A lot of talk and postings that I’ve come across (here and on other sites) talk about improving the Church’s “public relations.” That is, people are asking the question, “How can we improve the image of the Church in the world?” While a certain amount of reflection can help communicate one’s views, to me
Maybe it is the cranky old man in me but when I hear this question I do wonder what we are trying to accomplish. To me the concern of how to present our message can quickly consume the message itself. Left unchecked we can quickly become the Church not of the Word, but focus groups and media.
Now don’t get me wrong. It is important to examine how we are communicating the Faith to others so as not to be a stumbling block to them. These discussions should be encouraged and the ideas presented are often valuable in this ever-changing world. And as such, we should adapt and learn how best to effectively communicate the Faith so that people are more receptive toward what we have to say about it.
Surely the Curia could stand to improve its ability to communicate. We have seen such cases as the lifting of the excommunication of the bishops of the SSPX only to find that one was a Holocaust denier. Another flub would be the release of the new Code of Canon Law, which appeared to conflate child molestation with faux women priests. Not that these events didn’t have good reasons for happening but a little forethought as to how such things would be received would have gone a long way toward heading off scandal.
But we must be careful not to conflate how we are reaching people with what we are trying to tell them. The Faith is more than the latest craze, and in communicating the importance of the Faith we must be careful that how we communicate reflects the importance of it. Just as the failings above indicate we must do more to prevent scandal, we must also ensure that our enthusiasm for the Faith does not cloud the importance and reverence we must show when dealing in such matters.
Another thing to consider is that regardless of our actions there will always be a certain amount of misunderstanding and rejection of the Faith. We can look to Our Lord Himself for this. During His ministry He was:
- Kicked out of His hometown
- Rubbed political and religious authorities the wrong way.
- Nearly thrown off a cliff for claiming to be God.
- Ate with tax collectors and prostitutes (the modern equivalent would be Pope Benedict hanging out in the Red Light district of Las Vegas.
- Finally was executed in a manner fitting for serial killers and terrorists.
For this He won salvation for us all. But in terms of a PR campaign this was an epic fail.
Finally I think we must remember that Faith is a gift. The Holy Spirit is the real marketer in all of this and we are his interns. We are learning on the job, and far too often we are going to fail and it will be left to the “boss” to clean up the mess. This to me is a comfort in that as long as we continue to try, He will be there to guide us in all our efforts.
But no Christian Rock. That stuff has got to go. 🙂
8 thoughts on “About that PR thing”
Colin,
I enjoyed your article and agree with most of it wholeheartedly. Two comments:
1. There is a difference between pr and marketing. Marketing is how to effectively reach a consumer (in our case anyone interested in the Truth) PR is more about reputation and image. PR would usually be a subsect of marketing and in the case of the Church I think it is a lost cause for the most part. The teachings of Catholicism will never be “cool” or even “appealing” to the population at large because they go against the world and the flesh. Despite that fact we can work on how to effectively reach out to those who are searching for the Truth and be there when these seekers are looking. I agree with your analogy regarding the Holy Spirit although I don’t think that implies as Catholics we can afford to approach evangelization without some planning and thought. The saints were led by the Holy Spirit, but not every saint was a St. Francis floating from town to town. Many helped lead movements/organizations that required a lot of planning and vision (all guided through prayer and the Holy Spirit).
2. Although Christ’s ministry was a PR disaster, it was a marketing success if you look at the results. Sometimes just bringing a few devoted followers into the flock can in the long term bring about more success.
I’m interested to read your future articles!
Good article! and response steven!
I completely agree. I have to wonder sometimes how far is too far. Of course our faith can stand on its own merits, but popular culture is also a powerful tool, and I think correcting misconceptions can only help. Also, great points Steven!
“The Faith is more than the latest craze, and in communicating the importance of the Faith we must be careful that how we communicate reflects the importance of it.” I definitely agree with this statement. But some people are attracted to trendiness and (to me) it feels like they are not ready for the depth of the Church. They join churches that have a beautiful faith in and love of Christ AND are trendy and hip and they join for ALL those reasons. Perhaps their route to the Church is through such churches, but I wonder why the Catholic Church cannot attract these people. I would love to hear your insight on these (not really developed) thoughts of mine. 🙂
Appreciate the comments here. Just a few points.
Steven,
“I agree with your analogy regarding the Holy Spirit although I don’t think that implies as Catholics we can afford to approach evangelization without some planning and thought.”
Nor did I intend to convey that this is an either/or. The gifts of the Holy Spirit regarding organization and planning are gifts that we should use. I’m just emphasisizing that these are gifts of the Spirit, who we ultimately rely on for success.
Bonnie,
“They join churches that have a beautiful faith in and love of Christ AND are trendy and hip and they join for ALL those reasons. Perhaps their route to the Church is through such churches, but I wonder why the Catholic Church cannot attract these people.”
1. I think a lot of the “trendiness” issues come from the fact that we are stuck in American Catholic ’60s. You look at the hyms, felt banners, etc. Our “trendyness” was trendy in the 60s.
2. I think we have lost some sense of the evangelization that communities like Evangelicals excell at. We seem to be almost afraid to share our Faith with others at times.
Thanks all!
Colin, I agree with you on #2. If you don’t mind a continuing dialogue I have another question about your #1. So are you saying the Church needs to catch up with the trends or purge the old trends for the tradition?
“So are you saying the Church needs to catch up with the trends or purge the old trends for the tradition?”
I’d heistate to make this either/or. To me when I look at the music that is sung in church the only people who seem to be engaged are the elderly. The kids don’t seem to care (and in thinking about it, maybe that is one reason why the median age is higher than it should be).
Every hymn that seems to be sung regularly was copyrighted circa 1960-1979. In that respect I think we need to be more “forward-thinking.”
My only real complaint about things like the hymns sung regularly is that they seem to be more focused on us rather than God. But more on this in a future post.
I don’t have specific answers for such questions. My post is more cautionary toward remembering Who we are trying to teacdh about and Who is ultimately responsible for our success.
I’ve noticed that people don’t look for what is right or good, just what makes them “feel good.” Lots of touchy-feely garbage. Most of society has lost its perspective and can’t see past the ends of their own noses–everything is about them, and nothing is for a higher cause… and God forbid you say that evil exists, or even mention the possibility of an immortal soul which hangs precariously in the balance between heaven and hell (which also exists, just like evil) until the moment of our death. Many have lost sight of God and try to come to Him through whatever “feels right.”