The brand

I did a little exercise with the youth group about 3 weeks ago. We sat down and traced out our hands. I had them write their name in the middle of one hand and told them that was going to be their "brand name." Then I gave them another sheet of paper and they cut out their hand a second time and wrote on each finger things they wanted to characterize their "brand."
When you see Golden Arches you think of McDonalds but also probably one particular food or taste comes to mind. When I see certain university symbols or mascots on cars it makes me think of either good or bad depending on the brand. When I see a 24 somewhere I think of JEff Gordon, but I also think good thoughts simply because he is my favorite driver, by now I'm sure you get the point. It goes on and on, Nike swoosh, Pizza Hut roof, Domino's domino, Burger King crown. You don't think of the particular place, you think of your thoughts of the place.
What do people think of when they think of your brand, when they see your name, when they hear your voice? More importantly what do they think of when they hear your church's name, or see your church? Those are thoughts that puzzle me all the time. When I started out at Freedom I wanted our brand to be love. A place where you are loved unconditionally, a come just as you are atmosphere. The broken, the down, the poor, the hurting all equally loved as Christ would. I base that idea on this one verse:
1 John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
I could have made a mission statement that spoke it, I could have written it in our bulletin heading every week. Or I could simply teach people to do it and act it out. According to this verse the latter is the best way to handle it and that is the plan.
So think about your brand, your church's brand and what people think of. Hopefully it is the love of Christ shown through your actions.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!