From Russia with blogs | rebranding?

Are we selling leftovers from last season asks Vadim Hurin

Recently in a book store I located a few books on how to create a brand for an organization and to ensure its promotion. Skimming the pages, I read that there is a particular method to sell that which was impossible to sell before. This method is called “rebranding.”

It seems that in the church, we also often do this in order to sell people that which they refuse to buy. We think that we develop and progress while meeting the needs of the people and the society, but often it is simply a change in the name, though the meaning and the content remain unchanged. A corps, a holiness meeting, a goal-oriented church, a congregation for those who search, an orientation toward the needs of the community, regenerated praise and worship. Often these are simply old products being wrapped over and over again. The time passes and people get used to the old wrapper. There arises a need to come up with something original. In this process, the church takes after the corporate world quite a bit. Books are printed and seminars are held in which business leaders share ways to grow ministry within the church because they think that those principles which work in business will also help the church flourish.

I do not intend to uphold or to tear apart this claim. It is better to turn our attention to the life of Jesus.

When Jesus came, he introduced the new teaching. Prior to his arrival, no one talked about the Kingdom of Heaven. He did not alter the old commandments and laws; rather, he uncovered their true meaning. He did not attempt to “sell” anything to the people, nor did he develop an ad campaign. He was most concerned with the condition of the human heart. He did not worry about hurting his reputation and was prepared to tackle any questions. He was never angered by what he was asked, nor did he try to defend himself. Jesus fails to fit the categories of the modern framework of business. His secret lies in something else. The secret is not rebranding. The secret is newness. He offered the people what they needed the most.

We often try to “sell” the leftovers from the previous season. The name, the goal, the vision, the mission - all bear indisputable importance. But if in articulating those principles we are moving in the wrong direction, they become useless.

I will walk into that same bookstore next month. Perhaps I can find a different book.

Writer: Captain Vadim Khurin was born into a family of circus artists. He joined The Salvation Army in 1995 and is now an officer serving in St. Petersburg, Russia. He loves music, sports, reading and learning. He has a beautiful wife - Inna - and three children. He likes to ask hard questions and find different ways of helping people get back their wholeness and integrity.

No comments yet.

Leave a comment