Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Outreach, Inc.

In 2005, churches will mail over 50 million direct-mail postcards created by Outreach, Inc., the largest provider of Christian outreach products and services in North America. In addition, churches will hang 200,000 Outreach door hangers on houses, hand out several million bulletins, and display 160,000 banners to promote their church. "2005 was a big year for us because of The Passion of the Christ ," said Matt Harper, product manager at Outreach. Outreach's goal is to help churches reach local communities and convert people to Christianity. Last week, several thousand pastors and church leaders attended an Outreach conference in Mission Valley on how to attract non-Christians. The conference offered workshops "led by some of the fastest growing and most innovative ministries and church leaders." The workshops included, "They Like Jesus -- Not the Church," "How to Attract Visitors Through Direct Mail," "The Modern Day Orphans: Ministry to Kids in Single-Parent or Blended Families," "Reaching the Business Leaders in Your Community and Reaching Today's Urban Youth: They're Closer than You Think."

Exhibitors promoted additional outreach services, from golf events by In His Grip Golf Association, financial management seminars based on the Bible, to business-leadership seminars with telecast lectures by people like author John Maxwell, supermodel Kathy Ireland, and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. Outreach promoted a comedy event for churches. "A comedian will come and perform 40 minutes of stand-up comedy that is family-friendly," said Paul Pickard, Outreach events general manager. "The events are effective and are not something that the community expects from a church. It allows people to attend a church that might otherwise not feel comfortable."

In the wake of The Passion of the Christ , many churches plan to use the power of Hollywood to reach out to non-Christians. At the conference, several booths promoted Narnia for churches. "Use the season's biggest film to start a dialogue with your community," read Outreach's marketing material. Outreach provides church mailers, door hangers, a special Narnia sermon message series, children's curriculum, and dozens of other movie tie-ins. "Movies are a very effective way to engage people less likely to attend church," said Carri Gambill, an Outreach employee.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"The church in America has been known for media-bashing. But churches are beginning to understand that they need to join in the conversation. The theater is the modern-day church," said Lynne Marian, executive editor of Outreach Magazine . "This is where the big questions and spiritual things of life are discussed in our culture." Marian believes Hollywood will work to deliver even more Christian-friendly movies. "The Passion showed Hollywood there is a lot of money to be made from Christian themes."

I asked Marian what limitations churches should have in marketing their faith. "Churches should use anything that is appropriate to communicate. We saw in Acts 2 that when the Pentecost occurred there was a loud noise that got people's attention," said Marian. "Sometimes churches need to create a loud noise. But churches need more than good marketing to reach out to their community. I don't believe a program alone is effective outreach. These are communication tools to provide a connection with the community. Churches need to know the needs of the community and love and serve them."

Ken Hensley, pastor of LifePoint Community Church in Mission Valley, believes a lot of new churches have a reaction against the packed slickness that developed in churches in the '90s. Hensley used a company called GenEvange to create an untraditional campaign. LifePoint sent out 60,000 postcards in September to announce the start of their new church. From the campaign, Hensley said 70 visitors attended a service and 20 are still active. "This is fairly effective by Southern California standards. Southern California is an un-churched community. If we did this in other parts of the country, we would have had a far better response."

Pastor Matt Ortiz, of Crossroads Church in Chula Vista, believes church marketing can be dangerous. "I think a lot of non-Christians are very uncomfortable with being marketed Jesus. The motives of a church are important. If a church compromises to be attractive, they have gone too far. People can read through inauthentic messages," said Ortiz.

"Jesus is not a product to be marketed. We really want to downplay the numbers," said Heather Johnson, associate editor of Outreach Magazine . Yet, Johnson said that their annual issue on the 100 fastest growing and largest churches in America is their top issue. "We get a lot of knocks from people who don't think we should emphasize these numbers." Johnson agrees that a few churches compromise Christian beliefs to attract large crowds. "I don't believe churches should tip-toe around black-and-white issues of the Bible." Johnson said Jesus being the only way to be saved is one of these issues.

Denomination: nondenominational

Address: 2230 Oak Ridge Way, Vista, 760-940-0600

Founded locally: 1996

Senior pastor: Scott Evans

Congregation size: n/a

Staff size: 120

Sunday school enrollment: n/a

Annual budget: did not disclose

Weekly giving: did not disclose

Singles program: n/a

Dress: n/a

Diversity: n/a

Sunday worship: n/a

Length of reviewed service: 3 days

Website: outreach.com

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?

In 2005, churches will mail over 50 million direct-mail postcards created by Outreach, Inc., the largest provider of Christian outreach products and services in North America. In addition, churches will hang 200,000 Outreach door hangers on houses, hand out several million bulletins, and display 160,000 banners to promote their church. "2005 was a big year for us because of The Passion of the Christ ," said Matt Harper, product manager at Outreach. Outreach's goal is to help churches reach local communities and convert people to Christianity. Last week, several thousand pastors and church leaders attended an Outreach conference in Mission Valley on how to attract non-Christians. The conference offered workshops "led by some of the fastest growing and most innovative ministries and church leaders." The workshops included, "They Like Jesus -- Not the Church," "How to Attract Visitors Through Direct Mail," "The Modern Day Orphans: Ministry to Kids in Single-Parent or Blended Families," "Reaching the Business Leaders in Your Community and Reaching Today's Urban Youth: They're Closer than You Think."

Exhibitors promoted additional outreach services, from golf events by In His Grip Golf Association, financial management seminars based on the Bible, to business-leadership seminars with telecast lectures by people like author John Maxwell, supermodel Kathy Ireland, and NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. Outreach promoted a comedy event for churches. "A comedian will come and perform 40 minutes of stand-up comedy that is family-friendly," said Paul Pickard, Outreach events general manager. "The events are effective and are not something that the community expects from a church. It allows people to attend a church that might otherwise not feel comfortable."

In the wake of The Passion of the Christ , many churches plan to use the power of Hollywood to reach out to non-Christians. At the conference, several booths promoted Narnia for churches. "Use the season's biggest film to start a dialogue with your community," read Outreach's marketing material. Outreach provides church mailers, door hangers, a special Narnia sermon message series, children's curriculum, and dozens of other movie tie-ins. "Movies are a very effective way to engage people less likely to attend church," said Carri Gambill, an Outreach employee.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"The church in America has been known for media-bashing. But churches are beginning to understand that they need to join in the conversation. The theater is the modern-day church," said Lynne Marian, executive editor of Outreach Magazine . "This is where the big questions and spiritual things of life are discussed in our culture." Marian believes Hollywood will work to deliver even more Christian-friendly movies. "The Passion showed Hollywood there is a lot of money to be made from Christian themes."

I asked Marian what limitations churches should have in marketing their faith. "Churches should use anything that is appropriate to communicate. We saw in Acts 2 that when the Pentecost occurred there was a loud noise that got people's attention," said Marian. "Sometimes churches need to create a loud noise. But churches need more than good marketing to reach out to their community. I don't believe a program alone is effective outreach. These are communication tools to provide a connection with the community. Churches need to know the needs of the community and love and serve them."

Ken Hensley, pastor of LifePoint Community Church in Mission Valley, believes a lot of new churches have a reaction against the packed slickness that developed in churches in the '90s. Hensley used a company called GenEvange to create an untraditional campaign. LifePoint sent out 60,000 postcards in September to announce the start of their new church. From the campaign, Hensley said 70 visitors attended a service and 20 are still active. "This is fairly effective by Southern California standards. Southern California is an un-churched community. If we did this in other parts of the country, we would have had a far better response."

Pastor Matt Ortiz, of Crossroads Church in Chula Vista, believes church marketing can be dangerous. "I think a lot of non-Christians are very uncomfortable with being marketed Jesus. The motives of a church are important. If a church compromises to be attractive, they have gone too far. People can read through inauthentic messages," said Ortiz.

"Jesus is not a product to be marketed. We really want to downplay the numbers," said Heather Johnson, associate editor of Outreach Magazine . Yet, Johnson said that their annual issue on the 100 fastest growing and largest churches in America is their top issue. "We get a lot of knocks from people who don't think we should emphasize these numbers." Johnson agrees that a few churches compromise Christian beliefs to attract large crowds. "I don't believe churches should tip-toe around black-and-white issues of the Bible." Johnson said Jesus being the only way to be saved is one of these issues.

Denomination: nondenominational

Address: 2230 Oak Ridge Way, Vista, 760-940-0600

Founded locally: 1996

Senior pastor: Scott Evans

Congregation size: n/a

Staff size: 120

Sunday school enrollment: n/a

Annual budget: did not disclose

Weekly giving: did not disclose

Singles program: n/a

Dress: n/a

Diversity: n/a

Sunday worship: n/a

Length of reviewed service: 3 days

Website: outreach.com

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

2024’s Best Bitcoin & Crypto Casinos – Play BTC Casino Games Online

Best Bitcoin Casinos (2024): Top 10 Crypto Casino Sites for BIG Payouts
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.