ABSTRACT
Marketing in Action
Joe Soloman, the Senior Minister of a United Methodist Church, was facing a relocation decision that would determine if the church would survive or not. The church was founded in 1952 on the southside and adjacant to the downtown area of a midsized southern city. At the time, this area was full of growth and prosperity. Over the years, the church expanded with membership growth coming primarily from the surrounding neighborhood. But in the 1980s the area around the church started to change. Over time the ethnic and socioeconomic makeup of the neighborhood changed dramatically to the point that there was no longer a match between the church and the area in which it was located.
For the past five years, the church noticed a pattern of decline in new members, a drop in financial contributions, and a decrease in attendance. Members retained their membership at the church, but attended services elsewhere. Due to the drop in attendance, the church no longer offered two services each Sunday. Sunday night youth activities were cancelled because parents didn’t want their children in the neighborhood at night. During the same five years, approximately 720 families had moved out of the area. Of these, 342 families relocated in a more upscale residential area north of the city. Consequently, the church decided to relocate.
The church commissioned a firm to perform a survey to determine where the church should relocate. The survey reinforced Reverend Soloman’s and the Administrative Board’s desire to relocate north of the city. According to the survey, in the next 10 to 15 years 6,500 Methodists were expected to reside in the area, proving there was a great need for a Methodist church in this location. This area was anticipated to be the fastest growing area in the city over the next 10 to 15 years.
Two years after the survey, the church purchased 5 acres of land in an attractive high traffic location. They then started to make plans for their new church. As the congregation and individuals in the community started to see the church making specific relocation plans, attendance increased, financial contributions to the building fund increased, and the church started gaining new members.
Four years have passed since the decision to relocate and construction will soon begin on the new church. Plans are already being made as to the programs and services to be held at the new church. The church will go back to offering two services on Sunday, the youth are making plans for activities, and the church is looking forward to their anticipated growth at the new location.
