And God Said, “Let There Be Brands.”

The title of this post comes from my misunderstanding of the concept of branding, mixed with some frustration, anger, fear, and sarcasm. You see, I’m about to lose my job.

On December 31, 2009, the imprint for which I edit books will no longer publish new material. I’m not in full panic mode yet; there are some possibilities for employment that may present themselves before the year-end deadline. However, I watched as coworkers and friends lost their jobs and I imagine we share similar feelings. The loss of a job means more than the loss of financial security, even though that’s a huge concern. Losing a job also brings into question one’s self worth.

Society teaches us to define ourselves by what we contribute, what we accomplish, what we do. Most often, the measurements for success are how much money we make, how much power we wield, and how many possessions we own. While these pressures are lessened within a non-profit, church-related environment, they still exist. After all, what we produce requires funding. There’s a cost of production and a product that we must market and sell. Salaries, benefits, pensions—they all come into play. We have a budget to meet. Therefore, we who work for the church find ourselves standing alongside everyone else. Like everyone else, we find ourselves caught in the impossible struggle to serve both God and money.

Guess what? You can’t do it.

I am convinced that my hair has turned more gray as a result of worrying over what will happen. (Not that that’s a totally bad thing. CNN’s Anderson Cooper is completely gray and he pulls it off extremely well.) Because I am a man of faith, I also feel guilty when I worry because my faith tells me I really shouldn’t. I’m tired of worrying!

I’m also tired of second guessing what I could have done to avoid this situation. Bloggers and marketers alike stress the importance of branding yourself and talk about how every status update and every email makes an impression and puts your brand (read “yourself”) out there for others to see. I compare those statements with my own conduct these last four years. For three of those years, I went to work and edited what I believed were quality resources for the church. I edited on average ten books a year! Understandably, that’s all I did. The fourth year I did the same thing, only I worked mostly from home. Now that this job is ending, I have wondered: perhaps I haven’t marketed myself very well these past four year? There’s no question that I’ve worked hard. But was it enough?

I recently interviewed for a job that I didn’t get (dangit!). The position was within the same agency so the folks who interviewed me knew me. However, I had a conversation with one of the interviewers who seemed surprised to find out there was more to who I was than a person with his nose constantly stuck to a computer screen. Perhaps I waited too long to let more people see who I am. Maybe I should have been more intentional about marketing the brand that I am. But aren’t I more than a brand?
Until December 31, 2009, I am still an editor and I have work to do. This past week, I started on the last book that, for all I know, I will edit. It is a second edition of Bishop Kenneth Carder’s Living Our Beliefs, set for publication in October. Strangely enough (or not so strangely?), Bishop Carder has been there for the big changes in my life. He is the Bishop to whom I “surrendered my ordination credentials in good standing” almost ten years ago. Now, here he is again, or at least here is his book, at another of life’s crossroads. With all of these feelings and thoughts running through my head and probably your head as well, listen to what he has to say:

A society that defines people in terms of what they have of value to exchange eventually leaves its members demoralized, depleted, and “useless.” Highly prized, marketable traits or qualities—such as youthful appearance, sex appeal, physical stamina, mental acumen, and productivity—eventually wane for everyone. As they diminish, so do self-esteem, hope, joy, and meaningful relationships. Since such values are subject to forces beyond our control, people who root their worth in them are always insecure.

He continues:

The image of God in human beings is rooted in grace—God’s unmerited, undeserved love. Our status as children of God is nothing we have or could earn. It is a gift bestowed, not an achievement reached.

Thank you Bishop Carder, for reminding us of our status. We are not our jobs or our brand; we are children of God.