Target Acquisition
Jon Edmiston
Jon Edmiston is the Director of Communications and Information Technology at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona.
Christ’s Church of the Valley website.
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Trying to be all things to all people and lead you to reaching no one. Selecting a targeted demographic can be tough. It means focusing on a few to reach the many. Without focus, you risk communicating a weak message that appeals to no one.
CCV identified their target audience as unchurched men between the ages of 25-45. Their idea behind targeting that audience was that if they theoretically ‘get the guy’, they will get the rest of the family.
In selecting our target audience we need to ask what our competition is? It’s not other churches, it’s the things keep people from coming into our church.
We need to consider what they care about, what are their primary concerns and needs.
When you identify your target, you will determine:
church name, sermon content, worship style, ministry style, programs, vocabulary, signage, décor, clothes/appearance, leadership, greeters, children’s ministry, external promotion everything!
CCV, because of their target, has a very masculine facility, that feels more like a resort or conference center than a church. The colors are muted and all the décor and and signage is very masculine. They carefully consider their verbiage, instead of an ‘intimate relationship with God’ they say ‘friendship with God.’ They also funnel this idea through everything that they do from ministries (they have an ‘Edge Ministry’ that does extreme sports-type adventures with the condition that the guys who participate bring an unsaved friend with them.), and even to the songs that they sing. All of the songs that they sing are carefully selected to be within a male vocal range.
Anything that promotes the church in general should hit the target and answer two questions:
1 – is it ‘unchurched? Meaning, is it something that people outside of the church would understand and easily identify with.
2 – is it within our target?
Anything we do MUST have a redemptive end to it.
The Ministry Area Profile (available at www.percept.info) gives great demographic information to households in and around your church.
Sometimes your target will naturally develop around you as you do church. CCV didn’t select their target until 10 years ago. But the key thing is to know who you want to reach. Everything at the core must keep your target in mind. Subministries in the end, should support your target.
Keep the main thing the main thing. Promote and focus what’s important on what’s core and what is vital to the church at its core.
Picking your target builds consistency and makes your target easily recognizable as it helps you have a defined ‘look.’
Having a target leads to focus, focus leads to consistency, and consistency leads to recognition.
We have a target. We just have to identify it.
Part of defining our target is defining what is important to us, and that can come by making a list of ministry priorities.
Example from CCV:
A events = events where everyone is involved.
This could include but is not limited to services, major outreach times like Easter and Christmas and their volunteer appreciation.
B events = outreach events
Including, but not limited to events that will attract 1,500+ more people.
C events = sub-ministry events
Including, but limited to events that draw 150-1,500 people.
D events = everything else
We need to focus on being offensive and not defensive in how we communicate. That involves focusing on what we are communicating externally and what is really truly reaching our target, and streamlining what’s internal by bringing standardization (fonts, colors, consistency, and size).
Communication both supports the church and has its own objectives.
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