I heard this message this morning on the radio. I thought you all might enjoy.
Date: 10-21-09 Day: Wednesday Air Time: 6:08 am
Feature Title: “Brand Names or Crosses?”
More Info: jrkerr@parkcommunitychurch.org and www.parkcommunitychurch.org
Church brands overwhelm the Cross…
Recently I was flying into a city I am in quite often. It was one of those ridiculous days of flying where I left my home at some point in between morning and evening. As the entered my last flight for the day, I was honestly just happy to be on the plane, as I had to fight for a seat amongst a host of other lost souls in the airport. The only seat left on the plane was a window seat. Now as a rule, I am not a window person. The thought of being locked into a 12 inch space for a number of hours is about the last thing on earth that sounds fun to me. But in this case I was glad to take my seat and gaze out the window in hopes that the flight would be quick and there would be no need to get up. As I was gazing out of the window upon our entry into the last city I would be in for the day I was gazing out of the window looking at the landscape and then was literally struck sideways by what I saw next. It was the largest building for miles around and on the top of this building in letters that could most likely be seen from space was the name of a church. It was in fact, the churches brand on top of its building for the entire world to see.
I am not a member at this church and I do not really know anyone at this church, so I want you to know before you read my thoughts that none of this is personal. This church may be the most intimate place on earth where the Gospel is preached in all it’s glory and people lives are transformed. In fact, I pray that this is the case. But the audacity of this brand on top of this church building sent me into some deep thoughts (at least for me) regarding the church in our western experience today.
This vision of letters on buildings raised a question for me…”When did brands/names of churches replace the cross on church buildings?” This question led me to another question…”What do people experience more readily in our churches today our brands or the cross?” Essentially what I was asking is, “Who is getting credit/attention from the church today…human beings or Jesus?
These are not easy questions, but I think they matter and matter deeply. As I thought long and hard about this tension it occurred to me that one of the shifts that has taken place in our culture over the past number of years is that churches have become increasingly convinced that we must engage in the business practice of communications and brand management. Brands here are not logos…they are the primary message of the church. More specifically, they are your primary niche in the marketplace of other churches out there. I am sure that there a number of things that are good about this, like helping people to know what to expect when they walk into the doors of the church or helping to overcome their fear of the church and simply come closer to experiencing Jesus.
But can I ask a question…is this what is really happening as we elevate our brands into this marketplace of churches in the world today? Who is really getting attention as we elevate our brands before we elevate the cross? What would happen if people did not know the name of your church or even your tagline? What if people simply knew that that building in their neighborhood was filled with people who lived different, who loved when they were supposed to hate and gave when they were supposed to protect. What if our brand was non-existent and in turn the cross of Jesus was lifted high?
May I encourage a self-assessment is in order? When people think of your church what do they more readily think of…the cross or your brand? Which is more powerful…which is more lasting? I say lets trash our brands and get to littering the landscape of our country with the cross…perhaps they should not go back up on our buildings…but they certainly belong on the landscape of our lives.
These are my opinions, and for Moody Radio, this is JR Kerr.
