We asked Brad Abare, the site's founder, some of his thoughts on marketing and the local church.

ChurchMarketingSucks.com is known for having its hand on the pulse of modern Church culture. What trends do you see as the most essential for young pastors to familiarize themselves with?
The trend that our culture is searching for is meaning. We're all looking for our lives to matter—to mean something to us, to others and to the world as a whole. We want to know that the jobs we have mean more than just a paycheck. We want our education to mean more than a good job. We want our purchases to be more than utilitarian—we want them to mean something. This is why we spend money on stuff that looks cool, because it speaks to who we are. It means something! I'm convinced that churches can be meaning makers.

In 1803, Beethoven redefined the way people experienced symphonies when he wrote the "Eroica." It's one of the most written about and analyzed works in music history. Scholars explore the historical and biographical dimensions of the work while musicologists deconstruct it piece by piece to see what makes it tick. Its fame gained momentum when it interrupted the evolution of symphonic development and appeared suddenly, without precedent or prototype. Forged in a fiery new style, the "Eroica" initiated the notion that a symphony could be used as a vehicle to convey beliefs and ideas. Napoleon, heroism, death, revolution—the list goes on. At the time, people were accustomed to Mozart and Haydn. They were not ready for a manifesto in the concert hall. The impact this symphony has on all proceeding symphonies was that it allowed for meaning to be infused with the music itself. No longer just nice sounding, it was now sense surrounding.

I believe the Church today can do the same thing. We can be conduits for meaning—the meaning that the world is looking for!

Let's say that a pastor isn't all that tech-savvy. What's a good way to learn to use technology to benefit his or her ministry?
If you're not tech-savvy, don't bother to learn (other than the basics to get by in life!). In other words, if it's not your thing, don't try to make it your thing. I think it is silly when people try to force themselves to learn something they don't really want to learn anyway. Hire someone else to master technology for you. I'm not an accountant, so I don't do my own taxes. I'm not an electrician, so I hire one when I need it.

What's the most common mistake you see in church websites?
They either try to do too much, or they don't do enough. We must remember that church websites are often the first visit that people ever have to a church. When people show up in person, it could easily be considered a second visit depending on how well the site informed and engaged the visitor.

What's your personal favorite church website and what makes it stand out?
I don't have a personal favorite church website, nor have I ever seen one that I think "gets" it. Granted, I am a pretty harsh critic, so that must be taken into consideration with this response.

There is a quote on your website from Rob Bell, where he said, "The thought of the word church and the word marketing in the same sentence makes me sick." What was the context of that quote, and do you think there is a right approach and a wrong approach to church marketing?
The quote is from Rob's book, Velvet Elvis, and the context is more of a comment than a big argument. The reality is that churches are marketing whether they realize it or not. Bad marketing is still marketing. The right approach to marketing is when a church communicates in an authentic way about a message that matters to people who have the potential to respond to it. The wrong approach to marketing is when a church does anything but the right way.

How important is the idea of branding when it comes to building a ministry?
Branding is the emotional connection that people establish with a brand. It is important to the extent that your brand aligns with your values. It is very important and goes hand in hand with marketing.

If you could give one piece of advice to a young pastor who is starting a twentysomething group on a limited budget, what would it be? Communicate, communicate, communicate. If people don't get what you're saying, it's your fault, not theirs. Robert E. Lee, the famous Civil War general, never sent a communiqué to his generals before first asking a private to read it. The private had to read the letter, restate in his own words what the call to action was. If the private didn't get it right, Lee assumed it was his fault, not the private's. Lee would rewrite it as many times as necessary to be perfectly clear. King Solomon said in Proverbs 15:2, "The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly" (NASB).