Four Keys to Successful Marketing of Men’s Ministries
By Dick Hardy

1. Key to Successful Marketing of Men’s Ministries:

You must understand and regularly articulate your mission. If your mission is Biblical, it will be pointed to reaching lost people. It will be outward-focused.

If your mission is not outward-focused, you can stop reading and go do something else. We have no other reason to exist than to reach lost people. It must be focused on two groups of people, lost men and new men to the Body. It is the leader’s responsibility to preach and teach a culture focused on mission.

2. Key to Successful Marketing of Men’s Ministries:

Then you need to put a process in place where men want to talk and grow with other men. Design systems where men can connect with other men to serve. This plays perfectly into the strength of men in “doing” things together.

Most guys have to work hard to sit around a circle and share feelings and emotions. But they love to swing a hammer or play ball together. Could they serve children together? Could they “do” for youth or for women? Preach and teach this throughout your ministry.

3. Key to Successful Marketing of Men’s Ministries:

Do events consistent with process. “Oh my goodness!!!” “Did he actually write that??? Do events? Relax! Do not get worked up. I have not slipped a cog. I am consistent. Events have their place. The trick is to not be event driven! Said another way, “do not let your event drive your process.” It is the other way around. ” Your process drives the event.”

Maybe you do a quarterly men’s breakfast or some once-a-year event.” No problem. It just can’t drive the ministry.” It can’t be the centerpiece. “Every event you do must focus back to mission and be a part of your process.” Here is a determining question for you to ask with virtually every ministry in the church. Could I close down this ministry if I determined it no longer drove to mission and if it was no longer an effective piece of process?

If you answer “yes,” then you are process-driven. You can be confident the saints understand things need to change in order to point to mission. If you answer “no,” then you are event-driven. You can be just as confident the saints do not understand things need to change to point to mission. These poor folks want their events because they have always had their events, not because the event drives to mission. You have work to do in changing understanding and culture.

4. Key to Successful Marketing of Men’s Ministries:

Maintain proper expectations. Understand the time it takes to make an impact. Marketing is long-term. I once did a TV ad campaign at a church I served. I was told if I was not going to spend a minimum of $10,000 over 7 months I was throwing my money down the drain. We did $24,000 and it was a great success. Then we continued it year after year for over 10 years. It takes time. So there you have it. When you do these things you are well on your way to marketing your ministry to men.

If you really want to have effective ministry to men and communicate that to your church, you need to turn the culture of expectations away from “ministry for men” to one of “ministry by men to the church.” Otherwise, you will keep beating the dead horse of trying to revive men’s ministries like you have the past 20 years.

When you develop ministry by men to the church you will see growth come to the church because you have male influence permeating all aspects of the church. Men ministering to 4 year olds, 3rd graders, 8th and 11th graders, and college students will revolutionize the way those groups see God. Men ministering to women, now there’s a novel thought. It does not get much better than that!

If you want to market your men’s ministries, you need to give close attention to the four initial principles.
– Have the goods.
– Move from event-driven to process-driven.
– Acquire quick, short-terms wins.
– Get viral.

Then remember the Four Keys to Successful Marketing of Men’s Ministries.
– Understand and regularly communicate your mission.
– Put a process in place where men want to talk and grow with other men.
– Do events consistent with process.
– Maintain proper expectations.

When you do these things, the guys in your purview of influence will sing your praises and the Lord’s as well.

Be focused on the mission of the church. Your mission is not to have more men’s breakfasts, quarterly blowouts, or camping/sports outings. “Those are all good things.” But do they drive to mission? Some do. A lot do not. Your mission is to lead people to Jesus and to disciple them in the faith.

We should be marketing to men the message of Jesus like no other. Sales professionals should pale in comparison to us and our efforts to spread the Gospel. Most of the time that doesn’t happen. Most of us are afraid of the word “sales” so we avoid even the mention of it. Let me tell you something. I have to burst your bubble of understanding. Nothing happens until someone sells something. Think about it. Nothing!

Do you want to market men’s ministry? Do you want to be part of marketing something that drives to the very heart of God? If you truly want life-changing ministry TO men, you must have life-changing ministry BY men to the church.  Anything less is simply business as usual.

As we noted earlier, every church has men’s ministries. Some good, some not. Why not be the church that says we are going to change culture and begin to see our men serve, becoming the primary volunteer force in our church or district. Do that and guess what? God smiles and everyone wins.

From: www.mentoday.com web site. July 2008