Creating Markets
Seth Godin makes a fascinating distinction in The Big Moo between market share and market creation.
Too many churches are only going after market share. In other words, they're only reaching those who would already consider themselves Christian. I think we're called to create markets. Isn't that what Paul did? He opened up new markets to the gospel. The way you create a market is by going after the unchurched and dechurched.
If we were going to be brutally honest, most churches do church for the churched. But when you do church for the churched all you get is market share. You don't create any new markets for the gospel.
So how do you create markets?
I think there are a thousand ways to do it, but here are a few thoughts:
1) Meet felt needs like Jesus
2) Show the love of Christ in practical ways
3) Answer the questions people are really asking
4) Meet in the marketplace
5) Get creative with your marketing
6) Say old things in new ways
7) Brand your sermon series in a way that appeals to the unchurched
Part of the reason this "market share vs. creating markets" analogy is meaningful to me is that GodiPod.com is creating a market. We're the first company of its kind preloading iPods with Bibles, sermons, and worship. It's difficult creating a market because you have to explain your product. People need to get the concept before they buy the product. For example, most people don't even know what "ripping" is. In fact, it almost sounds illegal :) It's not! We'll rip an entire CD collection and turn it into MP3 format and load it onto an iPod. We have to explain the concept before we sell the concept.
The church is in a similar place. We live in a post-Christian culture. Most people don't know christianese. We're offering a "foreign product" people don't think they want or need. We've got to explain the concept before they want the product. There is nothing easy about opening new markets. But that's our callling.
Let's not go after market share. Let's create new markets for the gospel.
Too many churches are only going after market share. In other words, they're only reaching those who would already consider themselves Christian. I think we're called to create markets. Isn't that what Paul did? He opened up new markets to the gospel. The way you create a market is by going after the unchurched and dechurched.
If we were going to be brutally honest, most churches do church for the churched. But when you do church for the churched all you get is market share. You don't create any new markets for the gospel.
So how do you create markets?
I think there are a thousand ways to do it, but here are a few thoughts:
1) Meet felt needs like Jesus
2) Show the love of Christ in practical ways
3) Answer the questions people are really asking
4) Meet in the marketplace
5) Get creative with your marketing
6) Say old things in new ways
7) Brand your sermon series in a way that appeals to the unchurched
Part of the reason this "market share vs. creating markets" analogy is meaningful to me is that GodiPod.com is creating a market. We're the first company of its kind preloading iPods with Bibles, sermons, and worship. It's difficult creating a market because you have to explain your product. People need to get the concept before they buy the product. For example, most people don't even know what "ripping" is. In fact, it almost sounds illegal :) It's not! We'll rip an entire CD collection and turn it into MP3 format and load it onto an iPod. We have to explain the concept before we sell the concept.
The church is in a similar place. We live in a post-Christian culture. Most people don't know christianese. We're offering a "foreign product" people don't think they want or need. We've got to explain the concept before they want the product. There is nothing easy about opening new markets. But that's our callling.
Let's not go after market share. Let's create new markets for the gospel.
4 Comments:
Great analogy -- Market Share and Market Creation!
George Barna's annual review of Christianity in America published in December, 2004 provides a snapshot of the unchurched or dechurched in our society.
Barna says,
"Among the other bad news about American religiosity that he noted in his year-end review was the continued rise in the number of unchurched Americans and the continuing alienation of men from churches.
He said the number of unchurched adults has nearly doubled from 38 million adults to 75 million in the past decade. The "unchurched" trend was strongest among men, people younger than 40, singles and people living in coastal states.
Those Christian men who say they are "deeply spiritual" and possess an "active faith" (meaning church attendance, regular prayer and Bible reading) is declining. Although men are slightly less than half of the national population, they constitute 55 percent of the unchurched, he said, and represent only 38 percent of the born-again public."
It seems to me that NCC is a trail-blazer in reaching the untapped markets of people younger than 40, singles, and people living in coastal states. A question: what proportion does unchurched men constitute within the other three untapped markets so effectively reached by NCC?
As I have mentioned at Tuesday morning prayer in the past, I am deeply troubled by this only 38% of the born-again public being men. And if Barna is correct that men constitute 55% of the unchurched, then a significant Market Creation opportunity begs our consideration.
A few of us NCCers attended the Washington Area Coalition of Men's Ministries (WACMM) conference this past week-end. I was encouraged to learn that many of their suggestions for reaching men, especially young men, are already being implemented at NCC. Those of us who attended the conference shared some of what we learned with Pastor Dave at men's prayer this morning. Hopefully, PD will have an opportunity to convey some of the things we learned to the staff at the 'staff advance' this week.
Thanks for providing contexts such as "Market Creation" and sharing them with the broader community. This helps those of us who are trying to stay in-step with you as you try to stay in-step with the Holy Spirit to identify and address our most pressing needs and opportunities to advance the Gospel :)
Mark,
Thanks for the insights. As I daily ponder what exactly modern church is, it is great to have a little fuel for this thought process.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about multi-site and home/cell churches lately. Been doing a lot of reading and searching. Stumbled across this church, http://www.apexchurch.org/. Interesting concept and very much branding themselves and selling that brand quite nicely. (A note: I am in no way a part of apex, just thought I would share.)
Mark,
That's good stuff, It's exciting to see God working these ideas in your head and giving us at NCC a chance to serve with you and make a difference in the marketplace.
I totally agree with your thoughts, The Big Moo is my next book, right now I am reading Pyro Marketing which says many of the same things and has the some of the same thoughts.
In Pyro Marketing, they give a four-step strategy to ignite Customer Evangelists. It is a great read if you haven't already read it yet. I started it yesterday and I am almost finish with it.
Another great book is The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley. It speaks alot about beating the devil's advocate in those "Big Ideas Meetings". It also gives faces to the different people who bring creativity to the meetings.
Another great post.
Chris
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