Church Pastor and Leader Advice

Pastors and church staff are busy and overworked. In the midst of worship services, staff meetings, and hospital visits, it can be easy to forget about some of the free marketing tools available to churches. So here is a list of a few free marketing tools that you can use for your church. You might have heard of these before—maybe you have used them in the past—but have forgotten amidst a busy schedule that you endure like I do.

            1. Write for the opinion section of your local newspaper. Most newspaper editors are always looking for fresh material to put on their pages. They usually have a certain amount of words they have to print every print cycle, and contributions from members of their community are great material for them to publish. Search your local newspaper for the opinion section and there usually will be an e-mail address for how you can write a letter to the editor. Follow their word count and write about politics, a topic important to your community, or a relevant news item as it relates to your church or Christian faith. Make sure you keep a kind and positive tone in your writing and most editors are glad to publish it for their readers to enjoy. Normally, editors are required to list your name and affiliation with the community (which is your church).

            2. Post your events and ministries on Facebook. In the past four years we learned to live stream our worship services on Facebook and to podcast our sermons to Facebook. But among those different ministries, it’s easy to forget that we should simply post our events to Facebook. Are you giving away backpacks to kids in your community? Then post it to Facebook. Are you teaching a membership class? Post it to Facebook. Are you collecting coats for the homeless? Post it on Facebook. Post simple updates and reminders. Perhaps a good way to do this is to copy and paste the announcements from your bulletin onto Facebook each week.

            3. Purchase an A-frame sign and put it out front of your church during the week. For a hundred dollars you can purchase a basic a-frame sign, have an insert made for it, and put that in front of your church on the street every day for people to see when they drive by. Are you doing a harvest party for kids? Put that on the a-frame sign. Are you doing a special service for Christmas Eve? Put that on the sign too. While it might cost a hundred dollars for the sign and insert, you can reuse those year after year if you’re careful about what information is placed on the insert.

            4. Keep your website updated. I am surprised how many churches spend hundreds of dollars a year to have a website, yet they failed to keep the information on it updated. If people see that old outdated information on your website they might wonder if your church closed. So make sure you’re keeping the most updated information on your website. A website is still the first place people will likely go to learn about your church before visiting.

            5. Contribute basic devotionals or articles for local magazines in your region. Most cities or counties have regional magazines that are published once or twice a year, and they’re always looking for content for their magazine. Consider writing some encouraging devotionals and send them to the editor for consideration. This would be great exposure for you as a pastor or for your church. Most magazines will include a byline with your name and say which church you represent.

            I know these might not be new ideas for you, but they are some free marketing for your church. I hope you can evaluate these and maybe consider one or two as a free way to promote your church in your city.

Let’s be honest: managing money is hard. Most of us were not taught by our parents how to manage money. Often we end up adults having to figure it out on our own.    

            When it comes to money our culture tells us you never have enough of it, when you get it to spend as much of it as you have, and if you want more stuff than you have money then borrow so you can get it (TVs, vacations, phones, fancy vehicles).

            But Scripture tells us (as Christians) how to manage money. Jesus mentioned money regularly and the apostle Paul devoted two entire chapters of 2 Corinthians about money.

            2 Corinthians was Paul’s fourth letter sent to the believers in the city of Corinth.[1] It also was Paul’s most personal and intimate letter.   TheCorinthian believers had made a pledge of giving in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 to help the poor Christians in Jerusalem. Paul begins chapters eight and nine of 2 Corinthians with the example of another church’s giving.

THE MACEDONIAN EXAMPLE OF GIVING

            Their circumstances are described first, “Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality” (2 Corinthians 8:1–2).^[2]

            Their contribution is described next, “For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:3–5). There are few important giving principles we should note from these verses.

            First, they gave more than necessary (v. 3a). These people were generous.  

            Second, they gave without anyone asking them (v. 3b). That word “accord” is the Greek Word is αὐθαίρετος and is used two times in the New Testament (here and in 8:14). This word “pertains to being self-chosen.”[3] It describes a voluntary free will decision to commit to an action. In other words, the Macedonians gave without prompting, without pressure, and without guilt trips.

            Third, they gave and wanted to continue giving (v. 4). Apparently, they asked to participate and wanted to give. In fact, they saw it as an honor to give. In spite of their poorness they saw giving as a privilege. Have you ever heard someone beg for an opportunity to give? That’s what the Macedonian churches did!

            Fourth, they gave more money than expected and more than just financial aid (vv. 4-5). According to verses four and five they gave both their possessions and their personal help.

            Reading about the Macedonians’ example of giving teaches us that giving is something we do even when we don’t have much. Paul is using an argument style that was common in Jewish and Greco-Roman life that we now call “from the lesser to the greater.”[4] The message was this: if the poor destitute churches of Macedonia can give so much from their so little, how much more should you give from your position of wealth!

            This encourages us to give no matter how much we have. And in light of the surprising generosity of the Macedonian churches, Paul now turns to the Corinthians.

THE APOSTLE’S EXHORTATION OF GIVING

Paul reveals the beginning of the giving, “So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well” (2 Corinthians 8:6). The “so” tells us the results. It was the unexpected and enthusiastic involvement of the Macedonians that led Paul to ask Titus to visit Corinth and ask for their help too!

            Paul reveals the resumption of the giving, “But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also” (2 Corinthians 8:7).

            Notice five things they have abundantly: “faith” “utterance” “knowledge” “earnestness” and “love”. Based on these five things Paul launches into the reason for giving. The Corinthians had experienced God’s grace (just like the Macedonians) and they should dispense God’s grace in the form of giving (just like the Macedonians). The Corinthians had made a pledge for giving (1 Cor 16:1-2), so Paul held them to that pledge.

            Paul reveals the motivation for giving,“I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also” (2 Corinthians 8:8). Paul did not bark orders at them. He didn’t command. He didn’t shame. He offers opportunity not obligation.

            The Macedonians’ giving is a benchmark that the Corinthians can use as a way to show Paul, the believers in Jerusalem, and all believers everywhere how genuine their love is. This was not a contest among rivals; but an imitation among equals.

            Reading about the apostle’s exhortation of giving teaches us that generosity is required of all believers everywhere. The Corinthians were giving to people they had never met. When we give to church we give to people and help people that we have never met and will never meet such as online listeners, missionary ministry, or benevolence help to strangers of the church.

THE MESSIAH’S EXAMPLE OF GIVING

Paul concludes the beginning section this way, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). The word “For” at the beginning of this verse describes why the Corinthians should excel in the grace of giving. Because of what Jesus did we respond and worship. Paul’s theology starts with the one who gave up everything to help someone else. He died in our place so that we might have life (2 Cor 5:21).

            Notice that everything which comes after “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” defines the nature of Christ’s grace. What is Christ’s grace? “that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” Here “rich” describes His glory in heavenly existence. “poor” describes His lowliness and destitution when He lived on earth. Jesus Christ decided to exchange His royal status as an eternal resident of heaven for a slave’s status as a temporary resident on earth.

            There’s a focus of what He’s doing. It’s “for your sake.” That phrase is in the emphatic position in Greek and could be translated as “all for your sake . . . you, yes you.”[5] The “rich” that He promises here is a spiritual richness; not economic wealth. It describes the Corinthians richness of salvation secured by Christ both now and in the future. The giving here is not supposed to be so great that they become poor while the Jerusalem believers become rich.[6]

            The Macedonians gave when they were extremely poor, the Messiah gave when He was incredibly rich. These Corinthians are somewhere in between and should give sacrificially.

            Paul wants the Corinthians to do the right thing, but he wants them to do it because they were taking initiative to do it. He wants them to give in love, not obligation. He wants them to give because of their caring not coercion. 

            Reading about the Messiah’s example of giving teaches us that God’s gift of salvation requires we give Him everything.And that requirement that we give Him everything is something we should do on our own initiative, not because we are coerced or forced to do so. Just as Paul wanted the Corinthians because of their own desire, God wants us to give because it’s what we want to do. Not coercion. Not competition.

CONCLUSION

So what do we know about the response of the Corinthians? Did they give? Did they ignore Paul’s warnings? Did they give somewhere or to someone else besides Paul?

            Five months after Paul wrote 2 Corinthians he wrote to the Christians in Rome while visiting the believers in Corinth. (Paul said his plan was to travel to Corinth in 2 Corinthians 12:14 and 13:1-2 which is verified in Acts 20:2-3 and Romans 16:23.) In Paul’s third and final visit to Corinth he wrote to the believers in Rome, “For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things” (Romans 15:26–27). The term “Achaia” describes the region in which Corinth was located! This means the Corinthian believers heeded Paul’s exhortation! They gave because of the grace they received.

            I pray and hope that we can exhort our people to give and that they will be faithful to give just as the Corinthians were.

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[1] The first letter we don’t have (1 Cor 5:9). The second letter was 1 Corinthians and was written from Ephesus (1 Cor 16:8). The third letter was a “sharp letter” Paul wrote and was carried by Titus (2 Cor 7:8-12). The fourth letter was 2 Corinthians and was written seven months after 1 Corinthians.

[2] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.

[3] William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 150.

[4] In Hebrew it’s known asqal wahomer and in Latin it’s known as a minore ad maius.

[5] Murray Harris, The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2013), 578.

[6] Verses 13-15 clarify that this is not a call to give everything away so that they can’t provide for themselves.

While attending Seminary I lived in the Dallas area and worked at a golf course as a caddie. One day when talking with some of the caddies the name of a prominent pastor in Dallas was mentioned in our conversation (which usually revolved around sports and movies, not politics). One of the caddies spoke up and said, “I have zero interest in what that pastor has to say.” It was a presidential election year and political dissension was at a climax. That pastor had publicly announced in his sermons who should be the next president of the United States. And that pastor’s stance was polarizing. His sermons were broadcast via many radio stations and on TV and he was well known as the “voice of Christians” for the Dallas area.

            However, this pastor’s political stance had blocked the gospel from being received by my caddie friend. My caddie friend was an atheist and clarified that he was not going to listen to anything that pastor said. Because the pastor was a bad person? Because the pastor had misused money given to him and his church? Because the pastor had been unfaithful to his wife? No, because of the pastor’s political stance on who should be the next president, my caddie friend didn’t want to hear anything that pastor said.

            The gospel should be the primary message we share with others. Furthermore, the gospel should be what we build our church’s reputation on. The apostle Paul wrote, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:10, NIV).[1] When doing that “anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame. . . everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:11, 13). That is the primary task of church leaders and every Christian. We are supposed to know God and make Him known. Paul raises these questions as he expands his thoughts on the Gospel, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14). The gospel is supposed to be primary so people can be saved and not go to hell. If another message becomes primary, then unbelievers cannot “call on” God, “believe in him,” or “hear.” If the gospel is not the primary message, then people won’t come to a saving faith in Jesus. This is why our church’s reputation should be based on the gospel.

            The book of Acts gives us a picture of how the gospel was the primary message proclaimed by each of the disciples in every city they went. Here are some examples.

            Philip “traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns” (Acts 8:40). After traveling, Peter and John “returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages” (Acts 8:25). Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra and Derbe and “continued to preach the gospel” (Acts 14:7, 21). At the Jerusalem Council, Peter told the people gathered there that “God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe” (Acts 15:7). Then later, Luke—the author of Acts—wrote that “We got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:10).  

            The gospel was the message of these men traveling to new places. It wasn’t about tax reform, who to vote for, or how to maintain the politics in their region or country. (They didn’t even address slavery as many people today thought they should have.) The focus was on presenting the gospel so people could hear about God and believe in Him.

            If things inhibit people from hearing the gospel, then those inhibitors must be removed. The gospel must be primary, and anything that prevents it from having its rightful place must be removed.

            I am afraid my caddie friend might not hear the gospel. The political focus of one pastor pushed him further away from a potentially inquiring faith in Jesus Christ. Hopefully in the future, a strong Christian can befriend him and help him draw close to God. But for now, the gospel is not something he’s interested in hearing, at least from that Dallas pastor. I learned that day—and I hope you have learned too—that our church’s reputation should be based on the gospel and nothing else.

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[1] Unless otherwise noted, all translations are from the New International Version, 2011 revision.