When the Church Became a Brand…and We Followed

We never held a meeting to decide this.

 

But slowly, in our culture, church changed. Because people were tired. Tired of stiff religion. Tired of fake smiles. Tired of feeling like they had to fit into something that didn’t quite fit them.

 

So…the gathering of believers became something of a production. Reverence gave way to “relevance”. Sermons began to mirror self-help talks. Worship became more about atmosphere than theology. Churches adjusted to what people wanted—shorter services, catchier music, more relatable content.

The goal was accessibility, but often at the cost of depth. The language of marketing started to shape the way we “did church,” and ministry strategies began to resemble business plans. Many called it innovation. But quietly, the focus shifted from formation to satisfaction.

 

And I believe along the way, something sacred got lost.

 

Doctrine started to feel optional. “Spiritual but not theological” became the norm. We stopped shaping disciples and started attracting attenders. Discipleship turned into life coaching. The Bible became mainly a source of inspiration rather than a source of transformation. And even though church attendance sometimes grew, roots didn’t. The soil became shallow. People liked Jesus. But they didn’t always know Him.

 

And now, here we are. A few decades later. Looking around. Wondering what happened.

 

I think this moment presents a holy opportunity for all of us, especially those of us in Christian media.

 

We have a chance to stop and ask: Are we helping people know God? Are we offering real comfort, the kind that comes from truth, or just the kind that keeps people comfortable? Are we calling people to clarity and truth, or just giving them something simplistic and safe?

 

Listeners are tired too. But not in the same way. They’re tired of noise. Tired of being sold to. Tired of spiritual clichés. What they’re yearning for, what they’re quietly begging for, is something real. Something rooted. Something holy. Something anchored in God’s Word, not just wrapped in Christian language.

 

This is where we come in.

 

What if we stopped trying to sound like everything else and started sounding like the Church again? What if we brought reverence—and more of Scripture—back into our programming? What if we prioritized theological depth over mere mass appeal? Not because we want to lecture. But because we believe there’s more. And we want to offer it.

 

I believe the brightest future for Christian radio isn’t about keeping up. It’s about going deeper.

 

Most of us know how to make our stations sound good. I believe the real question we ought to be asking ourselves is this: Are we really helping people grow deep roots in Christ?

 

Doug Hannah is the Director of Programming for Family Radio