Why no ads for the Church on TV?

[RNRobert]

Recently my church had a collection for the Catholic Communication campaign. It got me to wondering why I never see any commercials for the Catholic Church on TV. After all, the Mormons have been doing it for years, and recently I’ve seen spots for the United Methodist Church (although, unlike the Mormons, they never mention God, Jesus, or the Bible). I’ve even seen ads for various local Protestant churches on TV. But I have yet to see one for the Catholic Church. I find this odd, since the Catholic Church is by far the largest single church body in the US, and after all it is we who are THE church. A couple years ago, the 4 Catholic churches in my town raised money to buy some billboard space that featured a depiction of Christ with the words “Peace be with you- from the Catholic Church.” I thought that was really nice, but shouldn’t the church be able to utilize the mass media as well as the Protestants?

 

[Maccabees]

I thnk the church right now is suffering from a media phobia due to its criticism due to the priest scandal so its keeping a low profile.

But I think they are taking the wrong approach I think you may be on to something that the church can rehabilitate its image through some media campaigning.

Like you allueded to the Moroms who advertise themselves as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Once had a largely negative image as some bizarre cult that beleived in polagamy and accepted only white people as members. But with some clever advertising they projected themselves as a faith based on Christ and faimly centered that would you family return to America’s tradtional family values.
They have now entered the relgious mainstream in the average americans eyes.

And the Moromons with their history of polagamy and racism and its bizarre teachings that can’t be substantiated (Jesus appeared to the early native americans Just as he did the Jews) can do it. Surely the apostolic church with the Truth can overcome a temporary scandal.

 

[TheGarg]

**Or, because we as catholics are responsible for bringing people to Christ, and the Church shouldn’t have to “do commercials”. I can’t even believe this is a topic, LOL. **

So in the end, word of mouth is still the best form of advertisement

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[Fidelis]

RNRobert:

Recently my church had a collection for the Catholic Communication campaign. It got me to wondering why I never see any commercials for the Catholic Church on TV. After all, the Mormons have been doing it for years, and recently I’ve seen spots for the United Methodist Church (although, unlike the Mormons, they never mention God, Jesus, or the Bible). I’ve even seen ads for various local Protestant churches on TV. But I have yet to see one for the Catholic Church. I find this odd, since the Catholic Church is by far the largest single church body in the US, and after all it is we who are THE church. A couple years ago, the 4 Catholic churches in my town raised money to buy some billboard space that featured a depiction of Christ with the words “Peace be with you- from the Catholic Church.” I thought that was really nice, but shouldn’t the church be able to utilize the mass media as well as the Protestants?

I’ve always thought the same thing. Everytime I see one of those slick LDS commercials I think, “Here we have a totally irrational, unhistorical, non-Christian sect running these great ads that must be so appealing and convincing to the ignorant, when the Catholic Church, the very Church founded by Christ, standing strong for 2000 years, built upon the apostles, saints and martyrs, with the very fullness of the Faith doesn’t get out and do something similar.”

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

I think television commercials are really just shifting the burden of evangelization away from its natural resting place - the individual Catholic. You mean to tell me that in a nation where more than 1 in 5 people are Catholic we need to inform people of our existence? The everyday behavior of the lay Catholic is the best/worst advertisement the Church can get. Everybody knows at least one Catholic. If that Catholic is devout and God-fearing, his acquaintances will be interested in the Church. If that Catholic is no different or (rather typically) worse than Joe Schmoe, no amount of advertising will carry more weight than his failure to live out the Gospel. So instead of shelling out cash for air-time, we need to revitalize the Church, making its light shine forth brighter than any TV screen ever could.

 

[SocaliCatholic]

Funny topic, but I wonder if the Chruch ran ads on TV it would reduce the number of people martryed to spread the Gospel.

 

[Maccabees]

WHile cetainly nothing can replace the witness of a good and debout catholic their should be no stopping the church using other means to proclaim the gospel. Pope JOhn Paul II has written and spoken on new ways to witness to the catholic faith he has included the media as a means that we should get involved in to spread the faith by new means. He said TV, Film, Radio and the internet all should be used to spread the faith. I think Fulton Sheen and Mother Angelica are prime examples of using media to spread the gospels. And as we have seen with MEl’ Gibsons Passion moive film can influence people faith for the better. Catholic Answers uses the internet and radio as ways to spread the faith. Heck your on it right now. TV commericals are another means of promoting the faith.
In talking to non-catholics there are some honest misconceptions. Many think its some sort of gentile Judaism where you have to be born into the faith. Devout Catholics faithful they may be seldom just invite people to church. Protestants do this all the time. A Tv commerical could break this misconception and perhaps that would lead to dialoge with catholics they know about the faith and further questions and a church visit etc. A commercial is just a lead in and the catholic they know still plays a lead role in leading them to the faith. But a little kick start by a commerical that leads to an inquiry to actual living catholics is not a bad idea. No matter what gets your attention to the faith whetehr it be EWTn, Catholic Answers or a Commerical shouldn’t matter, Why are we so discriminating about the faith. Who cares about how one comes to the church.

 

[Maccabees]

SocaliCatholic:

Funny topic, but I wonder if the Chruch ran ads on TV it would reduce the number of people martryed to spread the Gospel.

No. Catholics who are martyred for thier faith usually don’t die in the USA unlees Jack Chick tracts kill. Well they kill souls but thats a differnent subject.

Martrdom typically occurs where there is no freedom of relgigion and I don’t suspect you will see church adds for any church in North Korea and Saudi Arabia anytime soon.

 

[RNRobert]

I have a book by Frank Duff, who founded the legion of Mary. He told of one city where the church ran some sort of ad campaign asking people if they wanted to know more about the catholic church, and hundreds of people responded. it is absolutely true that we lay Catholics need to evangelize, but I think the proper use of media could stir up interest and clear up misconceptions.

 

[puzzleannie]

the answer lies in your first post, how many people contributed to the Catholic Communications Campaign in your parish, if your is like most, you contributed maybe $500 total from all Masses that weekend. There is a massive effort going on to provide Catholic radio that will reach every one in this country, there is a Catholic TV station that finally has succeeded in becoming part of cable and satellite broadcast systems, PBS and NPR stations in many parts of the country (Brownsville Diocese is an example) that gets most or all of its institutional support from the Diocese, but is still limited by regulations from the number of hours of religious programming it can provide. This all takes money. “Why Catholics don’t do this or that” depends on how committed Catholics are to tithing in order to support evangelization, charity, and other outreach. That is where our Mormon brothers and sisters have a lesson to teach us.

 

[Erich]

Some time back, I saw about a half-dozen or so “consider the priesthood” billboards. They were black with white lettering, and prominently featured a stylized Roman collar (in the form of a white rectangle suspended from a white oval). I thought they were cleverly done… the ones I remember are:

Yes, you get to combat evil. No, you don’t get to wear a cape.
Consider the Priesthood

*If you’re looking for sign from God, this is it. *
Consider the Priesthood

White collar workers wanted.
Consider the Priesthood

*Maximize your potential. Minimize your wardrobe. *
Consider the priesthood

There might have been others, I’m not sure. I suspect that these might have been paid for (at least in part) via Catholic Communications Campaign funds.

 

[stellina]

I think this is changing. Around here, I’ve seen a lot of ads & billboards for the Catholic schools, & that’s a good start.

 

[Edwin1961]

Just as long as the ads tell The Truth.
Not like the Mormons who are having ads to change their image and not conveying who they really are.

WIth Catholic Answers taking out a full page ad in USA TODAY last week for and about the voters guideis a cool and gutsy move. That ad alone speaks volumes on what the Catholic Church believes and says about our moral stance.

go with God!
Edwin

 

[Edwin1961]

Edwin1961:

Just as long as the ads tell The Truth.
Not like the Mormons who are having ads to change their image and not conveying who they really are.

WIth Catholic Answers taking out a full page ad in USA TODAY last week for and about the voters guideis a cool and gutsy move. That ad alone speaks volumes on what the Catholic Church believes and says about our moral stance.

go with God!
Edwin

This is why ads on TV won’t work unless the Truth of Christ is presented.

NBC, CBS, UPN nix Church of Christ ad
Wed Dec 1, 3:14 PM ET

Michael Learmonth, STAFF
(Variety) — NBC, CBS and UPN have rejected as too controversial a 30-second spot from the United Church of Christ emphasizing that it accepts gays and minorities but suggesting that other churches do not.

Ad is part of a broad identity campaign launched Wednesday to brand the denomination as accepting of people of different sexual orientation, race, age and economic circumstance.

But CBS said the network has a broad policy against accepting any advocacy advertising, and since the ad endorses gay marriage, the network turned it down, just as it would ads from political groups like the Swift Boat Veterans or MoveOn.org.

“Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact the executive branch has recently proposed a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable,” the church quoted CBS’ rejection letter as saying.

NBC said it accepted one of the church’s two ads and offered suggestions on how the other could be tailored to fit the net’s standards, but the church declined.

“It deals with an issue of public controversy and therefore it is not acceptable,” said Alan Wurtzel, president for broadcast standards at NBC.

The ad features two bouncers standing outside a symbolic church selecting people to be permitted to pass the velvet rope to attend Sunday services. The bouncers reject two men and an African-American boy and girl, while letting a white heterosexual couple through.

Written text interrupts the scene: “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we.”

NBC’s problem with the ad is not that it condones inclusiveness but that it suggests that other churches reject people based on race or sexual orientation.

Ads were accepted and began running Wednesday on ABC Family, AMC, BET, Discovery, Fox, Hallmark, History, Nick at Nite, TBS and TNT.

“We find it disturbing that the networks in question seem to have no problem exploiting gay persons through mindless comedies or titillating dramas, but when it comes to a church’s loving welcome of committed gay couples, that’s where they draw the line,” said Rev. Robert Chase of UCC. (end of story)

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Jesus ate and stayed with ‘sinners and tax collectors’, and that would suggest acceptance, however, if you want to accept others in ‘a church’ for numbers sake, then the implications are not just.

Presenting the Truth, as the Catholic Church does, is not easily accepted, (as Christ said it would be), but following the crowd by preaching what ‘they’ want to hear is not Truth.

Go with God!
Edwin

 

[BLB_Oregon]

Doesn’t EWTN count as television? And of course, there is Catholic radio. In-depth programming beats a 30-second spot any day.
I’ve also heard Catholic ads that don’t advertise the Church directly, but advertise how our mindset differs and how it might apply to the common problems in people’s lives. Then at the end, there’s contact information if a person wants to know more. I like these because they challenge the societal assumptions people carry around without examination.

 

[RNRobert]

Edwin1961:

The ad features two bouncers standing outside a symbolic church selecting people to be permitted to pass the velvet rope to attend Sunday services. The bouncers reject two men and an African-American boy and girl, while letting a white heterosexual couple through.

Written text interrupts the scene: “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we.”

Jesus ate and stayed with ‘sinners and tax collectors’, and that would suggest acceptance, however, if you want to accept others in ‘a church’ for numbers sake, then the implications are not just.

Presenting the Truth, as the Catholic Church does, is not easily accepted, (as Christ said it would be), but following the crowd by preaching what ‘they’ want to hear is not Truth.

While Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors, this did not mean he condoned their behavior. He told the lame man that he healed to “Sin no more, lest some worse thing befall thee” (John 5:14) and the woman caught in adultery (John 8:12) to “Go and sin no more.”

What some people fail to realize is that the Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals but the homosexual lifestyle.

 

[mercygate]

EWTN is something of a giant commercial for the faith, isn’t it? And a good one it is (except maybe Mother Angelica’s “home shopping club” - ew!)

 

[BLB_Oregon]

RNRobert:

What some people fail to realize is that the Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals but the homosexual lifestyle.

Or more to the point, homosexual acts. There is nothing inherently immoral with having a stylin’ living room, or even with two males or two females (or more) pursuing a single life under the same roof.

 

[michael8975]

Andreas Hofer:

I think television commercials are really just shifting the burden of evangelization away from its natural resting place - the individual Catholic. You mean to tell me that in a nation where more than 1 in 5 people are Catholic we need to inform people of our existence? The everyday behavior of the lay Catholic is the best/worst advertisement the Church can get. Everybody knows at least one Catholic. If that Catholic is devout and God-fearing, his acquaintances will be interested in the Church. If that Catholic is no different or (rather typically) worse than Joe Schmoe, no amount of advertising will carry more weight than his failure to live out the Gospel. So instead of shelling out cash for air-time, we need to revitalize the Church, making its light shine forth brighter than any TV screen ever could.

Actually, I think television commercials would only help those who aren’t good at evangelizing. Not as a “replacement” for word of mouth evangelization, but as a tool. It might get secular folk talking, and give Catholics who aren’t as vocal an opportunity to chime in.

I work in advertising as a writer and have always thought about starting my own agency for the Catholic church or Catholic-related organizations.

 

[Lisa_N]

Edwin1961:

This is why ads on TV won’t work unless the Truth of Christ is presented.

Ad is part of a broad identity campaign launched Wednesday to brand the denomination as accepting of people of different sexual orientation, race, age and economic circumstance.

The ad features two bouncers standing outside a symbolic church selecting people to be permitted to pass the velvet rope to attend Sunday services. The bouncers reject two men and an African-American boy and girl, while letting a white heterosexual couple through.

Written text interrupts the scene: “Jesus didn’t turn people away. Neither do we.”

NBC’s problem with the ad is not that it condones inclusiveness but that it suggests that other churches reject people based on race or sexual orientation.

Edwin

Well you know the joke about what UCC stands for: Unitarians Considering Christ…

I think this ad is TASTELESS. There is no church that I am aware of that stops people at the door based on skin color or who steps through at the same time. It was an utterly ridiculous example that deserved to be gonged.

Speaking of ads, the Methodists had some nice ads a couple years ago. Sort of the same basic message, we welcome everyone, without the pejorative finger pointing at other churches.

Lisa N