“You’re Just Marketing Jesus”

marketing brand thinking
Braden East

I recently heard a pastor make the statement, “the Gospel doesn’t need marketing and branding.”

It’s a legitimate criticism.

Are churches who spend time, money, and effort on their branding just trying to “market Jesus?”

Here’s my response:

Some are to be sure… but most are not.

Christ-centered branding is about reflecting God’s character, creativity, and what he is already doing in your local church body.

It’s easy to see how this is different from just trying to be winsome, seeker-sensitive, and trendy.

In fact, I’m staunchly against “winsomeness” as it’s been defined by evangelical leaders in the last 10 years. Their idea of winsomeness smuggles in self-censorship and compromise.

I’m also against churches trying to make Christianity seem cool and trendy by mimicking our rebellious secular culture.

Christ-centered church branding doesn’t reduce or dilute the gospel message, it makes visible the unique identity of each local church.

It doesn’t copy from the world, it argues that beautiful visuals and communication strategies actually belong to Christ.

God is a designer, after all!


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