Radio adverts to invite the missing back to church

A message welcoming back thousands of former churchgoers will go out over the radio airwaves this month.

The Church of England is running the advert on Classic FM in the Midlands and Heart FM in Essex and Kent in support of 400,000 personal invitations being sent out by 4,000 churches to their friends for Back to Church Sunday on September 26.

The radio advert will be broadcast into the homes of around 1.3 million people an average of three times in the week running up to Back to Church Sunday.

The radio stations cover the Back to Church Sunday “hotspots” of the Dioceses of Lichfield, Chester, Chelmsford, Worcester, Rochester and Canterbury.

The Diocese of Worcester is helping to finance the advertising campaign.

The Bishop of Worcester, the Rt Rev Dr John Inge, said: “We’ve chosen these two stations as they get to places we can’t and talk to some of those we’ve lost touch with via the unique relationship people have with radio.

“Some three million people said they would go back to church if invited - and the adverts are helping us give the people we’re missing that warm invitation.”

Back to Church Sunday was launched in the Diocese of Manchester in 2004 and has since spread to all 44 dioceses in the Church of England as well as other denominations. The Church of England estimates that around 82,000 people came back to church across the UK on last year’s Back to Church Sunday.

The initiative involves church members handing out a simple invitation to friends to join a ‘VIP reception’ where they can give church a try.

The radio advert has been made by Whistling Frog Productions with support from the Jerusalem Trust. It comprises a montage of ‘vox pops’ from real churchgoers around the country. They can be heard telling listeners what they like about church and the positive experiences they have had.

Colin Lowther of Whistling Frog Productions said: “Radio advertising is a cost-effective medium for getting a message across to lots of people at once, whether it’s about washing powder or why people go to church. Radio is a one-to-one medium even though it's not face-to-face, so the idea of an on-air invitation can still work well.

“With a national event such as Back to Church Sunday, it makes perfect sense to use a 30-second commercial to raise awareness of a single day that could change listeners' lives forever.”

Also taking part are Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed, Salvation Army and Elim Pentecostal congregations and several Anglican churches in Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Canada.

To hear a short podcast about the radio advert with Colin Lowther of Whistling Frog Productions (includes advert), visit www.cofe.anglican.org/podcast/cofepodcastbtcs2010.mp3