wfn.org | Denomination's TV campaign will hit screens next year

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 18, 2000  News media contact: Tim Tanton·(615)742-5470·Nashville, Tenn.
10-71B{243}

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Cable television viewers will be seeing national
ads for the United Methodist Church beginning next year, following a
resounding vote of approval for the campaign by the denomination's
legislative assembly. 

Nearly 94 percent of the delegates to the worldwide General Conference in
Cleveland, May 2-12, supported the proposal from United Methodist
Communications (UMCom) for the national TV campaign called "Igniting
Ministry." They also voted more than 9 to 1 to approve the full funding
request for $20 million over the next four years.

"We are very grateful for the tremendous support," said Peggy West, acting
general secretary of UMCom in Nashville. "There was no opposition voiced.
People seemed to feel this was something the church ought to be doing."

Once the will of the delegates was revealed, the Igniting Ministry proposal
was sent to the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) for
budget work. GCFA put the campaign into the World Service budget as a line
item. Two days later, on May 12, General Conference approved the budget
presented by GCFA.

West noted that Igniting Ministry was discussed during plenary sessions only
when delegates were speaking about other matters, and they would refer to
the campaign as supporting their goals, such as making disciples for Christ.
Even before the vote, "They talked about it as if it was something that was
already accepted - that the church will be doing this," West said. "It's a
wonderful tribute to an idea whose time has come."

The national campaign is designed to increase the awareness of the United
Methodist Church and its ministries and to invite people into a relationship
with Christ through the local churches. 

"This has the energy and excitement of the whole church," said Wil Bane,
associate general secretary of UMCom's Public Media Division. Bane has
helped lead the Igniting Ministry effort. "The vote shows that the
denomination is ready to fund TV to spread the message of who we are and
what we believe."

Although other media will support the campaign, television was chosen as the
primary medium because it has a major effect on the values of the culture,
according to Bane.

Funding at the full $20 million level would mean that 69 million cable
viewers would see the ads at least 11 times during campaigns held at key
seasons of the year, according to figures from industry analysis.

UMCom is in the process of deciding when the campaign will begin. That
decision will depend on when and how much of the funding is available from
World Service in 2001.

Because World Service, which is supported by dollars from local churches,
has been funded at less than 91 percent during the past four years, there is
concern that the entire $20 million might not be available throughout the
quadrennium, according to UMCom staff. 

"If we get less than that amount, we will need to adjust our scheduling in
order to maintain the necessary number of repetitions (number of times
people see the ads) and length of time we can keep the campaign on during
the year," Bane said.

The television ads are only one element of a five-part coordinated effort.
The broader campaign will support and encourage local churches to become
active partners in reaching out to the "unchurched" and creating renewed
enthusiasm among members. 

A planning kit and training sessions will be developed this fall to assist
congregations in honing their inviting and welcoming skills and to provide
guidance in conducting media campaigns based on Igniting Ministry. Newspaper
ads, radio spots and artwork for supporting media will be included in the
planning kit and on a Web site. In addition, matching grants will be offered
to help conferences and local churches with media buys. On the Internet, the
campaign will provide information about the United Methodist Church and a
locater service to find local congregations.

UMCom will use the funding voted by General Conference only to purchase time
on national cable systems. From its own separate budget, the general agency
will develop the spots, the planning kit, training and Web site, as well as
provide funds for matching grants.

"We have spent most of the last quadrennium determining the scope and focus
of what a television campaign needs to be and what the church wants," Bane
said. Close to $600,000 in matching grants were provided to conferences,
districts and local churches for Igniting Ministry campaigns in their own
areas in the last two years.

So far, nine television ads and six radio spots have been produced and
played in various parts of the United States. The first three spots produced
for the church were tested in all five jurisdictions. The results showed
that, on average, close to 40 percent of the people polled indicated an
interest in visiting a United Methodist church after seeing the ads.

"An important part of this effort so far has been that it's been a catalyst
for local churches to do their best," Bane noted. The national campaign and
support for local-regional ones help churches "sit up and say, 'Hey, we can
do something about using the media to make our presence in the community
known and tell the story of the gospel.' " 

While television and radio spots have been played nationally, this is the
first time the denomination has put this kind of organization and money into
a media advertising campaign.

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United Methodist News Service
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