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The Foster Letter —

Religious Market Update

The FOSTER Letter is a bi-weekly e-mail religious market intelligence report targeted to Christian market channel and ministry leaders.  Each issue reports on news, trends, events and research that will directly or indirectly impact your audiences and businesses in a convenient summary format  Better informed leaders make better choices!

Researched, Edited & Published by Gary D. Foster

Excerpts from the

April 10, 2009 edition of

The FOSTER Letter—Religious Market Update 

April 10, 2009

Recession Innovation You need 3 things to innovate: ideas, talent and capital. In a downturn, there is almost exclusive focus on capital, on hoarding cash. Although managing cash flow is important, successful recession-period innovators also invest in R&D and marketing rather than put them on hold. . Instead of choking off innovation, they listen to the market, invest in products for the long term and keep in front of their customers. (Direct magazine 3/09) 

Unchurched 20-Somethings Theological beliefs of unchurched 20-29-year-olds are closer to historic Christianity than the beliefs of older generations who are unchurched, according to LifeWay Research. Unchurched 20-somethings are more open than their older counterparts to hear more about Christianity, though they do tend to hold negative views of the church. Their church attendance is higher than it was in the ’90s and no more than 10% below its peak in the early ’70s. 80% believe in God, 8% more than unchurched adults 30 and older. 57% are more likely to say “there exists only one God, the one described in the Bible,” nearly 10% more than older adults. (Baptist Press 3/25/09)

Unmet Expectations 55% of global and 43% of U.S. customers say businesses never, rarely or only sometimes meet their expectations. Poor service accounts for 67% of customer churn. In an economic downturn, relationships are even more important. A business or ministry must instill a service philosophy that differentiates it from the others, enticing constituents while also encouraging repeat sales/donations. Do not let customer churn erode your business or ministry. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. 

SELLSUMERS The economic recession is ‘helping’ spread this trend among cash-strapped ordinary consumers. Whether it’s selling insights to corporations, hawking creative output to other consumers, or renting out unused assets, consumers will increasingly become SELLSUMERS. Made possible by the online democratization of demand and supply and further fueled by a global recession, this phenomenon is yet another manifestation of the ‘consumer participation’ mega-trend. It’s staying power involves: Being in control of one’s destiny—Humans forever fantasize about control, about being in charge. SELLSUMERS represents the unlocking of these needs and wants in a new way. Experience rules—For decades, people in mature consumer societies have been trained to become experts in business, marketing and advertising. As SELLSUMERS, they’re comfortable trying their hand at (tiny) businesses of their own. Showing off business acumen—As big business is increasingly seen as behind the times and niche startups steal the show, showing off one’s business acumen as a SELL-SUMER yields personal status. Providing ‘premium obscure’ or just plain "dirt-cheap"—SELLSUMERS provide other consumers with ‘premium obscure’ (different, hard-to-find, special and/or personalized) products, services and experiences. Free from massive overhead, some offerings are dirt-cheap. Extra cash—Most people welcome a bit of extra cash, in bad and good times. We’re talking a secondary or even tertiary source of income. The act of doing business helps SELLSUMERS feel less like string puppets. (Trendwatchers.com 4/09) 

Engaged Employees, those who feel a stake in what is going on at work, add more value, based on Hewitt Associates findings. Companies with engaged employees have $80,000 to $120,000 additional revenue per month. Recruitment costs are 55% lower. (Non Profit Times 3/26/09) 

Christian Book of the Year The ESV Study Bible was named the “Christian Book of the Year” by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. It also won its category for best Bible, the first time a Bible has won both its category and the overall Christian Book of the Year award. Other category winners included Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (Bible Reference & Study), For Young Men Only by Jeff Feldhahn and Eric Rice with Shaunti Feldhahn (Children & Youth), Spectacular Sins by John Piper (Christian Life), The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner (Fiction), and Holiness Day by Day by Jerry Bridges (Inspiration & Gift). (ECPA 3/30/09) 

Honest Feedback The Wall Street Journal asserts: “Top company officials are often surrounded by ‘yes’ people who filter out bad news.” The result is a culture of “yes people” who don’t contribute truthfully to the health and progress of the organization. Effective executives must have a culture of truth-telling to know what is and isn’t working. I can help you determine the culture in your organization plus help you implement a reliable honest feedback culture. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. 

Denominational Decline Despite population growth and immigration adding nearly 50 million more adults, almost all denominations have lost ground since ’90. The percentage of Christians in America, which declined in the 90s from 86.2% to 76.7%, has now edged down to 76%. 90% of the decline comes from the non-Catholic segment of the Christian population, largely from mainline denominations. (American Religious Identification Survey 2008) 

God on the Brain A group of Toronto scientists have found God, or at least the effect God has on a believer’s brain. The research points to reduced stress and anxiety among people who consider themselves to be religious vs. non-believers. Study co-author Michael Inzlicht said, “I don’t think this has to do with fundamentalism, it’s something deeper—religion provides meaning in peoples’ lives.” Wycliffe College’s David Reed notes that religious people of all faiths have some larger purpose other than themselves. They have a more longitudinal view of life in that they take it beyond death. (Globe and Mail 3/5/09) 

U.S. Church Attendance Gallup Poll finds no significant changes in the percentages of Americans who report attending church weekly or who say religion is important in their daily lives in spite of the recession.  In 3/09, 42% of Americans said they attend church, synagogue or mosque weekly or almost weekly, down from 46% in 12/08 and equal with 41% in 3/08. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reports similar findings. Pew January data found 39% reported attending worship services at least weekly. In 1/07, when the Dow was nearly twice as high as now, the percentage was exactly the same. (ChristianPost.com 3/23/09) 

Christian Book Expo Falls Short Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s (ECPA) new trade/consumer event attracted 1,500 registered attendees, including 275 children who were given free registrations. The 60 exhibitors and 238 authors had hoped for 15,000-20,000 minimum. ECPA has not yet determined if the concept has a future. The marketing heavy lifting was to be done through ECPA member publishers, since many had existing relationships with Dallas area churches. Ed Note: Although hindsight is 50/50, it seems like a fundamental management principle may have been violated here. There doesn’t appear to be a marketing champion. When everybody is supposed to do it, all too often no one feels compelled to do it. (Foster Network 3/23/09)
Fewer Young Workers The number of employed workers ages 16 to 24 has fallen by 2 million since ’07 to 18.3 million, while the number of Americans 65 and over who are working rose by 700,000 to 6 million. The proportion of older Americans who hold jobs has also risen strongly; 16% of Americans 65 and over had jobs in 2/09, up from 11% 10 years earlier. But for workers 16 to 24, the percentage with jobs has fallen to 49% from 59% a decade ago. As for Americans 25 to 29, 74% now have jobs vs. 81% in ’99. (NY Times 3/21/09) 

Job Security In Christian Retailing’s latest Vital Signs survey, 48% of supplier employees and 41% of retail workers are not sure if they will still have jobs by year’s end. Among suppliers and service providers, 58% saw workforce reductions in ’08, compared with 47% of retailers. Yet suppliers and retailers are more hopeful now (37%) than they were on New Year’s Eve, while 27% have less hope and for 36% the view hasn’t changed. (Christian E-tailing 3/23/09) 

The Most Important Questions in business are often never asked: What is our motive? What is our purpose? Are they worthwhile? Motive and purpose guide behavior, color decisions and add or subtract joy from work. Keep asking these questions, and use the answers to measure success. I can help you ask and answer these vital questions in your organization. Contact 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. (Joy At Work, Dennis Bakke, 2005) 

Go East, Young Man, as in the Middle East and India. The downturns in the U.S. and Europe have triggered a steady current of new MBA resumes flowing eastward. (CFO magazine 1/09) 

Gen-Y Independent The Wall Street Journal reports half of all new college grads now believe self-employment is more secure than a full-time job. According to a Gallup poll, over two-thirds of high school students intend to start their own companies. Clearly, an independent spirit pervades this generation, and it’s fueled by a strong sense of their personal values and beliefs. Among Gen-Yers’ most important personal values are authenticity, altruism and community. (Engage Gen-Y 4/4/09) 

Family & Friends LifeWay Research finds people are most willing to hear about a local congregation through a family member (63%) and through a friend or neighbor from the church (56%). Less than half are open to receive information about a church any other way. Yet, 48% of Americans are willing to receive information about a local congregation through an informative ad in the newspaper, 46% through an outdoor sign or billboard, and 45% through letters mailed to the home. Americans are most likely to be open to consider matters of faith during the Christmas (47%) and Easter seasons (38%) as well as after a major national crisis such as 9/11 (38%). They are most likely to be open to invitations from non-denominational churches and least open to invitations from Mormons. 33% would read a Bible as their likely first response if they wanted more information about God. Only 19% would attend a church service and 10% would talk to a Christian friend. (Christian Post 3/26/09) 

Bible Reading According to the national Study of Christian Attitudes and Behavior conducted by Christianity Today Int’l and Zondervan in ’06, 95% of all U.S. people who label themselves as Christians have a Bible in their home. Active Christians have an average of 6. We also use multiple Bible versions: 67% use the KJV, 39% the NIV, 29% the NKJV and 29% the Living Bible. 25% of Active Christians bought a new Bible in the past 12 months. 57% of respondents say they have read the Bible, and 63% of Professing Christians make this claim compared with 98% of Active Christians. However, only 18% of respondents read their Bibles daily, 19% 2-3 times a week and 39% once a month. Among Active Christians, 35% read their Bible daily, 28% 2-3 times a week and 37% once a week. (Christianity Today 4/09) 

Christian Retail Store Revenues have fallen in recent weeks, according America's Research Group’s Britt Beemer. Just 5.8% of the population visited a Christian bookstore in 3/09, slightly down from 1/09 and a serious decline from 7.6% in 3/08. 3/09 per capita spending was $2.61, compared to $4.58 in 1/09 and $3.35 in 3/08. (Christian E-tailing 4/2/09)

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