The 'True Love' theme forms the basis of a new book currently being written by Bryan Foster. These articles have a dominant place on the CPM: Church Parish Marketing website.

As this new, yet to be titled book develops, various articles which form the basis of chapters within the book will be published on this website. The articles highlight the key themes.

These articles will offer a depth of content, and subsequent personal challenge, which hopefully will inspire its readers.

The first THIRTEEN (13) articles published  to date are:

2. Family Love - the Greatest and Strongest Human Love of All
3. Love and Forgiveness - Essential for True Love
4. Love Changes All
5. God is Love. Love is the Meaning of Life. God is the Meaning of Life
6. Love is Social Justice for All 
7. Love is the Meaning of LIfe - Human Frailties Get in the Way
8. Love is Celebrating the Success of Others
9. The Love of Priests and Pastors for Their Communities
10. Love Through a Natural Oceanic Experience
11. There is a God - Through a 25th Birthday Personal Experience
12. There is a God - Through the Two Perspectives of Faith and the Historical / Cultural / Lived Experiences
13. Love One Another as I Have Loved You
15. Love is Giving - Australian Mateship Wins Out in Flood Covered Queensland

This is a new direction for Bryan Foster, yet one which is a very special transition - one into an area of special interest for Bryan. His previous e-books have concentrated on marketing the Church and schools associated within the Church.

Since a major spiritual experience on Bryan's 25th birthday, he has wanted to write of these and other loving experiences.

An extract from 'Family Love ..." highlights a central theme in the book:

"Family love is the most significant form of love! A loving family is the strongest unit within both civilised and tribal groups alike.

Family love needs to be nurtured, supported and encouraged. It needs to be held up for evaluation, judged and modelled.

When each individual truly loves the other, great things happen! Differences are accommodated, successes are celebrated, challenges are issued, respect is integral and most importantly forgiveness is offered and received whole heartedly, to name but a few actualities."

The necessity for forgiveness is discussed in the article 'Love and Forgiveness...'

"Love and Forgiveness are both essential for True Love!!! Most people find forgiveness the most difficult aspect of love. To forgive others and to be forgiven ourselves is quite a challenging experience! Yet, this is essential for the repairing of any loving relationship.

Once we have the ability to forgive others, or forgive ourselves, we are on the way to once again exist in that reality of love - the meaning of life."

While in 'Love Changes All' the emphasis is on:

"Once someone knows and appreciates what true love is, their whole approach to life, self and others changes. Love changes all!"

The 'Love Articles: Basis on new book on True Love by Bryan Foster' blog post written by Bryan Foster, author of Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed), - the paperback and ebook manual for Church communications and marketing personnel - 304 pages of easy to read and implement summarized points, which allow for a considerably large number of quality stategies and examples to be detailed and available for church marketing personnel - with copyright remaining GDPL. Book available from Amazon.com and Createspace.com

Devising an effective church and parish marketing plan is essential for any successful church and parish community - know what it really is, why it is needed and how to develop and implement one for success - know the 5 Key strategies.

A. Overview

There are a number of crucial aspects which impact on this plan:

• Planning
• Manager
• Budget
• Support Structure
• Evaluation

A successful plan is a lot more than the logo, stationery and newsletter. It should also be careful to avoid 'dressing-up' the institution in a way which cannot be supported.

The right person / people, managing the right marketing plan, being given a realistic budget and support and using continual evaluation techniques and feedback are high priorities for a successful marking plan. Often tough decisions need to be made. However, it is absolutely critical to - be well prepared!

Big or small church and parish budgets can both have varying degrees of success. Know your market and its needs and develop plans accordingly:

• A longer term plan often eases that initial budget constraint.
• Success often leads to more success.
• Decision makers become open to more appropriate budgets.

B. Who needs a Marketing Plan?

All professionals, businesses, institutes and services need one. Informing the community is seen by most to be an important aspect of their mission. It also leads to the best promoters of the product / service, etc.

C. Analysis of the Marketing Plan

• Parish Priest ultimately responsible for the plan.
• Based on the Vision and Mission Statement.
• Used to market to the community. The community includes all people who know, or those who you want to know, about the church.
• Strategies used within a defined budget.
• Inform all stakeholders, and other targeted groups, of the benefits and successes.
• Informs about aspects which may be of interest / products, etc.
• Needs to plan for issues which may arise of a controversial nature.
• Inform and emphasize the real nature of the parish and the direction being planned for or presently implementing.
• Realistic budget is an integral part.
• Relatively inexpensive when viewed in the terms of the potential gains made - reputation, etc.
• Benefit from the combination of views of staff and other parishioners, etc, associated.
• In the initial stages of developing the first real plan it is often best to include a variety of interest groups for gaining ideas and suggestions about how best to market. These thoughts may then be used as felt necessary.
• The principal office holder needs input and has the overall responsibility to implement the plan.

D. Be ethical...

Apart from being unethical, more than likely, any unethical aspects would eventually become apparent as being incorrect to the stakeholders and others. This would have an adverse impact on the group's / institute's reputation and hence targeted group and community's involvement.

E. Simple or Complex?

The plan may be as simple or as complex as needed to achieve the desired outcomes. The plan is needed whether:

• a presently has a large sales / product / service base or
• it is about to re/open or
• it is losing market share.

 

The best time to market is when it is successful. At this stage there are so many approaches which may be taken to highlight the benefits. However, it usually becomes an issue and a necessity when sales or numbers involved are dropping, or when competition is opening need by or improving themselves. At this stage a specifically targeted program is required. Don't be caught out!

 

The 'Church Marketing Plan - 5 Key What, Why and How Strategies' blog post was written by Bryan Foster, author of Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed), - the paperback and ebook manual for Church communications and marketing personnel - 304 pages of easy to read and implement summarized points, which allow for a considerably large number of quality stategies and examples to be detailed and available for church marketing personnel - with copyright remaining GDPL. Book available from Amazon.com and Createspace.com

The Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed), 2011, by Bryan Foster, has been exceptionally well received - many thanks for such positive feedback. To read how the strategies have been able to help so many parishioners and parish workers promote their church and / or parish to the community brings great satisfaction to all concerned, including the author.

It may be interesting to readers of the manual, and those considering its benefits, that the paperback is still the most popular edition. Looks like the e-book is suitable for some but the paperback is for the majority. I wonder if this is because nothing really beats a paper book?! Amazon.com has been a great seller of these books, both as paperbacks and as e-books. These are also selling well from a number of other internet book sellers all over the world.

A manual with thousands of strategies, step-by-step instructions, examples and internet links, etc., is proving to be a major source of information for so many people attached to various churches and parishes thoughout the world.

All these inclusions contained within the 300+ pages have been successfully used by the author in various marketing endeavours within the Church.

May I wish all associated with developing a church marketing plan and activities for our churches and parishes (and deaneries) all the best for what I imagine will be a unique year for most, given the economic situation we currently find the world. May Christ be with us all.

The "Great Feedback on the 'Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed)", 2011, by Bryan Foster' blog post was written by Bryan Foster, author of Church Marketing Manual for the Digital Age (2nd ed), 2011 - the paperback and ebook manual for Church communications and marketing personnel - 304 pages of easy to read and implement summarized points, which allow for a considerably large number of quality stategies and examples to be detailed and available for church marketing personnel - with copyright remaining with GDPL. Book available from Amazon.com and Createspace.com