I recently finished Adam Hamilton’s book, Selling Swimsuits in the Arctic. It is a church leadership book discussing how to share Christ with others and how to grow a church. If anyone knows about growing a church numerically, it is Hamilton. He is the pastor of a 10,000+ member church in Kansas City. He has a blog that I visit on a regular basis.
Overall, I like the information in the book, though it was very basic. He basically talks about how church growth (or sharing the gospel) is very similar to marketing. We have something (a product) and we want others to have it. So we have to sell it to the person. Throughout the book he uses an example of Bob. Bob is a swimsuit salesman who goes with his wife to the Arctic. He goes with the intent of selling swimsuits only to find out that no one needs them there. So Bob has to adapt to make the sell. Throughout the book we follow Bob’s adventure and learn from him about how to reach the unchurched.
Adam shares with us that we must know our product well and make it intriguing so that others will be interested. He talks about how we live in a culture that is constantly being “sold” something and the church must use that mentality to reach the lost with the gospel. We must advertise well, preach well, sing well, among other things, all with the intent to reach the unchurched. (now obviously this isn’t the only reason we do these with excellence)
In regard to church leadership, I think that Adam’s book is helpful. However, I do have a problem with the whole church marketing idea. I tend to see evangelism as building relationships with people and letting them see Christ in you naturally. I don’t think it’s honest to meet with people, build relationships with them, and spend time with them only for the purpose of a hidden agenda of “selling” them Christ. I don’t look at Christ as a “product” to sell but as a way of life to join.
That said, Adam does make this point in his book. He tries to live in both worlds as he tries to explain this. To the world, we are selling a product. However, the “product” is not a product at all but a way of life that invite people in.
