From Where I Sat
Church Planting And Marketing : What ’ s The Connection ?
By Robert Wamai
There are songs that come free from the blue-eyed grass , from the dust of a thousand country woods . This is one of them . In the late afternoon , in the autumn of 1989 , I ’ m at my desk looking at a blinking cursor of the computer screen before me , and the telephone rings . And so Robert James Waller introduced his 1992 novel , Bridges of Madison County , which was later made into a highly acclaimed movie . This hit home as it is evidence that as writers we occasionally need a nudge or a light bulb moment , to kick-start the writing process , for our articles come from what we see , hear , or read . And this is how this article came into being .
On a cold Friday evening in the second week of September , 2024 , as I was thinking of taking a break from writing , I stumbled upon a gem that lay waste my thoughts . While watching CNBC on YouTube something on the menu to the right of the screen caught my attention . I saw a tall gentleman speaking passionately and even without the sound something sparked my curiosity . On clicking I realised he was speaking at a conference by CITAM Church titled , ‘ Lord Send Me Missions Conference , which run from 3rd to 5th September , 2024 . For the next 45 minutes I was captivated by the speaker , Rev Dr S . Owusu , whose presentation had both flair and substance and my take outs worthy of sharing with you .
Dr Rev Owusu shared the journey he went through planting new churches in the USA and Canada . His topic was titled ‘ I Was Sent to Take New Territories ’ and he shared five lessons , or principles as he called them , that guided him break new ground and expand the reach of the Gospel in uncharted territories . He believes that the lessons will be useful to those sent for similar missions as they will assist them especially to overcome some of the challenges they are likely to encounter as they take their message yonder .
You may be tempted to ask what Church Planting and Marketing have in common thus deserving an article in Marketing Africa magazine . As Dr Rev Owusu spoke and on deeper reflection , I realised that his journey and the challenges he went through mirror what marketers encounter when taking their brands to a different target . Therefore I will share two of his five lessons or ‘ principles ’ as he called them .
He opened by saying that as one contemplates church planting it is important to begin with prayer as it is God who decides on the timing and the place . Seeking clarification with God is the very first and important step .
How does this relate to marketing you may ask ? The decision to take a brand to new territories must be based on solid business reasons and those cannot come from the Marketing Department alone and must get the buy-in from the top as well as other functions within the organisation . Taking brands to new territories cannot be taken lightly as it comes with a cost and therefore expected returns . The opportunity and the choice of territory call for clarity and the objectives must be SMART .
In the very competitive , fast changing and unpredictable business terrain , knowledge is an indispensable asset for a brand that wants to be impactful . In addition , it ’ s important to have clarity of purpose , put adequate resources behind the marketing effort , be agile and resilient , and always play for the long haul .
But it is his second principle the one he spent most time on that will form the heart of this article . And that is preparation , for it is not ‘ an easy journey ’. He said once the mandate is clear and the team has landed on the new frontier they must prepare thoroughly . At the core of preparation and where one must sweat the details is taking the time understand the people for whom the Gospel is intended . When one ventures from home they will meet very dissimilar people and the further the distance the bigger the differences . It therefore imperative to spend time understanding
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