Roadkill Bunny Evangelism

Somewhere there’s a line – sometimes it’s impossible to see, other times it’s painfully obvious.

I’ve never been good at staying inside the lines; I love pushing the limits too much. But even I have to admit that there’s blurry moral boundary that most church leaders struggle to define and resolve not to cross.

Church plants typically live on the edge of this line; where evangelism, survival and madness meet. But every so often, I come across a church marketing strategy that even I feel is a little suspect.

This past week, The Rock Community Church, a church plant in Conway, South Carolina, mailed out thousands of postcard invitations to its 2012 Easter service. The postcards depicted a roadkill easter bunny on the front with the phrase “Bunnies Stay Dead Jesus Didn’t” on the front.

If I’m honest, this campaign doesn’t feel calculated and edgy, it feels sloppy and careless.

Can you imagine the scene? Small children across Conway, South Carolina tearing up at the sight of Easter Bunny crime scene photos in every mailbox. Nothing says Easter like a dead bunny, and nothing says “we care about children” like roadkill bunnies.

I’m not sure if this campaign accomplished its goal, but I’m confident that it crossed a line…somewhere.