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Commentary
GEN-X RISING: "Open Hearts" slogan is marketing, not theology Andrew C. Thompson, Jul 12, 2007
Andrew C. Thompson
By Andrew C. Thompson Special Contributor
"Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors." Have you seen that slogan anywhere? The Igniting Ministry campaign sure hopes so.
Since 2001, "Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors." has been the face of United Methodist Communications' (UMCOM) efforts "to raise positive awareness about our church."
General Conference funding for the past two quadrennia has allowed UMCOM to develop a series of high-profile television commercials, as well as resources that aid local churches in strengthening their welcoming and evangelism ministries.
But ask your average Methodist what Igniting Ministry is all about, and she'll probably say, "Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors."
"Branding" is a fundamental marketing tool. Memorable slogans viewed or heard repetitively have a tendency to burn themselves into the brain. It's what makes the Coca-Cola brand among the most recognizable images in the world.
The Open Hearts slogan is Igniting Ministry's attempt at branding the UMC into the public mind. That makes "Open Hearts" a brand itself, of sorts. So as the church that is getting marketed, we ought to ask whether this particular brand communicates the one thing we want the public to know about us.
For starters, we can look at UMCOM's own statement about the Igniting Ministry campaign. Its stated purpose is three-fold: * to increase awareness and recognition of the United Methodist Church's basic beliefs; * to foster among non-members a positive feeling and willingness to visit a United Methodist church; and * to renew a sense of commitment in United Methodists.
Those nationwide commercials and local church resources aim at the second and third goals. As awareness of the church is broadcast to non-Methodists, presumably current church members will also feel a sense of goodwill and renewed commitment about the church they attend.
The first goal is trickier, however. Increasing awareness and recognition of basic UM beliefs suggests that the Igniting Ministry campaign itself is communicating those beliefs. And that gets us back to the "Open Hearts" slogan.
What message is communicated by "Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors."? Is it a message of God's unreserved and unconditional love, which is (hopefully) modeled in local congregations?
Perhaps. But there are other possibilities.
I have heard church members make comments to the effect that the United Methodist Church is a church where "you can believe anything you want" and where "no one is going to tell you what to believe." The people who say such things intend them as compliments. To them, the "Open Hearts" slogan serves as confirmation of an "anything goes" policy of discipleship.
And consider the permissiveness and consumerism rampant in wider American society. A stranger to the church might hear the "Open Hearts" slogan and conclude that the church that broadcasts such a message isn't too different from the world around it. Or else, he might be attracted to just such a church because he figures that not much is going to be expected of him!
We should get something straight. The "Open Hearts" slogan is not a theological statement about the beliefs of our church. It is advertising.
And it may even be false advertising.
The church is a community called into existence by Jesus Christ. It has a mission to nurture Christian disciples and faithfully proclaim the gospel. "Open" accurately describes its invitation, but it does not begin to describe the way of life called for by Jesus.
So is the "Open Hearts" slogan the one sound byte we want the rest of the world to hear about us?
Why not have an advertising slogan like this: "Jesus Christ died for you. He wants to heal you from the presence of sin in your life through a new life defined by love and holiness. Come and find that life in the United Methodist Church."
Proclamation of the word, a call to repentance, promise of the new birth and an invitation to sanctification. It's not a brand, but it is the gospel. All in 37 short words.
Isn't that a sound byte with a little more bite to it?
Andrew C. Thompson
