Decline & Renewal, 15: Rick Gibson Guest Column

Editor's note: Here’s another in our series of guest columns on church decline. We’re about the shift to articles on renewal, but I still have a couple more that help us think about decline.

Our tenth guest column is from Rick Gibson, a native of Bakersfield, California. Rick worked with Jeff Walling at the Mission Viejo Church of Christ in Orange County, where he ministered for 11 years. He is now the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for Public Affairs and Church Relations at Pepperdine University. As CMO, Rick leads Pepperdine’s efforts to elevate the brand and reputation of the University. Rick brings his carefully honed vision for “image” and “branding” to the struggles of our West Coast churches.

The View from Rick Gibson

10 Things Apple Knows that Churches Forgot

I recently read an article that outlined the various views of the major Christian churches in America. The web-based article contained a cleverly animated info graphic. Click on a particular denomination and a pop-up window would offer a summary of key beliefs and practices. When I finally found the tab for Churches of Christ, I clicked and read this simple five-word explanation: “No hierarchy. No shared beliefs.”

Info graphics offer only one perspective of an issue and thus are not especially fair, but they can be thought provoking (and people like to share them through social media). This particular graphic got me thinking about how unclear our identity has become among the Christian community. While ambiguity may result from some positive characteristics of the Churches of Christ, it creates confusion in the marketplace of ideas. A hazy, misunderstood message has really no hope of generating energy and excitement. It cannot grow.

Phil Kotler wrote in Branding 3.0, brands of integrity with compelling stories excite and motivate customers. Though I’d rather avoid comparisons of the spiritual world of the church to the secular world of business, I have to ask myself if there is something to learn from great brands.

The info graphic I developed here only shares one point of view and is thus probably unfair. But I think it raises interesting questions: Can declining West Coast Churches of Christ find a compelling story that excites and motivates the communities they serve? What do great brands? How can we learn from them? Can we reshape our identity so that the world can see Christ more clearly when it enters communities of faith called Churches of Christ?

In this graphic, “Ten Things Apple Knows that Churches Forgot,” I compare Apple, a symbol of growth and innovation to the west coast churches experiencing decline. A fair comparison? Probably not. Thought provoking? You decide.

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Bio:
Rick Gibson is the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President for Public Affairs and Church Relations at Pepperdine University. He joined Pepperdine in 1997. He works directly with President Andy Benton to shape the University's vision, interprets it for various audiences, and provides message leadership through integrated marketing strategies. Prior to joining the University, Rick served, for eleven years, as a minister at the Mission Viejo Church of Christ, in south Orange County, CA. Rick received his BA from Long Beach State University in 1987 and his MBA from Pepperdine University in 2009. He is married to Agnes and father to Emily, a senior at Pepperdine, and Abby, a senior at Malibu High School.