5 steps for talking about the benefits of your ministry

Mark MacDonald April 14, 2023

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Everyone seems to be yelling. Everyone has something they want to communicate! And because we live in a marketing-noisy world, talking quietly (like we do in a small group) will be ignored.

Unless you practice this one tip: talk about a benefit.

Seriously? Is that all that it takes? Yes. In fact, if you walk into a large room of thirsty people and start telling a few that you have ice-cold spring water, you'll soon have the attention of everyone. They'll be clamoring around you wondering if it's free or for purchase.

Does that sound like your church? Does the community turn to you for something? Anything? Maybe you don't offer them the benefit that they're seeking.

Start talking about benefits. Here are five steps how:

1. Identify the right audience. You can't reach everyone in your community unless you're a mega-church with mega-staff and a mega-marketing budget. It's simpler and cheaper to choose one predominant, growing demographic from your reach area (where most of your congregation lives). Would that group feel comfortable in your church? Often, church congregations have become dissimilar to the core groups in their community. This is why many churches fail.

2. Create a persona. Once you've chosen an external audience from your community, create a semi-fictional character that represents them stereotypically. Name them so it describes them (i.e. Tom Teenager, Farrah Factory Worker, or Hannah Homemaker) and write a biographical sketch that includes what they typically do daily. Describe what concerns them and what they are looking for. What are their dreams? Who lives with them and how does that affect them? Don't make it long, just make it believable. Don't know the answers? Then invite a small group from your community to meet for coffee and ask them questions while listening for similar answers.

3. Know their pains or concerns. Now focus on their pains and concerns. What do they need? What are they seeking? How can something make them happy? Everyone is needing something. It's up to you to pinpoint the predominant issues like a triage nurse.

4. Identify what benefit would correspond. Now, consider what talents, ministries, events, and interests you have in your congregation. Do any of them connect as a solution to the pains and concerns of your persona? What if you tweaked your offerings a bit? Once you figure this out you'll discover a sweet spot of communication.

5. Talk it everywhere. Ensure that you're regularly communicating the benefit into your community and you'll be surprised how you engage. Then make sure you're educating your congregation how to speak it, too. Your benefit will become your brand. What you're known for. And it will be received as "love" when you're communicating it.

Once you've become known for your benefit, and that benefit is based on your community, you'll discover healthy church growth.

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Mark MacDonald is a communication pastor, speaker, consultant, bestselling author, and church branding strategist for BeKnownforSomething.com empowering thousands of pastors and churches to become known for something relevant (a communication thread) throughout their ministries, on their church websites and social media. His church branding book, Be Known for Something, is available at BeKnownBook.com. Learn More »

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