How Branding Can Quickly Go Wrong

The Mission Statement is written. The Vision Statement is being drafted.

The process of writing the Mission Statement helped you define your congregation.

The Vision Statement is a congregation’s crystal ball overview. Where do you see yourself as a congregation in five to ten years?

The Vision Statement is an invitation to dream.

You will be tempted to write a beautiful Vision Statement, wrapped up in all your hopes for your beloved congregation. You will stumble over one thing.

You are who you are.

Unless you are a brand new congregation, people already have expectations when they walk through your door.

This is nothing new. It’s how denominations came to be and how they continue to be defined. We expect a bit of pageantry when we enter a Roman Catholic or Episcopal Church. We expect a different focus in a Baptist or Methodist Church.

Example of Branding Challenges

The Lutheran Church (ELCA) is a good example of branding gone awry.

Lutherans are a congregation-based denomination that spans the liturgical tradition. The broad definition provides a wide door for participation, but no one quite knows what they will encounter when they enter a Lutheran Church.

The local congregation, therefore, must be diligent in defining its image.

Without definition, there is a subtle competition to be more of whatever the current trend might be. This changes over the years and varies culturally and geographically.

Currently, Lutherans are trying to emulate the Episcopalian traditions. Leaders worked hard to reach agreement at being in Full Communion, a concept that benefits only top leaders. A document was drafted accordingly. And then a disclaimer was added. The disclaimer is rarely read. It negates most of the agreements made in the document! We are in full communion — just kidding.

The result is a classic “branding” problem. Compare this to the business world.

You expect a certain type of movie from Disney. You expect a certain type of thinking to come from Apple. You don’t expect lullabies from Mick Jagger.

If a company strays from its mission, confusion and disappointment results.

What do we expect from our Lutheran congregations, especially when there is a difference between the leadership of our denomination and the congregations?

Local congregations must find a balance between sudden change and its established image.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Denominational pressure encourages change. Demographics are examined with a marketer’s eye. The real, unstated mission is to find members willing to support the denomination.

Congregations may decide that they will attract young professionals if they offer a praise band. But that offering may go against who you actually are as a congregation and the community may read this as desperate marketing. Result: no one is comfortable. Pretty soon, your congregation doesn’t recognize itself.

On to the next marketing “hook.”

Like it or not, the Church is involved in marketing.

Know Thyself

A congregation’s “branding” must grow organically from who we actually are. Any changes on the road to transformation must first enhance the life of the existing congregation so that our members are confident in their evangelism efforts. Presumably, the drafting of a Mission Statement helps this process. Know thyself and don’t try to be all things to all people. 

Otherwise you may as well lock out the faithful members of the congregation. With this unwelcoming behavior on display to the community, you can then try to build a new membership more to your liking.

This may sound absurd, but it is the actual strategy of some synods in the ELCA!