Fredericksburg Methodists and other churches plan to run TV ads in effort to fill pews

By JESSICA ALLEN

Date published: 8/14/2004

Gone are the days when word of mouth and fliers were enough to attract people to a church.

Mainstream denominations--the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, Presbyterians and Episcopalians--are now or will soon be advertising on cable television.

The campaigns, some of which are scheduled to run this month in the Fredericksburg area, are in response to decreasing membership nationally.

Reaching the unchurched is the main purpose, said the Rev. Larry Lenow, senior pastor at Fredericksburg United Methodist Church.

"The thrust of all of this is that there are large segments of the population who are searching for something," he said. "What we are trying to get across is that the answers they are seeking are closer than they think."

The 2,000-member church on Hanover Street recently received $600 from its denomination to help pay for commercials, he said.

The three ads, which will begin running on Cox Cable on Monday, are part of the denomination's "Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors" promotion.

The campaign, which began in 2001, marks the first time the United Methodist Church has ever advertised on radio, cable and billboards.

The ads are a combination of the denomination's national and local church commercials. Fredericksburg United Methodist Church will advertise its new 5:30 p.m. Saturday worship service, which begins Sept. 11, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Virginia, New York City and Pennsylvania.

Phrases such as "I believe it's good to question" or "None of us are qualified to judge the life of others" or "When you truly embrace diversity, you embrace God" are used to attract seekers to the church, said Jackie Vaughan, spokeswoman for the United Methodist Church's denominational headquarters in Nashville, Tenn.

"We want people to feel that they have a connection to us," she said. "That they can feel comfortable when they walk into our church."

There has already been a 7 percent increase in attendance based on statistics from its five test markets, she said.

The United Methodist Church's $20 million campaign has inspired other denominations to start their own promotions.

Fredericksburg Congregational Church, which is part of the United Church of Christ, expects to run commercials with Cox Cable this month. They plan to begin advertising in Spotsylvania County next month with Adelphia.

But the denomination's "God Is Still Speaking" campaign, which began running in other states in March, is more controversial than the Methodists' ads.

One commercial shows two bouncers standing in front of a church, determining who is worthy to enter. White, affluent people are allowed in, but a gay couple and people of ethnicity are pushed aside.

"Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we," the ad says.

Cathie Fisher Braman, pastor of Fredericksburg Congregational Church, said she is pleased with the campaign.

Date published: 8/14/2004