Jesus doesn’t need to be marketed, he needs to be incarnated.
Living an incarnational life is more effective than marketing the gospel like a consumer product that needs to be consumed and then regurgitated. Now, I say this as a person with an MBA (ahem), who for 2 years diligently studied the competitive strategy of business. I left grad school with a substantial love for the strategy and tactics behind branding a company or marketing a product. There is a real and unique challenge in this sector of the business world, taking something that is a commodity and persuading/selling/proselytizing consumers on the benefits if they spend their hard earned cash and consume the item being sold. Summary: I love marketing and branding, it works.
Some people believe that this strategy is perfect for the Gospel and they implement new branding tactics for their messages/churches/doctrines, not realizing they are propagating a cheap Gospel based upon flashy words and flamboyant communicators, hoping to persuade people to “buy in” to their message. In doing this they push people to sing some songs, say a prayer, put money in the bucket, and head home with a full belly. If the goal is to fill seats, increase giving and leave people with a smile… then I think gameplan is very successful. But, I don’t think that this type of “branding/marketing” strategy is transferable to the real Gospel message found inherent throughout the Bible.
The message of Jesus can be traced through the Old testament; sometimes emblazoned on the pages through blatant prophetic utterances and other times hidden in poems, story and song. Then this message is trumpeted from the hilltop in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; the eyewitnesses of God’s incarnation in this world – Jesus. A man who lived a life of discipleship in a community context. A man who loved the sinner and took care of the poor. A man whose Father made it known audibly at least twice (here and here) that Jesus was His son in whom he was well pleased. A man who was not perfect in form but nonetheless incarnated (represented in human form) the perfection of God. A man who, with his death and resurrection, made us heirs (sons and daughters) to the Kingdom of God through His Spirit who resides in us. So then, through this propitiation we are handed the baton to be the “incarnation of God” in this world. To live a life of discipleship in the context of community. To love the marginalised and the offender. And to represent the perfection of God in a broken and ugly word.
No Ad agency would want to take on the job of marketing this type of lifestyle… No flashy logo or relevant message can persuade anyone to live a life of this type of love. The Gospel is in no need of a strategic branding or an “Extreme Makeover” (Faith Edition!). Rather, it is in need of a few lowly souls to sell out to a life of love, no matter the cost.
