I haven't been writing for the blog much lately. I'll get back to it soon. But I have been writing. This piece was accepted by Standard Publishing for their Adult Sunday School Quarterly, "Seek," and will appear in December this year.
We live in a marketing saturated culture. According to Consumer Reports, the average
American is exposed to 247 commercial messages a day. From the sixty second spots that interrupt
our favorite television shows to the receipts that print out at the grocery
store with coupons on the back. From
vehicle wraps that turn buses into billboards to sponsored phone lines radio
call in shows. Products are placed,
logos are designed, jingles are sung, taglines are repeated - all with the
intent of prodding us to purchase, or donate, or register.
I’m not being cynical.
I’m part of the system. I work as
a retail manager, constantly thinking about how to generate revenue, increase
loyalty, and improve profit margins. I
place products to maximize sales. I
train my employees to suggestively offer products and services. I study sales figures to keep adequate stock
levels and minimize spoilage.
So when I hear, in John 3, that John the Baptist is losing
market share in his signature service, I think marketing. His disciples come to him with concern over a
competitor siphoning off the stream of baptismal customers. “Rabbi,
he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the
same baptizeth, and all men come to him” (John 3:26). This is a problem easily addressed. Fresh strategies will breathe new life into John’s
start-up and propel him back on top. With
some simple changes, he can set the standard in the baptismal marketplace. As an innovator, his name will be forever
linked to baptizing.
So here is my proposal.
Build a new viewing area with comfortable seating for family and
friends. If possible, include a pavilion
to provide shade from the midday sun or shelter from passing rain showers.
Comfortable locker rooms would be an attractive addition, as would regulated
water temperatures. As candidates exit
the water they should be met by one of John’s disciples with a warmed terry
cloth towel to wrap around them. Photography
service with a free 8x10 and numerous package options available would be an
easy addition, as many photographers would jump at the chance to capitalize on
such a memorable moment.
New lighting would allow for evening baptisms and a café
could offer refreshments. Over time they
might consider offering special “dinner and a baptism” deals, though I might
recommend they outsource the catering, since food service is a whole mess of
regulations. These special events would be
a perfect opportunity for an advertising blitz whether through direct mailing
or media spots.
Some of this may demand a bit too much overhead, so they
might want to put some feelers out for investors. I’m sure they could convince people this is a
worthwhile investment with a well-developed presentation for venture
capitalists.
And this is just for starters, ideas that flow off the top
of my head. There is much more they can
do to turn this around. But just as I’m
getting excited by the possibility, John douses my enthusiasm with his
response.
“John answered and
said, ‘A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye
yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am
sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of
the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase,
but I must decrease’” (John 3:27-30).
The disciples come
with a concern. Smaller crowds. I’m thinking of a solution. Drum up more interest. This seems justifiable. You can make a case for large crowds in
ministry as much as the marketplace. If the ministry is worthwhile, then why
wouldn’t we want more people exposed to it. More people means more
influence. Larger services, more
visitors, better production, higher offerings become measuring sticks of
ministry success, like profit and loss spreadsheets in the retail world. Churches are measured by how effectively they
fill the seats. But this is short-sighted.
John says this shrinkage
is according to plan. His decrease means
Jesus’ increase. As he fades, Christ is
exalted. He is not the groom in this
wedding, the focal point of the festivity.
He is the groomsman, who is making sure that attention goes to the
bridal couple. Before the wedding starts, he may be the most noticeable one,
scurrying around making last minute preparations. But when the bridal march begins and the
groom enters from the side door, the groomsman is happy to stand off to the
side, largely unnoticed. His whole
intent is to focus attention on the groom.
And so we see that
John is more concerned about attention than attendance. He will do all he can to direct people’s
attention to Christ. This is the measure
of ministry. How effectively does the
church draw people’s attention to Christ?
John would prefer and handful of Christ-absorbed people over an
auditorium full of John-absorbed people.
He recognizes that his time has come to fade into the background and
turn the spotlight on Jesus.
And the corporate
application wiggles its way down to the individual. How effectively do you turn the attention of
people you interact with to Christ? Does
your life point them to The Life? Are
you willing to say, with John, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He doesn’t need better marketing. He needs you pointing those in your family,
in your neighborhood, and in your workplace to Christ.
