Response from the 'Priest Idol' marketing company
Yesterday I said: But, despite the fact the marketing people brought in to help do seem to have a certain lack of understanding of the Christian message (not their fault)… I was probably a bit quick to judge Propaganda, the marketing company from the Priest Idol programme. It just goes to show that the people…
Yesterday I said:
But, despite the fact the marketing people brought in to help do seem to have a certain lack of understanding of the Christian message (not their fault)…
I was probably a bit quick to judge Propaganda, the marketing company from the Priest Idol programme. It just goes to show that the people who make the programme show us part of the story, but not necessarily the whole story. I had this response from Nicola, head of writing at Propaganda:
Hi Dave
I can assure you that Propaganda is not without its Christians! Whilst head of writing at Propaganda, I am a regular attendee at Holy Trinity Ripon, where I’m a lay youth leader and run a skater’s drop-in. I was involved in the early brainstorming around this project and can tell you that Propaganda was not only very sensitive to the spriritual dimension of this project, but that Steve, in particular, found the church at Lundwood to have real warmth – which is why he now calls himself an ‘optimistic agnostic’. I hope you continue to enjoy the programme. I’m too shy to watch it yet, because apparently I’m in it! So I’ve taped it.
God bless;
Nicola
Update: Thanks to Nicola for another useful contribution in the comments.
I didn’t watch the programme, but it does strike me as worrying if a church publicity team aren’t all Christians!
The problem has always been that church publicity teams invariably ARE all Christians. If you’re ill, you go to a specialist; if you need a shower fitting, you go to a specialist; if your car needs an MOT, you go to a specialist. Unfortunately, in this media age, cranky church photocopiers and enthusiasts of clipart just won’t cut it. Creative thinking and the ability to grab attention in ways the public are used to – and can relate to – are what will make the diference in any project. There is no reason why God’s church should be worthy of anything less than the best marketing teams, whoever they may be.
Sorry to highjack your comments, Dave (I do love your blog, though, and call in on a regular basis!) but I felt that I ought to send a quick apology Nicola’s way for my own assumptions in my blog post on Priest Idol.
I still think there are questions worth asking about medium v message, but clearly the current situation in many churches (including the one where I’m curate) leaves far too much to be desired. The trouble is that for so long the medium, the Church, has got in the way of the Gospel Message…so it’s entirely unsurprising that we need huge amounts of expert help to redress this.
Thanks for these comments – good stuff.
No problem Kathryn – thanks for posting!
Well Dave I am impressed at your commitment to the coversation! Are you sure you’re not secretly a journalist under that cartoon persona? 😉
I do think of myself as a kind of a journalist, albeit an odd sort.
No, my commitment to the conversation is nothing to do with the fact I was trying to retain my page 1 on google slot for ‘priest idol’ (now lost sadly) but more to do with gathering ideas and ‘networking’. Oh, and procrastination.