There often seems to be a conflict in our ministries and Christian organizations between faith and business. Where do we draw the line between just trusting God to do what He wants in our ministries and organizations…and looking at business procedures and practices to apply them to our work?

There are examples in scripture where the Lord encourages us to think and apply sound reason to our activities…along with prayer…to effectively accomplish the Lord’s purpose. Though Jesus was talking about becoming one of His disciples, He used a couple of illustrations…one from construction and another from war…to illustrate His point. Here is His illustration on building something:

“…For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.”

Luke 14:28-29 NLT

Jesus did not condemn using sound reasoning when it comes to important tasks. He was saying it is essential that we do things in a wise and even business-like manner if we are going to be successful.

So… what about marketing? I have recognized a growing need for those in Christian media to understand the value of marketing and advertising to help grow an audience for the Gospel and Christ’s teaching. Most people are drowning in a sea of programming…from cute cats on YouTube to fact-filled posts on Facebook. From the sensational headlines and lead stories in the news to needed information like the weather. How do YOU gather people to hear your message…God’s message?

One of the media audience rating groups I follow talked recently about what is known in this field as “CUME.” It relates to the cumulative audience for a station, often measured over a week’s time. Growing the CUME is, in essence, drawing in new listeners or viewers. And this is directly linked to marketing. What are you doing to get beyond your current circle of listeners? How will others find and desire to tune in or click on your programming if they don’t know about it?

Marketing and advertising that is effective needs creative thinking to cut through the massive doses of media impressions each person plows through. It takes a concerted effort to grab their attention and attract them to the programming you produce.

How much time do you spend on a quality program on your station? How much time do you spend developing a creative approach to draw in a new audience for that important program? You will need to do more than just post the title and time of a program or its guest presenter. Think about what would make you want to listen to or view a program for the first time.

As for prayer…ask the creator God to inspire you to be creative and use every tool available to touch lives for His purpose and His salvation. As Bible teacher Oswald Chambers might have put it, “Let’s do our utmost for His highest.”

God’s best,