Here is how three congregations publicized Christmas activities in 2008, using tactics that best suited their sizes, locations, and demographics.
Name: Calvary Church(Assemblies of God)
Location: Naperville, Illinois
Size: 6,500
Website: calvarynaperville.org
Events: Activities occurred the three weekends before the holiday, featuring a children's choir incorporating Christmas songs into a normal worship service, a full concert with a mix of contemporary and traditional Christmas songs, and a completely original children's production. Christmas Eve services rounded out the plan.
Strategies: The church gave 30,000 handouts called "tickets" to church members to invite friends and neighbors. One side of the ticket highlighted a particular event during the Christmas season. The other side of the ticket listed the remaining activities. The church used a website page called "Christmas at Calvary" to provide information. Other visual marketing pieces included banners (both inside the church and near the street in front of the church) and posters. All materials carried consistent branding. The church website and quarterly newsletters also spread the message.
Advice: "The key philosophy for us is to enable the congregation to be the ones getting the word out and not just broadcasting news of the event," says media pastor Christian Axelsen.
Name: Madison Park Church of God
Location: Anderson, Indiana
Size: 2,000
Website: madisonparkchurch.org
Events: The big event was the 18th annual production of a musical based on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," with original music. Two other holiday events included a Christmas dinner with carols and sharing of Christmas memories, and a Christmas Eve service with a children's nativity reenactment, Communion, and the lighting of candles.
Strategies: The rollout began with a Halloween outreach event in the church parking lot, where promotional materials got distributed. The following night, November 1, the church handed out more during an event called "Retro." Other promotions included radio ads, press releases, and the use of a large LED sign easily visible from nearby Interstate 69. This year, Madison Park will add a dinner theater option and encourage its members to invite friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
Advice: "We continue to look for ways to reach out to the community by helping them become invested in our activities," says Kevin Majeski, Madison Park's director of communications. "We open up the casting to the public … We want to involve other people groups that may otherwise not be connected to us. These are things any church can look for."
Name: Park Community Church(non-denominational)
Location: Two sites in Chicago neighborhoods (Lincoln Park and Cabrini-Green)
Size: 2,000 average attendance combined
Website: parkcommunitychurch.org
Events: The church hosted a worship series called "Incarnate" with a particular theme for each of the three Sundays preceding Christmas. Service projects are an ongoing emphasis for the church. In 2008, projects included a gift donation drive for local children of incarcerated parents. Another project collected warm clothing for the homeless and elderly. The church also hosted a "His Toy Store" for children in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city.
Strategies: The congregation averages 29 years of age and is 60 percent single young urban professionals—a group that will often spend Christmas away from Chicago with their families. Park schedules its activities earlier in December. Park favors social networking internet sites and because the city offers so many competing marketing messages.
Advice: "The biggest lesson is to roll out the red carpet and make sure that the language you're using is accessible to people," Schraeder says.
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today/Your Church magazine.
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