Traditional images of Christ on the cross and biblical quotations in bill-board adverts are a turn-off for church goers, advertisers have proclaimed today.
The chance for a good sing and the opportunity to have a heart to heart chat should replace traditional images of Christianity if churches are to reverse the decline in attendance, two agencies have suggested.
Instead of using religious imagery, church leaders should concentrate on promoting the social aspects of church-going including the opportunity to become members of the community or to hear an interesting sermon.
The campaigns were devised at the request of British Christian magazine Christianity & Renewal, which asked two advertising agencies for marketing proposals aimed at encouraging people to attend church services.
One agency, Sussex-based Khameleon Advertising, said churches should promote themselves as a place to catch up with news and friends.
Its proposals also included using an image of a goldfish in a bowl together with the tag line: "When did you last really need someone to talk to?"
Another ad featured an image of a vicar with the line: "When was the last time you saw some really good stand up... for free?"
Khameleon Advertising's managing director, Guy Lupton, said the principal objective was to get people into churches where they could then make up their own minds.
"We don't think people want to be preached at, and we didn't want traditional images like pictures of Jesus on a cross," he said.
The other commissioned agency, Link ICA, said churches should promote themselves as offering "medicine for the soul."
It proposed using images of doctors, ambulances and a medical drip together with the tagline: "Get a life - go to church."
"Initially it was a difficult task. We even asked ourselves whether this was the sort of thing that should be advertised. Compared to the usual brief of advertising soap, baked beans or holidays, it was tricky," said Link ICA's joint creative director, Jonathan Wilcock.
"We decided to opt for 'Get a life - go to church' as the strapline because most people come to a point in their lives, when, although they may have a nice car, home, and partner, they feel something is missing."
Christianity & Renewal's editor, John Buckeridge, said advertising to potential church-goers "makes sense".
"So many people are interested in spirituality - there are literally millions of non-churchgoers who want to know God and have a spiritual experience - who currently are unaware of what is, literally, on their doorstep."
According to the 2001 census, 33% of people said religious was important in their lives.
Last Sunday however, just 7.5% attended a church service compared to more than 18.5% in 1975.
According to a poll by the National Centre for Social Research, the number of people who said they were members of the Church of England has nosedived by 40% since 1983.