Inspiration outside the Museum

Church services, similar to museum visits, must be organized in such a way that visitors remain attentive to the institution’s message. Churches generally utilize one consistent itinerary for services, requiring all visitors to stay for roughly an hour, singing the same hymns and listening to the same sermon as every other member of the church. Churches, unlike many museums, are able to retain their visitors on a weekly basis, inspiring guests to keep returning in order that they might learn more and become more united with their religion.  

            

          One of the most effective ways in which churches gather visitors is by advertising. Many can be found in the phone book as well as local newspapers where they can, in a brief sentence or two, describe what they are about and what their mission statement is. Additionally, churches work to personalize the experience of going to a service despite a universal service that all visitors experience. The service is expected to reach audiences of all ages and backgrounds by uniting the congregation in their religious beliefs and hope for the future. Congregations are actively engaged in each portion of the service and believe that they need to attend church in order to renew their spirituality each week. They are captivated by the pastor or minister’s message of salvation or extreme compassion.

         Museums should take all of these concepts into mind. If a museum wants to maintain visitors and relevance in society, they need to be able to capture their audience in the same way that many modern churches do. They need to establish a sense of need for their museum, a need for the information inside as well as a need for the message of self-determination, resilience, or whatever themes the institution wants to sell visitors. If museumgoers felt an urgency to renew their intellectual knowledge of subjects displayed at various museums, visitor numbers would increase dramatically and remain consistent from week to week.