Comments on: The Branded Building: Does Your Building Tell A Story? http://philcooke.com/branded_building/ Change Revolution Fri, 18 May 2012 18:10:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Rick Wilson http://philcooke.com/branded_building/#comment-8051 Rick Wilson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://philcooke.vintom.com/branded_building#comment-8051 <p>Phil I may be reaching for it here so I'm providing a disclaimer in advance.  This may not be a part of branding you wanted to cover.</p><p>While I have seen many churches get all hip and trendy for years with alternative youth rooms, game areas, book stores and coffee houses, there's another arena often neglected in terms of consistently drawing people of color in a mult-racial atmosphere.  Key question: What is the artwork on the wall look like?</p><p>Do we have the classic Euro-centric blue eyed, blond Jesus?  That's sadly more often than not the defacto standard - even though anthropologically, historically impossible.  What troubles me most is that no one questions the authenticity and impact of this imagery.  White Jesus says so much more than we want him to say - i.e. reinforcing privledge and superiority.</p><p>This is the biggest brand challenge in the Body of Christ.  I would love to approach it like you do by changing the internals of the building brand to include everyone.</p> Phil I may be reaching for it here so I’m providing a disclaimer in advance.  This may not be a part of branding you wanted to cover.

While I have seen many churches get all hip and trendy for years with alternative youth rooms, game areas, book stores and coffee houses, there’s another arena often neglected in terms of consistently drawing people of color in a mult-racial atmosphere.  Key question: What is the artwork on the wall look like?

Do we have the classic Euro-centric blue eyed, blond Jesus?  That’s sadly more often than not the defacto standard – even though anthropologically, historically impossible.  What troubles me most is that no one questions the authenticity and impact of this imagery.  White Jesus says so much more than we want him to say – i.e. reinforcing privledge and superiority.

This is the biggest brand challenge in the Body of Christ.  I would love to approach it like you do by changing the internals of the building brand to include everyone.

]]> By: Rick Wilson http://philcooke.com/branded_building/#comment-8052 Rick Wilson Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://philcooke.vintom.com/branded_building#comment-8052 <p>Thanks Phil.  If you want the most accurate depiction of Jesus I have ever seen - simply Google the question "What did Jesus really look like?"  The second resource that pops up is - that bastion of evangelical theory and practice - Popular Mechanics.  In the December 2002 issue there is an article called "Real Face of Jesus" chronicles excellent research based on forensic anthropology (same techniques used at crime scenes) to accurately depict a very ordinary looking <span id="intelliTXT">Galilean Semite at this time and place.</span></p><p><br />Easy to forget that Mary and Joseph were told to hide Jesus in Egypt, that Jesus blended into street scenes  when necessary and that Judas had to point Him out to Roman guards - all activity that is impossible for western Europeans like me.</p><p>As we used to say in the newsrooms I worked in - GET IT RIGHT!!!!</p><p> </p><p><span id="intelliTXT"><img class="maxImgWidth" src="http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/tb_jesuslead-lg.jpg" border="0" alt="" width="378" /> </span></p> Thanks Phil.  If you want the most accurate depiction of Jesus I have ever seen – simply Google the question “What did Jesus really look like?”  The second resource that pops up is – that bastion of evangelical theory and practice – Popular Mechanics.  In the December 2002 issue there is an article called “Real Face of Jesus” chronicles excellent research based on forensic anthropology (same techniques used at crime scenes) to accurately depict a very ordinary looking Galilean Semite at this time and place.

Easy to forget that Mary and Joseph were told to hide Jesus in Egypt, that Jesus blended into street scenes  when necessary and that Judas had to point Him out to Roman guards – all activity that is impossible for western Europeans like me.

As we used to say in the newsrooms I worked in – GET IT RIGHT!!!!

 

]]> By: Bruce van Heerden http://philcooke.com/branded_building/#comment-8053 Bruce van Heerden Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://philcooke.vintom.com/branded_building#comment-8053 I think this is great sounding but why don't we just rent space in a mall or shopping center, I know of a lot of churches who have done what you say and owe millions on building because they built the "Pastors dream" one church in Seattle owes $50mill and has had to lay off half the staff.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">I think it depends on your goal, if you want to do the disgusting American thing then you are right, but if you want to do the Kingdom thing then you are wrong, my church in Johannesburg grew from 13 to over 40,000 because we were giving people what they could not get at Starbucks or Barns and Noble, the power that changed their lives, but then there is no money in that is there?</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">I love your blog.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Bruce I think this is great sounding but why don’t we just rent space in a mall or shopping center, I know of a lot of churches who have done what you say and owe millions on building because they built the “Pastors dream” one church in Seattle owes $50mill and has had to lay off half the staff.

I think it depends on your goal, if you want to do the disgusting American thing then you are right, but if you want to do the Kingdom thing then you are wrong, my church in Johannesburg grew from 13 to over 40,000 because we were giving people what they could not get at Starbucks or Barns and Noble, the power that changed their lives, but then there is no money in that is there?

I love your blog.

Bruce

]]> By: Phil http://philcooke.com/branded_building/#comment-8054 Phil Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://philcooke.vintom.com/branded_building#comment-8054 <p>Brilliant thought, Rick.  I guess "Jewish Jesus" trumps everyone...  :-)   No question the imagery issue is really critical.  He transcends race.  Thanks for the reminder.</p><p> </p> Brilliant thought, Rick.  I guess “Jewish Jesus” trumps everyone…  :-)   No question the imagery issue is really critical.  He transcends race.  Thanks for the reminder.

 

]]> By: Phil http://philcooke.com/branded_building/#comment-8055 Phil Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://philcooke.vintom.com/branded_building#comment-8055 <p>Great thought Bruce.  I addressed similar issue - especially within this economy a month or so ago:</p><p>http://www.philcooke.com/car_dealerships</p> Great thought Bruce.  I addressed similar issue – especially within this economy a month or so ago:

http://www.philcooke.com/car_dealerships

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