Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-11
CHURCH NEEDS
ADVERTISING TO
DRAW CROWDS
of Hurting Dignity Past,
Says Pastor in Talk to
Ad Club.

Church advertising has come into
its own. We have been hesitant to
advertise the church for fear of hurt
ing the dignity of the church. Strange
but true, the greatest objection to
church advertising often has come
from the hard headed business men
and our church boards" said the Rev.
George Mecklenburg, pastor of the
First Methodist Episcopal church, in
an address before the Great Falls AID
club at Hotel Rainbow Friday.
Like every business Or industry,
the church has a production problem
and a selling problem. The minister Ii
his study, the choir at practice n the
church at work is the production end
of the church. This part is done bet
ter than ever. Our sermons are bet
ter, our churches are comfortable.
Only 70 years z churches were not
heated. Sermons were long and poorly
prepared. We have the goods today
that people need. And further, the
goods of tina church will be used Or
civilization will collapse.
Selling End Weak
1.-THE selling end of the church is
weak. The pews of the church are not
nearly iileu. IuiS Is d IastOS II
costs just as much to preach to a half
filled church-the heat is the same,
all expenses are the same. Further,
the town is full of persons who are
very favorably inclined to the church.
The home folks are writing to them
about the church. In other words, We
have a constituency easily won for the
church.
Advertising Of all kinds must be
utilized to promote the selling end of
the church. The church established
on a certain corner with spire pointing
to the heavens is a powerful publicity
point. But TO my mind, the newspa-
per is the very best medium for church
publicity. 1t is dignified, inexpensive
and gets to the spot.
"A very common fallacy in advertis-
ing is that publicity is merely for the
purpose of drawing business from a
competitor. On a train. q man said to
me: Why do not the cigarette compa-
mics get together and save all the cost
ly billboard publicity / said to him
that the cigarette companies are not
drawing business from one another.
They are educating the public to use
more cigarettes by their clever pub
LEFTY.
Draw Crowds
Church publicity of one church
does not draw crowds from other
churches-it draws its crowds from
the unchurched masses. A new form
of church advertising is arriving
among us. Hitherto we have asked
people to come to a certain place at a
certain hour to hear a N or to
enjoy other privileges Of the church.
Now we are beginning to give the &C
tual product of the church in the ad
itself. We publish some of the great
fundamentals of the church in the
newspaper or on a billboard. In a
very literal sense it is possible to pub
Ish the gospel. Where the pulpit
reaches 1000. this form of publicity
reaches 10000"
r. L. Thompson, advertising man
ager of the Mutual Oil company, gave
a talk pursuant to the clubs course in
practical advertising. taking the sub
ject of Words and Phrases in Ad-
vertising." Thompson counseled against
the use of trick advertising and said
that simple words are the most effect
ual in advertising copy.
At the next meeting of the club a
portion of the program will be devoted
10 father and son week.