Check out this interview David Acuff did we me on branding and religious media. David's the founder of Wired 4 Film, a site dedicated to networking faith-driven filmmakers. He called me the "Billy Graham of Brand" - but you can see what you think. It least it was a really fun interview. ... read more

Probably the most controversial part of my book "Branding Faith" is a section I devote to "personality driven" churches and ministries. While there's been a lot of criticism lately about churches and ministries lead by strong personalities, the truth is, it's been around since the days of the early church. In Branding Faith I looked at both sides of the issue - certainly it's a major reason so many organizations are popular. But should something negative happen - financial, sexual, or other misconduct - or even bad health or death - it really hurts the organization. ... read more

As 2009 begins, this is the final conversation that represents a significant stumbling block to the Christian community's ability to impact the culture. Remember that in today's media-driven world, perception matters, and regardless of your theological persuasion, it's time to realize that some of our efforts - even well intentioned efforts - can have damaging consequences. Yesterday we talked about what's called the "prosperity message." Today, the next step is ... read more

The Future of TV?The media revolution continues. TV stations in 22 U.S. cities announced Thursday that they will start broadcasting their signals this year in a format designed to be received by mobile devices like cell phones, MP3 players, GPS units and in-car entertainment systems. ... read more

As 2009 begins, there are five areas that have been significant stumbling blocks to the Christian community's ability to impact the culture. In today's media-driven world, perception matters, and regardless of your theological persuasion, it's time to realize that some of our efforts - even well intentioned efforts - can have damaging consequences. From that perspective, this week I want to discuss a five statements that I'd like you to think about and then give me your response. For the next 5 days, I'll toss out some controversial topics and see if you agree if these are issues we need to confront. Here's number one: ... read more

In the cluttered and competitive world of media, the need to be unique and noticed sometimes takes a strange turn. In my book "Branding Faith" I talk about branding and identity as something that comes out of your nature. Your brand story is the essence of who you are. It's not something you make up or add on, it's the compelling story about the real you. But as I watch a new generation of younger pastors and religious TV personalities, I'm noticing such a desperation to get noticed, that they're often coming up with some really ridiculous things. ... read more

Are we losing our moral authority in the culture, by trying to reach a larger audience? In my book "Branding Faith" I talk about what I call the "Marketing Conflict.". We can plead a life of poverty, until we realize that reaching a mass audience through the media costs millions of dollars. We can make a hard stand for an issue, until we ... read more

I'm working on a book on the future of Christian media and I'd love to know your thoughts. Will Christian media (particularly radio and TV) exist in 5-10 years? Will it look like it does today? Will it be effective? What will it look like? ... read more

I often make fun of what I call the "Christian media bubble." For those non-believers in the audience, that simply means people who live inside Christian radio, publishing, TV, or music. For an earlier generation, people of faith actually interacted with the surrounding culture. But 30-40 years ago, when we noticed the Christian audience was a buying audience, we stopped preaching to the world, and started preaching to each other. As a result, ... read more

Mary Hutchinson of Creative One sent me this "Top Ten List of Fundraising Tips" for Christian media programmers. It's particularly focused on religious and non-profit media, but many of the ideas could impact the way you raise money outside of media as well. Do you agree with these techniques? Let me know your thoughts... ... read more

When you check this blog, don't just stop at the front page. We've kept every single post I've done (and your responses as well) archived on the site. You can access them in either of two ways - one, you can scroll to the bottom and read through page by page, or two, you can use the SEARCH box in the upper right. Either way, there's a wide variety of subjects and issues you can digest and discuss throughout the site, so search away today! ... read more