Marketing = Discipleship

We’ve all seen it. A visitor walks into the sanctuary for the first time, and before the opening prayer is over, they’ve been handed a membership form, a volunteer sign-up sheet, and an invitation to the next board meeting. In the business world, we call that a "broken sales funnel." In the church world, we just call it awkward. Making disciples is the most important "sales process" on earth, yet we often skip the most important step: The Introduction. We jump to Step 4 (Invo

We’ve all been there. You walk into the Tuesday staff meeting, and the air feels heavy. A comment was made last week that left a mark. A project was launched without consulting the right person. Someone is "stepping on toes," and suddenly, the team that is supposed to be "one body" feels like a collection of guarded silos. My wife, Lindsey, is a United Methodist Church (UMC) elder and has a sign in her office that says: "If you want to make everyone happy, don't be a leader—s

Building and maintaining a church website is hard work. Over the years, you’ve likely collaborated with staff, volunteers, and maybe even a contractor or two to keep your digital presence alive. We often view this work through a "business lens"—sitting around a large desktop monitor, fawning over our freshly updated homepage like proud parents. But as a father of two wonderful kids, I know all too well that things aren't always as they seem when you step away from the big scr

If you’ve ever walked into the nursery at Strongsville UMC after my kids, Arthur and Lucy, have been in there for an hour, you know what "purposeful chaos" looks like. They aren't trying to be destructive, but a mess is definitely made. Usually, they are acting out because they are hungry, tired, or just seeking connection. They are human—just like the rest of us. But as I’ve learned in my 10+ years of strategy work, the messes we make on a daily basis in our adult lives are

Have you ever tried running? I don't mean running a committee—I mean running outside, with shoes on. When you first start, your ankles ache, and your heart races like the cliffhanger ending of your favorite streaming show. Those aches are not just discomfort—they are feedback. Your body tells you where you stand and how far you can go. Tracking that feedback over weeks reveals progress, even if the journey feels tough at times. In daily life, we rely on data all the time. We

In Northern Ohio, hard work is part of our daily rhythm. Every week, church members invest countless hours planning Vacation Bible School, preparing sermons, organizing food pantries, and making sure everything is ready for Sunday services. Yet, amid all this activity, a challenging question arises: Are we so caught up in church work that we forget to introduce ourselves to the people living right next door? This question is not about criticizing the effort put into church ac

Bringing more people through your church doors can feel like a challenge, especially when you want to create a welcoming and meaningful experience. If you have asked yourself, how to grow my church or how to increase attendance at church , you are not alone. Many pastors face this question and seek practical ways to reach new visitors and build a thriving community. Keep reading for clear, actionable strategies that focus on connection, communication, and community involveme