Ron Buford is the lead architect of the United Church of Christ‘s (UCC) Still Speaking campaign which began in 2002. He recently accepted a call to serve as Interim Minister for Discipleship at Old South Church in Boston, and authored an article about Still Speaking in the denomination’s magazine (Vol. 2, Issue 2 – p.54-56). In that piece he explores his experiences over the last decade, including his travel to congregations in all but two of the UCC Conferences. While many forecast continued declines in membership and influence for all mainline churches, Buford portrays the UCC as “uniquely situated to thrive” now and into the future.
Buford shared just one regret about Still Speaking:
I regret failing to effectively communicate that “God is still speaking” is not a marketing program. “God is still speaking” is a theological movement with a marketing plan.
What Next?
While the first decade is now ending, Still Speaking is ongoing. Buford is currently writing a book about the story thus far. The denomination continues to welcome new Still Speaking voices.
So What?
My immediate response to learning of this campaign was to learn more about the denomination (a denomination I became a part of when I joined one of its congregations much more recently). If you have never seen any of the ads associated with the campaign, I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch them now. My introduction was the Bouncer ad, which I learned of on a news report about networks that had refused to air it.
- Does the Still Speaking campaign resonate with you? If so, how so? If not, what is your reaction?
- What national branding campaign has been most successful for your denomination in recent years? Would you compare its results favorably to Still Speaking?