The Apostle Paul was one of the first strategic-thinking public-relations practitioners. He knew how to deliver his message. He understood that to reach Athens - and therefore other parts of the world - with the Gospel, he had to communicate with a skeptical, unknowing, yet influential audience. He used the media vehicle of his day - public speaking - to engage that audience in a provocative way (see Acts 17).
Today's church needs to adopt 'Acts 17 thinking' in delivering its message: Jesus Christ is the same today, yesterday and forever, and God's redemptive plan is just as valid and available today as it was 2,000 years ago. But communications methods and tools change.No longer can we remain in our comfortable pews and pulpits, expecting our target audiences to come in and listen. We must use media outlets the public respects.
Society is media-influenced and its attitudes are shaped by the evening news and monologues of late-night comedians. Special-interest groups, lobbyists and coalitions have learned to package their message for the media, persist in their attempts, are not discouraged if some don't accept their message and they celebrate those who do. The church must do likewise.
The Challenge
It's all about public relations (PR), though some in the church quiver at this idea. To them, it smacks of puffery and publicity, more akin to Hollywood than the cross. But PR is shaping perceptions, redefining image and creating positive reactions to Christians and our message, as well as to a specific church and its actions.
But well-done media relations can help build community awareness of the spiritual, ethical and moral issues facing society. They reinforce the church and Christians as credible, proactive and concerned community members.
The Message
Advertising doesn?t cut it anymore because people are inundated with advertising. Ads are increasingly dismissed or ignored, so major corporations are building brand names and images based on PR strategies. In a word, believability. News stories in media outlets that are based on sound PR strategies create third-party endorsement - and thus credibility - in the eyes of the audience.
Does this mean the media will always run a story the way we want or give us positive coverage? No. Their job is to tell stories the larger audience finds interesting.
Sometimes we won't like the tone of a piece. We might not appreciate the alternative viewpoint reflected in the article. We won't approve of being lumped with other faith groups that we may consider non-Christian. But coverage is worth the cost.
In 2002 her husband's tragic death, coupled with a military uprising and the siege of an MK school, catapulted the C&MA and missionary Denise Golding onto the media stage. By engaging the media in a way that met their needs (a well-attended news conference, fact sheets and other PR tools), the C&MA developed a story that made positive headlines from coast to coast. And God received the glory.
This year Tenth Avenue Alliance Church faced bureaucratic pressures from city officials in Vancouver. The media immediately picked up on the issue of church compassion versus city regulations and the church became the centre of a media blitz. Local TV and newspaper articles placed the church front and centre in the community. Capable handling of the story by church officials enabled city residents to gain a full and positive image of the church.
The Apostle Paul did it right. Can we do less?
Barrie Doyle APR, author of the book The Media and the Message, is Director of Communications, The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada
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