This Is What The World Thinks of Commercial Christianity