Brands - Are we retailers or wholesalers....?
Can it be that the church is pre-occupied with what we look like as opposed what we are like...? This caught my eye in some recent reading
If there's one thing retailers are good at, it's packaging. The reality is pretty boxes add eye-catching displays sell products. The question is can we deliver what we promise? Or have we focused on the box to the exclusion of what's inside? Just what is it that we're selling anyway?
What is the "one thing" when it comes to mission? What does it mean to move away from a retail mindset and instead function as a wholesaler? How has the obsession with packaging and branding affected the church?
Retailers specialize in off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all solutions. They give you all the pieces they think you need-plus complete instructions all in one convenient package. Wholesalers, don’t worry about how pretty the box looks when they’re selling to their customers. The shift from retailer to wholesaler in mission is about letting go stepping back and letting God build the kingdom.
We start thinking that Jesus needs to be dressed up a little-maybe surfer shorts and a pair of Oakley sunglasses. The truth is we need to strip that stuff off him and get back to the basics of our faith.
When we have a wholesaler mindset, we're more inclined to trust that the story of Jesus Christ is power enough on its own. We tend to focus, not on how we can make ourselves look relevant but how we can be relevant - through authentic life change. We live out the gospel in front of people and then let go, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide them into truth. As, wholesalers, we share the raw materials and then give people the freedom to embrace them in their own way.
Making Sense of Church - Burke, S (2003)
If there's one thing retailers are good at, it's packaging. The reality is pretty boxes add eye-catching displays sell products. The question is can we deliver what we promise? Or have we focused on the box to the exclusion of what's inside? Just what is it that we're selling anyway?
What is the "one thing" when it comes to mission? What does it mean to move away from a retail mindset and instead function as a wholesaler? How has the obsession with packaging and branding affected the church?
Retailers specialize in off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all solutions. They give you all the pieces they think you need-plus complete instructions all in one convenient package. Wholesalers, don’t worry about how pretty the box looks when they’re selling to their customers. The shift from retailer to wholesaler in mission is about letting go stepping back and letting God build the kingdom.
We start thinking that Jesus needs to be dressed up a little-maybe surfer shorts and a pair of Oakley sunglasses. The truth is we need to strip that stuff off him and get back to the basics of our faith.
When we have a wholesaler mindset, we're more inclined to trust that the story of Jesus Christ is power enough on its own. We tend to focus, not on how we can make ourselves look relevant but how we can be relevant - through authentic life change. We live out the gospel in front of people and then let go, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide them into truth. As, wholesalers, we share the raw materials and then give people the freedom to embrace them in their own way.
Making Sense of Church - Burke, S (2003)
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