Does the church know its own brand?

As any church-goers and traditionalists amongst you will know, tomorrow (Ash Wednesday) marks the beginning of Lent, season of restraint and moderation for millions of Christians.
This year, however, the traditional chocolate and alcohol abstinences are being thrown out the window. The Bishops of London and Liverpool are advocating cuts in home energy use, giving up plastic bags, and insulating the hot water tank.

Of course, protecting God’s creation is certainly a valid concern for the church. What’s sad is that the media coverage doesn’t even mention the G-word, surely at the top of the ‘key messages’ doc of the Anglican pr core. And the topicality of the issue leaves one feeling this is, at least to some extent, a pr-fueled move rather than a step which would have been taken without the media bandwagon.

Church publicity is always a difficult issue, but one thing can be agreed: the heart of their ‘brand’ – God – gets little stage time in the recent articles. Considering the thought which has obviously gone into the programme of activities for the fast (outlined here), it’s a sad oversight.