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When Philip Svendenhagen first began his ministry at Savior of Souls Lutheran Church in 1997, his congregation was declining in numbers and advancing in years. His white clapboard church was hidden on a dead-end, country road near Coffman, Missouri. The one-hundred-twenty-year-old building was in need of extensive repair.

What happened in less than five years was nothing short of miraculous. Philip Svendenhagen became Mr. Pibb, and a congregation of fifty became a mega-church of fifteen hundred. Mr. Pibb was recently honored by The Finney Institute of Church Growth for his outstanding record of achievement. After the awards ceremony, I sat down to talk with Mr. Pibb about his church's success.

You have not always gone by the name of Mr. Pibb, have you?

That's right. Up until a couple of years ago, my given name was Philip Martin Svendenhagen, a good German Lutheran name. The problem was that it was a mouthful to say: "Reverend Svendenhagen." So I took a page from the DJs and changed my name to something that would roll off the tongue. Now my legal name is Mr. Pibb.

"Mr. Pibb" – very clever. How did your congregation first react to it?

It was awkward at first, especially for our older folk. They were used to calling me "Reverend Sven." But when visitors started showing up at church, the older folks got used to it. The name change gave us instant brand recognition. Now, people around town will say to our folks, "Oh, you go to the church pastored by Mr. Pibb."

Your views on how to grow a church are, shall we say, controversial. What has shaped your philosophy of leadership?

When I was first assigned to this parish, I quickly discovered that nothing of significance was happening here. Sundays lacked drama and suspense. Morale was low. The music was third-rate. The people were dead. In fact, after a few months on the job, I told our folks that if the dead do rise first, this congregation would get there a good half-hour before the rest (laughter). I was really fed up with what I was seeing, so I decided rather than sit back and wait for people to die and the doors to close, I'd do something about it.

So, what did you do?

I got creative. I decided to apply my degree in marketing to change the image of our church, both our self-image and the public's image of us.

What changed first?

Our name. I sold the naming rights of our church to a corporate sponsor. Stadiums, as you probably know, do this all the time. For example, the old Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego became Qualcomm Stadium. Think of how many cash flow problems are fixed right there. Qualcomm had a few more dollars than ol' Jack. As I thought about this, I asked myself, Why couldn't our church do something similar? So I contacted a variety of major corporations and offered naming rights to the highest bidder.

And what followed next?

It worked. Coca-Cola came in with the highest bid. Savior of Souls Lutheran Church became Coca-Cola Christian Church. With one signature on a contract, we suddenly had the money to do something big; so we tore down the old building and got rid of the old cemetery that had been there for who knows how long. It took a lot of money and time to exhume all those bodies and move them to another place in town, but it was worth it. With more space cleared out and an instant cash flow from Coca-Cola, we were able to build a huge, multipurpose building.

What persuaded Coca-Cola to do this? I mean, why would a large company be interested in adding its name to the front of a church building on a secluded country road?

Good question. The different marketing directors were asking themselves precisely that question. Here's what I told them. First of all, there's the novelty involved. To the best of my knowledge, no church has ever sold its naming rights to a corporation. Such an aggressive move is highly innovative and gets attention. The boundaries are pushed, and new trails are blazed. More practically, every business is interested in getting its name out to the public. Some buy billboard space. Some paint a barn. Some buy commercials. So we ventured a guess that some visionary company would buy the rights to name a church.

Did it ever occur to you that this was an unacceptable blurring of the sacred and the secular?

Not really, though some of the old-timers were a bit concerned, but we had to face reality. The church was on the brink of extinction. Is there anything sacred about an old church going belly-up and becoming an antique mall? I don't think so. Why not change direction and stay afloat? Besides, what we did is basically the same thing as putting an ad in the yellow pages or creating a church website. All we're trying to do is attract newcomers to our church, and what can be wrong with that?

How do you respond to critics who would insist that you're selling your soul in the process of marketing the church?

Let's face the facts. Most of our critics are the same ones who preach each week to empty pews. Our attendance, however, has soared. We have people coming in each week who have never set foot in a church. Ever! We've got their attention. They've dropped their guard because this is a church unlike any they've ever seen. If churches are serious about reaching the next generation, then they have to use the media of this generation. And that's exactly what we do. We are making the church relevant to your unchurched neighbor down the block.

What are some of the ways in which Coca-Cola Christian Church is different from your average church down the street?

Oh, where to begin? From the outside, our church is different from area churches simply because of its size. Our brand new multipurpose building hogs the country skyline. The red-and-white building, the huge, lit sign that reads Coca-Cola Christian Church. All of those things are pretty different from what most people are used to. Once you get inside, there are even more surprises. Part of our purpose-driven philosophy is to create an atmosphere of comfort. Ask a hundred people on the street and they'll tell you the most comfortable room in their house is the room where they watch TV. Are people sitting in hard pews in their living room? Of course not. They're sitting in recliners and couches. So that's where they sit at Coca-Cola Christian Church. Our auditorium doubles as a furniture showroom for Ethan Allen. They rent the space and supply the furniture. We get a sizable check from them each week, and they are assured that over fifteen-hundred people will sit in their showroom every Sunday morning. They're happy, and we're happy.

Do members have a favorite recliner just like they would have a favorite pew at a regular church?

You bet! Although there is one big difference. After a Sunday service in our church, you might see a family buy the couch and loveseat they sat in at church! And then next Sunday, they have to start over and find a new seat. No one in a traditional church would dare take home his or her favorite hard pew (laughter).

What about your service of worship? How is it different from other churches?

Like a lot of churches, we show clips from the latest Hollywood smash hits and then give relevant comments on what we watch. We try to situate what it is we are watching within the larger biblical worldview. But we go a step further. We have commercials and pass around the snacks: nachos, popcorn, and a two-liter of Coke. Let's face it. People need breaks. No one sits at home to watch an hour or two of programming without a break, and no one watches television without a snack. So why should they at church?

You mean you actually stop the flow of the service for a commercial interruption?

We sure do. Let me give you an example. Last week, I preached on the parable of the mustard seed. Halfway through the message we had four commercials. While people went to the bathroom or made small talk, we advertised products from John Deere, Purina and Monsanto, and I forget the other. But each of the ads was spot-on with my message on the faith of mustard seeds. Suddenly, Jesus' own words really came alive, and what's more, somebody else paid for that message to be heard!

I'm guessing with all the corporate sponsors, money is easy to come by for your church?

It really is. We have built up a significant number of advertisers. Instead of God's people footing the bill to maintain the church, we've let corporate America do it. This has allowed us to do some clever things with our money. For example, we don't receive an offering at Coca-Cola Christian Church. If there's one thing that turns off a first-time visitor, it's the whole money thing. Of course, they go wild about hitting the slot machines. So we have tapped into their hunger for excitement. Our offerings are actually raffles. People put money into the plate for a chance at winning the whole shebang. And then at the end of the service, we call out a name from those who fed the pool. You talk about suspense. But, you see, we couldn't do this if we needed the people's money to run the church.

What advice would you give to church leaders today who are hoping to grow their congregations?

Church leaders need a little sass like Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire. In that movie, he says, "Just show me the money." That's what church leaders need to say today. I am convinced that there is money to be had if churches would simply figure out how to go about getting some. Most every church has an image problem. The greater problem, though, is that it takes money to fix the problem. It takes money to change a church's image and the public's perception about the church. That money is needed, whether for a fresh coat of paint, a multimillion-dollar building, or an attention-getting billboard along the interstate. Imagine what kind of good we could do for the world with just a bit of Wall Street savvy.