Brand-Loyalty, Spiritual Consumerism and the Economics of God - October 13, 2008

Ilan tagged this article on churches using 'secret-shoppers' to evaluate the 'church going experience' from a new member's perspective in an attempt to stop member attrition and make new members feel welcome.

Mr. Harrison belongs to a new breed of church consultants aiming to equip pastors with modern marketing practices. Pastors say mystery worshippers like Mr. Harrison offer insight into how newcomers judge churches -- a critical measure at a time when mainline denominations continue to shed members and nearly half of American adults switch religious affiliations. In an increasingly diverse and fluid religious landscape, churches competing for souls are turning to corporate marketing strategies such as focus groups, customer-satisfaction surveys and product giveaways.

Maybe it's because I have a jaundiced view of religion already that this seems very cynical to me. I always sort of figured that if you're going to go to church then the church you choose to attend would be governed by whatever your relationship with god happens to be. But this is more like Starbucks and Pete's fighting over pedestrian traffic.

But then, what do I know? I figured that once someone had a religion they sort of just stuck with it. According to the article though, 44% of American adults have switched religious affiliations.

So it's probably not a surprise that my mental image of what a church service is like is completely and totally wrong. Emphasis mine:

The next morning, Mr. Harrison -- who has a round, dimpled face, a salt-and-pepper mustache and a talent for blending into crowds -- arrived a few minutes before the Sunday worship service started. He strolled past the coffee bar where dozens of people chatted, past the electronic giving kiosk and into the cavernous, stadium-style sanctuary, where he sat alone in the eighth row. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt rather than his usual suit and tie, Mr. Harrison fit into the boisterous, casually dressed crowd of 800 worshippers. He turned off his cellphone and filled out a visitor-information card. The lights dimmed as a 10-piece rock band took the stage and ripped into a rollicking song. Mr. Harrison discreetly scribbled notes onto a tiny pad tucked into his palm.

Coffee bars? Rock bands? And later in the article it mentions that some churches offer day care. In some ways this makes perfect sense to me. Churches have bills to pay. Non-profit or not, until god starts kicking in for the rent (it is after all, his house) churches need a revenue stream. Maybe salvation as a business is really the only way to offer salvation at all. On the other hand, treating religion like a business doesn't really do much for my already damaged view of religion.

But maybe I'm not the best judge, seeing as I already have my biases. Any church going folk care to talk about their experiences on choosing a church in the comments? I'm curious as to how someone makes that choice.

Posted by Ben Corman at 3:00 PM

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