Religion and Public Relations: How Zion Ministry Uses Faith-Based CSR to Build Trust

Abstract

Public relations and religion may seem like strange bedfellows, one is seen as modern, strategic, and corporate while the other is seen as ancient, spiritual, and sacred, but look closer, as they are deeply intertwined. In fact, religion may be the oldest form of public relations in human history. Every major religion has survived not just because of its beliefs, but because of how well it communicated those beliefs.This article examines the intersection of religion and public relations, arguing that religion functions as a bedrock of PR in similar ways to organisational PR practice , using most of the the public relations tools and model in modern  public relations. Every religion is a communication organisation. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism all survive through PR and not manipulation, but conciliation and consensus , Cutlip's definition of public relations as bedrock. Just as Nestlé , an international  food brand  must translate Vevey global Good Food, Good Life into German Gute Lebensmittel, gutes Leben and include Grüner Punkt to be trusted in Germany, religion must translate ancient doctrine into local language to be trusted. Religious public relations is not about selling God. It is about building and maintaining relationships between a faith community and its publics such as members, seekers, media, government, and wider society.Without PR, religion is a ritual without relevance and faith. With  public relations, it becomes a relationship between God and mankind. In Nigeria, religion is not just preached from the pulpit, it is practiced in the streets. No ministry exemplifies this better than Zion prayer movement outreach , Zion ministry  led by it´s spiritual director, Evangelist Chukwuebuka Anozie Obi. Zion ministry shows that the most powerful public relations for a church is not just a  press release, but a life touching  and  practical evangelism .