Liturgy 38.2-3: Branded Worship

Issue 38.2-3 of Liturgy is entitled “Branded Worship” and is guest-edited by Nelson Cowan. What follows is an excerpt from Cowan’s introduction to the issue.

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To understand branding in the twenty-first century is to understand the enterprise of capitalism. According to the American Marketing Association, a brand “is a name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” However, as neutral as it may sound, branding has a storied history that predates capitalism. The verb “to brand” has its etymological roots in the Old English verb “to burn.” Branding by fire is a longstanding practice for claiming ownership of livestock. It also has a strong tie to slavery, ancient and modern. Enslaved people in the American colonies were branded to signify their status as someone else’s property, but also as a form of torture and mockery. This abhorrent practice is still utilized in modern human trafficking.

Branding’s checkered past and present is enough to give anyone pause, especially as it relates to branding in worship. The articles in this edition of Liturgy consider the wide scope of the implications of branding in worship––positive, negative, helpful, critical, and everything in between. Our first two essays address the visual dimensions of branding. Kate Williams gives us an inside look into GIA's process of their institutional rebranding. Her article features an engaging conversation about the logo design process with graphic designer Daniel Kantor. Together, they offer practical advice for communities of faith that might be looking to clarify their approach to branding. Our second essay by Hyemin Na considers the case study of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) Better World, which was launched by Onnuri Church, a Korean megachurch in the Presbyterian tradition. Na’s decolonial approach offers a visual analysis of Better World’s logo, which uncovers its embedded racial logic that works against its own humanitarian aims.

The second set of articles discuss worshiping communities that either fully engage the concept of being branded or push up against it. Emily Snider Andrews writes about the totalizing nature of branding at Pentecostal megachurch and worship music creator, Bethel Church of Redding, California. She explores how Bethel operates within a branded consumer paradigm to its advantage, connecting this to scholarly discussions of liturgical inculturation. Judith Kubicki takes us across the pond to the community of Taizé. After offering a fascinating history of the community and its liturgical practices, Kubicki raises the question: does the Taizé community operate as a brand that was never meant to be, or is it an anti-brand?

The final article, my own, invites worship leaders or pastors—or anyone who selects music for a worship service—to consider the ethical dimensions of offering the work of a “tainted” musical artist or group. Utilizing online forums for pastors and church musicians as a site of research, I consider the case studies of two notable tainted brands that impact the Church’s sung worship: global megachurch Hillsong Church and Catholic composer David Haas.

Recently, I had lunch with some administrators from a local Christian college. As they were sharing their educational philosophies, I noticed that they didn’t use that near-ubiquitous term in academia, “educational philosophy.” Instead, they spoke of the “brand promise” of their college. What is one of this college’s most popular programmatic emphases? Worship, of course. Branding and worship go hand in hand. I hope these essays give you valuable ways to ponder and assess this dynamic.