The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-03-27
hi. Parson Says That
Church Must Advertise

Church MUST AUNSA NA"0
Principles that put any goods on the
n.,kot vill apply to religious cam
rsi0n: advertising can make religion
~ most popular thing in this coun-
nv. church, hell and paid space on
me same footing; urges purgatory
Ear church boards and congregation
that decry preacher doing things that
will attract attention to his work.
The church, properly speaking, is
marketing institution. 1t is the dis
tributor Of a commodity. The COM
modify in which it deals is religion.
Religion is thing which must be sold
to the people.
Not long since, the world had the
idea that only tangible things could be
sold. Lands and houses and merch-
undertakings that could be measur-
ed out, or.weighed and carried off in
packages-were the only things that
concerned statesmen.
Now we have come to know that
every thing that has value, tangible
or intangible, physical, mental or
spiritual, must be sold to the people
if they are going to be affected or
benefited by them. Time and service,
science and philosophy, schemes of
education and systems of government,
ideas and ideals are being sold in ev-
cry center of population by individ-
uals or institutions that deal in these
necessities of life.
You often hear the question today:
why do not more people attend
church services?"
Church a Distributor
It is because religion has not been
sold to the people at large. We often
wonder, in this day of cooperative
effort, why only a certain class of
people seem to be affected by relig
ion and The church. The world recog-
nizes the value of religion. We all
know that men need the steadying,
strengthening and uplifting influence
and power of Christianity, but the
fact remains that religion has not
been sold to this generation.
Let the church come to realize that
+. it IS distributor, that her ministers
are statesmen, that they deal in some
thing that the people need, and that
this thing called religion must be sold
then win we see the church begin
TO move forward and religion becOm-
ing generally accepted and effective.
The question, then, for US to con-
slider is: How can religion be sold?"
Here | venture an assertion. The
same principles of craftsmanship that
vii put any commodity on the market
vii put religion on the market. If we
can analyze the principles of sales
manship that have put any particular
brand of goods, style of clothing, OF
character of material into the hands
Of the people, and then apply this to
Christianity, the problem of the
church is solved.
Church Needs Campaign
recently spent a couple of hours
listening to the president of manu-
iac.uring concern explain nation
VICE campaign of advertising that
haa been planned by his company.
Alser ne had finished, said:
If | could take that sort of cam
palgn into the church l could make
rehgion the most popular thing in the
country"
Advertising is the handmade of
saissmanship. In fact, craftsmanship
ane advertising are twin sisters, that
wa SO much alike that they can not
Oe distinguished one from the other.
40 one tries to sell anything any
more without advertising. Advertis-
ing IS the first step in placing any
.On.modity in the hands of customers.
Ae'ention and interest are forerun-
ners to the closing of a sale. The pri-
may purpose of advertising is arrest
!. ing attention and creating interest in
y .,'e minds Of prospective buyers. This
Jug church most nse,!> ta2ay