Putting Across the Old Gospel in a New Way: Church Publicity
(Continued from page 16)
to advertise the church. The use of electric lighting in any form is an excellent means of telling the world something worth while is being done. A brilliant light at the entrances of the building is always desirable.
(2) Bill Boards. This method should be used more than it has been. It is worth while.
(3) The Movies. There is some danger involved here, and if used at all it should be done with great care. It is rather embarrassing, for example, to have a church advertising on the same evening when some picture is given that makes one blush to look at. I have never found this kind of publicity entirely satisfactory.
CHEAP WORKMANSHIP BAD
(4) Window Cards, Circulars, or Dodgers- If this method is used, there are certain dangers to be avoided. One of these is the danger of making the work cheap. If window cards are used, the very finest material and workmanship should be employed, and if the bills or dodgers are desirable over the city, good workmanship and good material should be used. To use the cheaper material places the church advertising alongside of the cheaper things that come to every city.
(5) Newspaper Advertising. This is by far the best plan to be observed. Use the papers freely. People read the papers and they read your ads in the papers. One of the chief objections formerly lodged against the newspaper method was that people do not read the ads. This of course has been long exploded. Time and time again, I have experimented in this line, and the result has been that the most splendid results have been derived from this kind of publicity- You have noticed I have said but little about my own experience in display advertising, and yet Dean Allen has placed that as the subject of the paper. I have purposely done this and only want to say a word about that now. Those who have lived in Eugene know something of what has been done--and the growth of the church in the four years I have been minister. I began in a very modest way, in the face of criticism on the part of my own members and of the city, and especially on the part of my brother ministers. Yet we have built up one of the most largely attended Sunday evening services in the state of Oregon. Our Sunday School has grown until on one day, our Annual Rally Day, we had 1666 people in Sunday School. Every department of the church has felt the impact of this kind of church publicity. Last year we raised three times as much money for carrying on the work of the church both in local expense and in benevolences as in any previous year, and yet we closed the year with a surplus of $500 in the treasury of the church. And the most important item of all is that there has averaged more than 250 additions to the church each year of the present miuistry. I can say to you frankly, that it is my opinion that consistent, continual, sane, truthful advertising has been one of the most important factors in the transformation. Of course when folks come they must not be disappointed, but the advertising gets them there.
IV. SOME QUESTIONS, OBJECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS
Under this division I want to say a word relative to the most interesting part of the subject. After several years of experience it is of great interest to me to hear the objections, and in many instances to know from actual experience just how far removed they are from real objections and hindrances.
One of the first objections you hear is that it cheapens the work of the ministry, and of the church. In answer to that I have but one sentence to give, and that is
