Ad Campaigns Invite People to Church
By ROSE FRENCH, Associated Press Writer Rose
French, Associated Press Writer – Wed May 27, 11:29 am ET
Having lost their way
just as the early church in less than 100 years the
The
The
The denominations
are trying to bounce back from losses that began in the mid-1960s.
From 1990 to 2008
alone, mainline Protestants dropped from 18.7 percent to 12.9 percent of the
population, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.
The
The new ads
highlight the opportunities for involvement within Methodist churches — from
helping feed the poor to volunteering with youth basketball leagues in
low-income neighborhoods, reflecting research that found young people are
especially interested in service projects.
"We need to
refocus on young people and provide them an opportunity to be a part of the
church," Hollon said. "What we're hearing
is they say, 'Belief connects to how I live my daily life.' If I say I value
people because I'm a religious person, then I have to demonstrate that in
concrete ways. It's walking the walk, not just talking the talk."
One of the
30-second ads, posted at http://www.10thousanddoors.org,
asks, "What if church wasn't just a building, but thousands of doors, each
of them opening up to a journey that could actually change the world? Would you
come?"
Another ad shows
children reading books and asks, "What if church was a literacy program
for homeless children? Would you come?"
Scott
Hendrickson, a marketing director for the
Like the
Methodist ads, they feature church members helping others. One shows a Senegal
Lutheran mission teaching women how to start their own businesses.
"Through
them (current members) they will encourage others to come join the
church," Hendrickson said. "We wanted to reach the current members to
communicate ... what we do, what our mission is."
The denominations
are suffering partly because Americans overall are less interested in belonging
to a specific church. Nondenominational churches are gaining, and the ranks of
the unaffiliated are growing.
Other potential
factors behind the losses are the intense public fights in several Protestant
groups about whether to ordain gays who live openly with partners. Some
theological conservatives also contend that traditional churches often fare
better because they demand more of members and create a stronger sense of
community. Liberal Protestants reject that argument, contending their
congregations also have strong fellowship.
Charles Mathewes, associate professor of religious studies at the
Mathewes said the ads "might draw in some
people, but at the same time it's unlikely to accomplish what they want."
"The problem
with branding is it's not exactly the kind of evangelism you want to do,"
he said.
Laura Olson, a
But it's not
clear how long the denominations can hold onto the young people after they
re-enter the church.
"Mainline
Protestantism can offer to people who are skeptical of tradition ... something
more progressive," Olson said. "By and large, mainline Protestantism
is progressive politically and theologically. They have really strong powerful
roots in social justice issues. That's their strongest card they have to play.
"It's got
that going for it, but its worship style has always been pretty conventional.
People who grew up in mainline Protestantism, who maybe aren't aware of the
progressivism there, may be turned off by the worship style."