John Hunt is a recognized author and
advertising guru.* His claim to fame is being a co-creator of a partner company
with the TBWA advertising agency whose international success is driven by the
mantra, “Life’s to short to be mediocre.” What he has to say seems at once
poignant and challenging to many a Seventh-day Adventist church member, leader
and communicator (in that order): “We don’t know what we don't know until we do what we don’t usually do.” (1)
Mr.
Hunt’s comment brings me to an unrealized vision from more than a decade ago, from
which some of us are yet to wake up. The vision has to do with an intentional focus
(one would hope and assume) on improving the public perception of our church.
This
was rekindled in my mind by the current Mormon public image perception
campaign. The thoughts I wish to share are aimed at creating a teaser for a
conversation. What may emerge will hopefully assist in self-assessment as to
how to approach a need to be seen and experienced as a people who are worth
getting to know. The result—the Good News about Jesus Christ will be better
known.
Are we
actually in the marketplace?
Seventh-day
Adventists may not be as rich as the Mormons, but we seem to be doing rather well
in our splendid isolation, seeing some growth in mission, while resorting to
moaning about our poor public perception.
Don’t
you cringe when someone mixes your religious affiliation with that of someone
else?
Adventists
are nearly absent where others are present in engaging the public with their
causes. To start with, by clinging largely on to a view and the urgency that
this world will soon end, we are equally timid at considering “shouting from
the rooftops.”
As
members of society, all of us have similar communication tools at our disposal.
These methods are actually neither sacred nor secular. The content and what
propels our communication is different. For Seventh-day Adventists, the
apocalyptic in its varied expressions, we argue, is the coin to spend. Yet our
communication efforts and the attractive and persuasive messaging required are
relegated to the all too often “tried and true” methods that worked before, but
are effective no longer. The world and its marketplace continue to move on and old
ways of communication are left behind. But how ready is the church to jump into
a required notoriety created by contemporary media?
You
and I are participants (or at least observers) in the era of new communication
and its technological advancement. Religious words that once were carefully
considered, and the name of God, which was held in reverence, now seem to be at
best—ignored. The church, when it speaks, is hardly listened to. Religious
verbiage is not understood and the fact that one uses many religious words does
not mean one is held in awe. Religious media is craving to be relevant, yet,
today’s audience says it simply—show me what you believe,
but don’t overwhelm me with your talk.
What
is actually needed is to step forward, forsaking timidity and engage with
content development with a clear identity and messaging focused on the future.
The media is already there. In the marketplace. He who is not present, a
proverb says, is not right.
Now, a
Mormon story.
The
Mormons support their missionary efforts with ample investment in communication
and branding. A recent Mormon communication approach was presented in a
well-researched article in the New York Times.(2) The article
explained the focus and intentionality of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day
Saints in launching a media campaign, which connects to the current U.S.
Presidential race with two Republican candidates, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman
who are also well-respected members of the LDS Church.
Unlike
with Adventists, for the LDS Church it’s not the second coming of Jesus that is
at stake here. There may be varied outcomes they are aiming at, among them a
need to be known as an OK religious group —“nothing to be afraid of”—but also
to be recognized for “whom” they wish to be recognized as.
I
am in support of their campaign. Perhaps at last my church will not be mistaken
for being a community of Latter-day Saints!
Going
back a few decades, I recall a meeting in the office of an ambassador whose
windows were overlooking St. Peter’s Square. At some point in our conversation
he pointed to a difference between the Catholics and the Adventists. He said
“Catholics are largely steeped in the past, and with a predictable presence
enhanced by the ‘communication Pope.’ But, I see you as a contemporary
Christian community with a message the world is searching for. We are all
dealing with issues of living safer, better, healthier lives, and we all need
hope.”
Then
he added, “But, you are timid about it. Why?”
Such
was his opinion about a people of hope, which we are claiming to be. His
values, which Seventh-day Adventists hold as true and lasting. Among the
lessons from that conversation was also that we might just have a problem with
our own identity. Moreover, what we have we are largely keeping to ourselves.
Our
identity is increasinly beyond Millerite.
Designating
Adventism as a homemade variety of Christianity in America, Paul K. Conkin,
professor of history at Vanderbilt University recognizes a tension in knowing
who we are. He writes rather favorably about the church’s growth and mission.
Writing about our beliefs, he states that Seventh-day Adventists “seem very
close to the Christians Paul addressed in Thessalonica in the early days of
Christianity, and close to the apocalyptic expectations of Jesus and his
disciples.” (3) But, in his well-researched thesis, American Originals, he describes
struggles of the church’s founders to establish Seventh-day Adventism’s
distinct identity. He writes, “One tension that has been most basic and
enduring involves Seventh-day Adventist identity” (4).
Far
from being conclusive about one’s evaluations, this very issue seems quite
enduring for Adventist communicators. Many a church functionary is more eager
to connect our identity with what was before us—the Millerites. They do this at
the cost of defining us today. In dealing with such questions as “Who are you?”
many a communicator will roll out a list of comparisons or differences with
other religious groups, thus giving a license to declare that in this or that
we are special, unique or distinct. Somehow this distinctiveness has yet to
release dividends in image clarity or more interest.
It
is hardly useful to generalize. There are many examples of individuals and
communities making a difference, creating change, and responding well to the
mission objectives of Adventism. In the area of name recognition and public
relations, there are parts of our globe where Seventh-day Adventists go about
improving the church’s public perception and they seem to know how it works.
In Australia, we know how to enter the PR
game and we begin by engaging with communication experts, as well as by
identifying our audience for specific communication. It can be explained that
if communication is taken seriously, image building will become an asset to all
else we do, like in Poland in the 1980s, when the public-interest issues of
social pathologies were taken on board and executed with a communication intentionality required to make these approaches viable and outcome-rich.
Just
a few years ago in Romania, the church took a topic of a rather poor Bible
awareness in this Christian country and used the traffic-heavy streets to
invite citizens to discover what the Holy Bible is. Ads were everywhere.
A
somewhat different story comes from Jamaica. There, the church is challenged by
the national media to be on top of the game (read: PR game) of being prominent.
A known newspaper publisher-editor stated that Seventh-day Adventists graduated
from a minority to the largest faith group on the island. “What are you going
to do about it?” he asked. “You are now in the driver’s seat and we will be
looking toward you to be a leading moral voice,” he added.
Apart
from stressing the apocalyptic themes throughout our history, Conkin noted: “It
is worth noting that no other American-based denomination has ever attempted to
transform itself so fully into a worldwide fellowship. No other American-based
denomination has turned so fully to modern communication technology, including
the use of the Internet.” (5)
One thing
is to recognize our own importance ourselves, another, when others offer their
appraisal of how they see us.
On
the eve of a 100th anniversary of Seventh-day Adventist
corporate communication, it may be well, in my view, to recall Ellen G. White’s
forceful communication counsel. She seemed to opt for newness in the way the
church goes about its communication efforts. She commented that, “the character and
importance of our work are judged by the efforts made to bring it before the
public. When these efforts are so limited, the impression is given that
the message we present is not worthy of notice.” (6)
This
founding leader of the church stressed the relevance and importance of how we
should care about what we say, how we say it, and how we listen to the world.
“We should remember that the world will judge us by what we appear to be.” (7)
Our
brand may be clear, however, our communication is timid, resulting in part from
our lack of clarity over our identity. Our message lacks public relevance due
to a preoccupation with communication that primarily focuses on discussing the
past, and messaging geared mostly at addressing ourselves rather the general
public.
Ellen White also wrote:
Truth
will be made so prominent that he who runs may read. Means will be devised to
reach hearts. Some of the methods used in this work will be different
from the methods used in the work in the past; but let no one, because of this,
block the way by criticism (8).
In
one of his books, Paul Arden of the Saatchi & Saatchi fame, wrote: “Your
vision of where or who you want to be is the greatest asset you have.” (9) To
translate his comment into Adventist mission, we could simply say—Adventism is
the opportunity we already have.
In
Arden’s parlance, “When it can’t be done, do it. If you don’t do it, it doesn’t
exist.” Today’s generation knows it. This generation is not bashful to
articulate it. Just join or check what is on display in Facebook, Twitter or
YouTube, those relational social communities. Those who “live” there also seem
to be saying: If your present is expressed in the past, it will not be found in
your future.
Whether
a new communication strategy for the Adventist world church will replace the
current one (11), there will continue to be a need to try out new creative
approaches to improving church awareness in society, globally and locally. The
vision statement the world church agreed on in 1995 seems to continue to offer
a useful point of reference for any branding efforts or for relevant communication
programs of our church: Seventh-day Adventists will communicate hope by focusing
on the quality of life that is complete in Jesus Christ.
Our brand—hope.
Principles
of the Adventist faith notwithstanding, is there a present in Adventist identity? Or, is it locked in a formula, which
perhaps was never intended to last forever?
In the words of Peter Gabriel - "As always, the rest is up to you."
*This essay was also published on the Spectrum Magazine blog. See: http://bit.ly/uX8rSd
(1) John Hunt, The Art of the Idea, and How it Can Change Your Life, 2009; p. 115.
(3) Paul K. Conkin, American Originals, Homemade
Varieties of Christianity, 1997; p. 145.
(4) Ibid, p. 138.
(5) Ibid, p. 144.
(6) Evangelism, p. 128.
(7) Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 397.
(8) Evangelism, pp. 129, 130.
(9) Paul Arden, It’s Not How Good You Are,
It’s How Good You Want to Be, 2003; p. 4
(10) Ibid, p. 46
(11) “Seventh-day
Adventist World Communication Strategy—Report” was adopted at 1995
General Conference Session, Utrecht, Netherlands. Implementation of what was
to be known as the Hope Strategy, it identified tasks for the church on all levels
and through institutions.
