I just spent three days at the “Happiest Place on Earth.” Yup — Disneyland.
Now, perhaps we visited the park on the least busy week of the year (per my niece’s research), or perhaps because the weather (despite a few sprinkles one day) was beautiful; regardless, I would have to agree—Disneyland did live up to it’s motto.
Employees were friendly, helpful, and plentiful. The park was clean. Everywhere you looked there was attention to detail. The Disney “brand”, from my experience, was alive and well.
Every company goes through a “branding” process: to create “a distinct identity for a business in the minds of [their] target audience and the general population. At its core, branding consists of a company’s name and logo, visual identity design, mission, values, and tone of voice.” ("Branding Basics: The What and Why")
So it’s more than just the motto (Happiest Place on Earth) or its visual identity (Sleeping Beauty’s Castle)—it is also its values (friendly, clean, helpful) and tone of voice.
And while the CEO, of course, sets the initial tone, it is the employees, the ones with whom the consumers come in contact with, that will make or break that brand. They are the face of the company.
Which got me thinking.
What is the brand of the Christian church? Our CEO is holy and perfect, loving and just, patient and jealous to keep us close to him. Our mission statement? Two-fold: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
And “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15.
So how are we as his “employees” doing to keep the “brand” in tact? It might seem an overwhelming task, but really at its heart, it isn’t.
Just as all the employees at Disneyland need only to focus on being friendly and helpful, I believe, that if we focus on the two things that John Newton, the English slave trader turned evangelist who wrote “Amazing Grace” said, we would do well.
He said, “I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”
Humility—our realization and acceptance of our place under God’s authority.
Love--our desire to actively look out for the welfare of others--all others.
Remember, the only contact nonbelievers will have with Christ or what they perceive as the “church” is through the individual Christians themselves.
Now, perhaps we visited the park on the least busy week of the year (per my niece’s research), or perhaps because the weather (despite a few sprinkles one day) was beautiful; regardless, I would have to agree—Disneyland did live up to it’s motto.
Employees were friendly, helpful, and plentiful. The park was clean. Everywhere you looked there was attention to detail. The Disney “brand”, from my experience, was alive and well.
Every company goes through a “branding” process: to create “a distinct identity for a business in the minds of [their] target audience and the general population. At its core, branding consists of a company’s name and logo, visual identity design, mission, values, and tone of voice.” ("Branding Basics: The What and Why")
So it’s more than just the motto (Happiest Place on Earth) or its visual identity (Sleeping Beauty’s Castle)—it is also its values (friendly, clean, helpful) and tone of voice.
And while the CEO, of course, sets the initial tone, it is the employees, the ones with whom the consumers come in contact with, that will make or break that brand. They are the face of the company.
Which got me thinking.
What is the brand of the Christian church? Our CEO is holy and perfect, loving and just, patient and jealous to keep us close to him. Our mission statement? Two-fold: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27
And “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15.
So how are we as his “employees” doing to keep the “brand” in tact? It might seem an overwhelming task, but really at its heart, it isn’t.
Just as all the employees at Disneyland need only to focus on being friendly and helpful, I believe, that if we focus on the two things that John Newton, the English slave trader turned evangelist who wrote “Amazing Grace” said, we would do well.
He said, “I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master.”
Humility—our realization and acceptance of our place under God’s authority.
Love--our desire to actively look out for the welfare of others--all others.
Remember, the only contact nonbelievers will have with Christ or what they perceive as the “church” is through the individual Christians themselves.
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