Via ChurchMarketingSucks.com (which does not).

idea 1: Christmas Caroling as sharing the gospel and promoting your church. The old classic Christmas songs are chock-full of the gospel, and door-to-door, or public caroling is a socially acceptable (albeit slightly outdated) way to interact with strangers.

idea 2: Sponsor a YouTube Prodigy. Dr. Pepper recently created a new YouTube video with the wildly popular Tay Zonday (who's that?) to sell their latest flavor, Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper. The idea is that with so many people watching videos from YouTube celebrities, you can get your message to tons of folks, inexpensively, by sponsoring their next video, or by creating a spoof that will get found when people search for the original.

Read the short article, it's well worth your time (but be advised, the Cherry Chocolate Rain video is quite risque).

888-NeedHim, a 24-hour prayer and counseling hotline, has recently created some TV spots they plan to air on MTV and other media outlets this month. They've created 10 spots, each based on one of the 10 commandments.

What do you think about evangelistic advertising? Does it/Can it work?

Mike Huckabee, a rising star in the race for the Republican nomination, has recently upset Ruddy Giuliani in a Mason-Dixon poll taken in Iowa, taking 20% to Giulani's 17%. This is a surprise since Huckabee, a former Baptist preacher, seems to have only recently emerged from political obscurity. Here's an article from The Christian Science Monitor about Huckabee's past and core beliefs.

Why do you think Huckabee has risen in popularity recently? It may have something to do with this video.

Check-out the latest Catalyst Podcast and listen in on a great discussion backstage at Catalyst 2007 with Jud Wilhite and Mike Foster, authors of The Deadly Viper Character Assassins. Jud is the Senior Pastor of Central Christian Church in Las Vegas and Mike is the founder and President of Ethur. We are also joined by Reggie Joiner and Lanny Donoho, co-hosts of Catalyst, for some fun dialogue in the studio.

Also, for Filter members, if you missed the recent conference call with Mark Batterson, we're continuing the conversation over at the "Catalyst Filter" facebook group.

Podcast Related Links: DeadlyViper.org Buy the Deadly Viper book Ethur.org Central Christian Church

This article from the NY Times describes how a few large churches are affecting the local economy. It goes well with the post on Monday about churches engaging the consumer culture.

The Audio Slide Show is HOT!