• by Liz Tascio , April 18, 2006

How do you market God? Brad Abare, a Christian and an advertising professional, thinks it's about time churches got better at it. "We think we have the greatest story ever told -- the answer to all of the world's problems," says Abare, founder of ChurchMarketingSucks.com. "But we don't necessarily know how to tell everybody about that."

The year-old Web site hosts insightful, often passionate debates on topics ranging from ad design to whether marketing is compatible with Christianity. Abare agrees that marketing can be a dirty word to some. The key for any marketer, he says, is to be authentic.

"The church can't say, 'Hey, come to church, we'll solve all your problems,' " he says. After visiting the Web site, a church in Canada came up with the slogan, "Now 17 percent less judgmental." Another made T-shirts that read, "We're just a small group of people trying to discover more about God. Come be confused with us."