Don’t Worry about Your Ministry Brand
Brands are powerful things. Companies pay millions of dollars to create and cultivate their brand, and as consumers, we pledge allegiance to brands that offer us a sense of identity. Mac users, for example, are buying a sense of sophistication. Honda drivers exude pragmatism. And Jets fans communicate a familiarity with suffering. Our loyalty is such that we often remain committed to our chosen brand even when it flies in the face of logic or actually costs us something.
The power of branding hasn’t gone unnoticed by our churches. We know that people are more likely to buy into a church if we apply branding principles. People are willing to make more sacrifices when they feel like they’re part of something special—not just the global church but a particular expression of church that “really gets it.”
Paul was no stranger to this phenomenon. After Paul planted the church in Corinth, others came to build upon his ministry. Factions began to form around these different leaders, and Paul would have none of it:
For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. (1 Cor 3:4–6)
Notice that Paul doesn’t deny that he and Apollo had different roles. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with naming some of the gifts and distinctive qualities of our local churches and ministries. Our communities each have unique stories and callings, and we should faithfully name and celebrate them.
But Paul makes it clear that it isn’t a personality or clever strategy that leads to gospel fruitfulness—it is God alone. If we’re not careful, we can communicate that our unique story and calling is somehow more special than the rest of the global church. This is when distinctives can turn into a brand mentality that skews our vision of God’s Kingdom.
If you want your church or ministry to grow quickly and to build excitement among its members, a brand mentality is an effective tool—at least in the short term. It’s much harder to get people on board with the narrative that their church is a small part of a much bigger story that they may never fully see in their lifetime. Yet this is what humility calls us to do, even when it might draw fewer people.
One lie that often tempts us toward a brand mentality is that of scarcity. Depending on where we serve, we may fear that there aren’t enough people out there to support all the various churches and ministries in a locale. We need to set ourselves apart to get an edge otherwise we may become redundant.
In my work with college students across South Carolina, I’ve noticed a marked difference in how ministries relate to one another at larger, more prestigious schools versus smaller, under-resourced schools. When I served for four years at the University of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, it often felt like ministries were vying with one another for bigger “pieces of the pie.”
As I’ve spent time over the past six years serving at South Carolina State, an Historically Black University in rural Orangeburg, I’ve seen Baptists, Presbyterians, and Pentecostals working together in beautiful harmony for the sake of students. There isn’t the same concern for each individual brand because none of us have the resources to do it on our own. There is no scenario where one of our ministries fails and the others thrive.
Now it’s true that many ministries and churches in their present iteration will eventually fold. And that’s okay, because they’re all supposed to point to something bigger than themselves. They’re all meant to be little unique signposts of God’s all-encompassing Kingdom.
Some people overcorrect and call into question why different ministries and denominations exist at all. They only want to see worship events that unite every ministry and refuse to commit to any of them for fear of reinforcing divisions. While I can sympathize with this position, it naively misses out on what God is doing in the world.
There is only one Church but there is no human banner that can cover it all. Every movement toward unity must demarcate boundaries somewhere and will itself become its own branded ministry. There’s no going back to the first century church where the label “Christian” was sufficient, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way forward.
In this fragmented ministry context in which we find ourselves, we must commit ourselves somewhere, and chances are it will likely include some form of brand mentality. The key is to always keep in mind our higher loyalty to God’s Kingdom. Picking up where we left off with Paul:
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building. (1 Cor. 3:7–9)
So how do we practically do this? Here are four ideas to help us keep this higher loyalty in mind.
First, we should tell the story of those who came before us. Our church or ministry would not exist were it not for people who were already engaged in other ministries deciding to start something new. Whether that story is beautiful, painful or (as is usually the case) a mixed bag, it’s important that we share the story as a reminder that we are all connected.
Second, we should celebrate and support what God is doing through other churches and ministries. Let’s find ways to highlight the good work God is doing through other groups and support their work through finances and volunteering. Let’s cast vision for partnership in a way that promotes unity without denying the particular calling of our community.
Third, we should seek opportunities for people in our communities to pray or lead worship in these other languages. Whether it’s their first language or even a second language they've picked up, doing so reminds us that one day, the global church will be together before the throne worshiping in a multitude of languages. Doing so today reminds us that we have sisters and brothers all around the world, and one day we’ll be together in a time and place where brands have ceased to exist.
Finally, we should acknowledge our shelf life. Most churches and ministries don’t last forever—it’s good and right to name this. We should reflect on how we can continue to seek to be a blessing for however long God intends for us to gather. We can demystify the brand by pointing out its transiency.
There is no way to avoid our modern culture’s allegiance to branding. We can make counter-cultural decisions to try and push against it, but we also shouldn’t naively run from the reality of the world in which we live. My prayer is that all our churches, no matter their “branding,” will grow to see themselves as small foretastes of the never-ending Kingdom of God.
Adam Salloum has served on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for over ten years and currently serves as the Area Director for South Carolina. He’s a graduate of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. You can follow him on Twitter.