CHRISTIANS IN MEDIA When the Churches Advertising Network (CAN) was first formed, an existing advertising agency was used to assist with campaigns on a "cost only" basis. It soon became very clear that a specialist agency would be required if the campaigns were to become a regular feature. The Managing Director of Maiden Outdoor used his good offices and appealed by letter in Campaign, a trade-advertising journal, inviting Christians involved in the advertising business to form a group. Thus Christians in Media (CIM) was born. It functions as a "Christian advertising agency" with its members, many of whom work for well known commercial agencies, giving their services freely. It does work not only for the CAN, but has also worked, for example, on the creation of the national Alpha advertising campaigns, and for the Christian Enquiry Agency. However, it restricts itself to work of a national nature, both because of the time commitment and because it believes that local campaigns are properly the work of local agencies. As a Christian advertising agency working on behalf of the network, CIM's work has proved to be invaluable. It has brought with it a level of creative professionalism which the original members of CAN could not provide themselves and could not afford to buy. It has been estimated that if the network was using a commercial agency to produce two major campaigns each year, the cost would be in the region of £50,000 per annum. Thus the dedicated work of a group of highly professional volunteers, who give of their time as part of their own Christian stewardship, must be recognised as providing a major monetary contribution to Christian advertising which is the bedrock of the financing of the network.         © ChurchAds.Net A Registered Charity No. 1096868