Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

This may not be what you're looking for, but I would challenge your thinking that "two primary reasons why most people leave the church: a) the music sucks, and b) the priest doesn't effectively preach." Yes, those are undoubtedly contributing factors, but they're not the only factors.

I think it's far more complex. I think churches (and a range of other institutions) have stained their reputation by enabling, condoning, and concealing various forms of abuse to vulnerable people, often children, in their care, over many decades.

Next, political leaders have been harnessing the power of niche, hardline, religious viewpoints on such issues as abortion and LGBTI rights to create a very vocal following. Many people who followed a religion because they'd been brought up that way, have started to question these often cynical hardline motives. And to question their own belief on one supreme being at the centre of everything. (I don't think this is just occurring in major Western developed countries and religions, either).

A clash of worship styles has been a problem for all established churches for quite some time now. How worship is conducted is so important to devotees as it expresses the way they relate to “their God”. The young want a service they can relate to which might include rock or gospel/soul style music rather than baroque organ or chorale-style.

Segmenting the market and having different styles at different services only runs the risk that the different generations never meet together. If the church is to remain an inter-generational family, which is probably a key requirement for its continuity, it requires some flexibility on the part of al members of the congregation to attend services that are not always in the preferred style in order to still meet together.

In my view, your approach needs to address the reason why so many past members of congregations have allowed their participation to lapse; why and how they've questioned their beliefs, and how you can shepherd them back to the fold in a non-threatening, non-confrontational way.

Your competition includes secular groups that have sprung up to support people in other ways, for example, Men's Sheds (https://usmenssheds.org/), YMCA/YWCA and so on.

I think your core value proposition should describe how your prospects will benefit from attendance at your events. Recognise that many are questioning their beliefs. Explain that you are helping people extract meaning from a confused, complicated world, and perhaps to some extent finding inner peace. A lot of lapsed Catholics feel guilty (no surprise there!) about questioning their beliefs.
Recognise and embrace that uncomfortable feeling, and leverage it not just in your marketing, but in your approach to the events you stage.

Hope that helps.

PS on the preaching thing - remember what George Burns said: "The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible."

"Musical Connections"
"Connection through Music"

Thought Provokers:

Name:
The Foundation Community or The New Foundation Community.

Explanatory Tagline:
... The Golden Rule Group restoring core beliefs in society.

(The ‘golden rule’: do unto others as you would have others do unto you).

At first glance the name could mean anything so it might be ignored by your target audience. If you’re unsure, why not hire a market researcher to test the name with your target audience?