The United Church of Christ‘s Still Speaking Campaign is the most well known marketing campaign undertaken by a mainline denomination in recent years. The campaign started in 2004 with television ads, which can be viewed here. In April 2010, the campaign moved online with an ad designed to spread via social media called The Language of God, which I wrote about on my blog. Today Uniquely UCC launched in conjunction with Still Speaking’s National Friendraising Weekend.
So What?
Uniquely UCC has a very different feel than the prior ad designed for online distribution (The Language of God). Watch both back-to back considering the likely target audience. Which do you think is better suited for young adults aged 21-45? for median adults aged 46-64? for older adults aged 65 and above?
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “our faith is 2000 years old, our thinking is not”? How well does this language reflect what you know of the United Church of Christ? How appealing to those who are not currently actively participating in a Christian congregation on a regular basis do you think this may be?
The hope is that those within the UCC will share not only the Uniquely UCC ad but also a personal invitation to join them in worship. One piece of literature suggests using the following wording: “It’s the UCC’s National Friendraising Weekend! I am hoping you will join me at [your church] this Sunday. We promise you an extravagant welcome! ” How does this targeted friendraising Sunday compare to what is done in your denomination? What do you do on the congregational level that gives those already involved both a specific Sunday and a social media friendly message with the goal of welcoming newcomers?
My Invitation
No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome this Sunday and every Sunday in the United Church of Christ. To locate a nearby congregation, the UCC offers a geographic search page. If you are in Southwest Florida, I invite you to join me this Sunday at Naples United Church of Christ at either 9:00 or 11:00 a.m.