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Church Branding Isn’t Church Planting
What makes us like other churches is far greater than what distinguishes us from other churches.
When we started church planting, we were taught to differentiate ourselves from other churches. Every church has the Great Commandment and the Great Commission—why does your church need to exist? We were taught to craft a vision statement to highlight the uniqueness of the church we were planting.
I’m going to challenge this. Before I do, though, let’s commend the commendable.
Every church is as unique as the people in it. Every church is a unique gathering of individuals from different places, backgrounds, and cultures. Every church will have unique opportunities. Some own buildings on a sprawling campus. Some rent a storefront. Some have seven-figure budgets. Some have four-figure budgets. Some gather in impoverished communities. Some gather in affluent suburbs. Every church will not have the same ministries and goals, even if they share the same biblical mandates.
It’s important to see this uniqueness! Planting a church is a dynamic process of understanding who you are and considering who you want to become. It is important, then, to identify the things that make your church unique. It is good and right to communicate the unique work God is doing in your church.
I want to say one thing, though. What makes us like other churches is far greater than what distinguishes us from other churches. While church planters should articulate what makes their church unique, they should emphasize the things which make their church like every other church. It may be bad for business, but it’s good for gospel mission. We are not starting unique businesses to compete for a religious market share; we are heeding the same call from the same God for the same gospel work in a desperately needy world.
A thicker sense of the church’s catholicity (its wholeness and universality) helps us plant churches that understand their spiritual connectedness to other gospel-preaching churches. Emphasizing our commonalities, not our differences, is helpful for at least three reasons.
First, it helps Christians love Christ’s church.
I’m pretty loyal to brands. I’ve worn the same Ray-Ban Wayfarers since high school. I’ve only owned Toyotas. My tech will always be Apple. I am a Nike apparel guy, but I’ll always wear New Balance 1080 running shoes (in the unlikely event I go for a run).
There is a temptation in the church-planting world to hype up a brand rather than build up a people. I don’t think we do this on purpose—usually. Here’s what I mean. We should be wary of communicating that our church is superior to others. We should be wary of training people to love our logo, aesthetic, vocabulary, and methodology. Rather, we should strive to help people love the fundamentals of church life. We are after gospel allegiance, not brand loyalty.
The goal isn’t for people to love our preacher, but for them to love the Word he preaches. The goal isn’t that they’d love our band, but that they’d love singing with God’s people.
The local church is where God’s people learn to love God, love one another, and live all of life in light of the gospel. Our goal is not to keep them loyal to our brand; our goal is to help them become like Christ as, together, we build up the church.
Second, it fosters a greater sense of unity between churches.
One common pushback against church planting is that it’s bad for existing churches. There is, of course, data to argue against this. A rising gospel tide lifts all gospel ships. However, the sentiment comes from somewhere. Imagine a small town with a struggling, small church. A church is “planted” down the street with the not-so-subtle goal of reaching people who are bored with the church down the street. They aren’t differentiating themselves from the world, per se; they are differentiating themselves from the “boring” church.
They believe the same gospel, but they emphasize their style. This isn’t your grandmother’s church! The lights are brighter, the music is better, the sermons are more practical.
Soon, young families from Struggle Bus Church go visit Common Noun Casual Church down the street. The established church pastor feels like the mom & pop grocer when Walmart moves to town. One thrives; the other dies.
Now imagine this is your only experience with church planting. I am not saying the established church pastor would be justified in growing bitter. I am simply saying that this brother has experienced a church planting paradigm unmoored from biblical and theological convictions.
A thicker sense of the church’s catholicity simply says, in both message and strategy, “This town is big enough for both of us!” as, together, churches reach their communities in their own unique ways. We’re not, in fact, so different from your grandma’s church—and that’s the point.
Third, it strengthens our gospel witness.
A thicker sense of catholicity does not simply foster a greater sense of unity as we plant churches more ethically. It also strengthens our gospel witness to the world. Our unity is connected to our witness.
I cannot escape the words of Jesus’ prayer in John 17:20-21.
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Christian unity feels like a pipe dream in our fractious and polarized world. Yet, for it our Lord prays. He connects our witness to the world with our posture towards our brothers, and he grounds both in His presence with us.
We are in Him. And that changes everything.
Through us, God is making His appeal to the world (2 Corinthians 5). Our message to the world, church planter, is not that we’re different from the church down the street. Our message to the world is that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
