Branding Christians

Are you a “branded” person? I mean, does brand matter much to you? I suppose in today’s context, for a lot of people, brand does matter. It’s Nike for shoes, Nokia for handphone, Manchester United for football, Jogoya for Japanese food, etc, etc, etc. I am not here to debate on the necessity of branding but I want us to take a look today at how branding has affected our attitude towards God and the church.

If you take a look at the parallels between the Church and marketing, it is almost identical, and especially so in today’s context. People become attached to churches the same way someone takes on a brand. How so? In the field of marketing, consumer’s needs and wants are the driving force in product research and development. We are so used to having our products created for us that fill our needs that when it comes to our faith in God, it makes sense that we expect the same. That’s why Christians are always thinking about how God can bless them and how the church can meet their needs, always wanting to be in the receiving end. Is it a wonder Jesus taught us “It is more blessed to give than to receive?”

Marketing is sort of a necessary evil. We are living in a consumer-driven culture. And if faiths (religions) want to be part of the culture, they are going to have to do marketing. That’s why in a metropolitan context, there exist fierce competition among churches to grow the numbers so at to remain marketable. Never mind the cost. Win the (used to be “lost”) Christians at all cost.

Back in the days of Corinthians, the concept of branding cost divisions within the church. Some say “I follow Paul”. Others say “I follow Apollos” (1 Cor. 3). In today’s equivalent, “I am from “A” church. “A” church is better than “B” church. We’ve got state of the art equipment and lightings. Once inside our doors, it’s like Disneyland. Why go to your church. Just drive 15km and you’ll be in the best church in this district. Why not come join my church?”

Are you a branded person? Does brand matters to you? Are the days of being loyal and being faithful becoming redundant? Did Jesus design His church to be competitive? I have seen so many people gotten saved in one church, nurtured and cared for, then ending up in another church. I guess when Christians prosper and they are being blessed materially and their status being upgraded, they turn to branding. Alas … that’s human nature.

This article is written NOT because we have a problem. This is written for your learning. Coming to church is about God, not about me.

Greater Him … Lesser us.