We certainly want people to see our church’s good deeds, that they may glorify our Father in heaven. The latter half is the crucial part. Who’s really getting the glory? Who’s brand is being built?

Back in Superbowl 2020, Michelob Ultra ran a commercial promising that, for each 6 pack you buy, they will help transition 6 feet of farmland to be organic. When you do the math, the actual impact of Michelob’s commitment seems to be negligible. It’s safe to say they could have had a much larger impact if they had donated the $10 million spent on the commercial directly toward organic farming.

But that’s kind of the point. For companies attempting to appeal to millenial and younger generations, it’s not so much about what you’re doing for charity, or the actual effectiveness of those efforts. What matters is that you are perceived as doing something. Your brand needs to be associated with philanthropy—so much the better if it’s a cutting edge cause, such as spheres of social justice, eco-conservation, or education.

So, how’s your church brand? Are you keeping up? Have you been giving to the right causes? And if so, do people know how much you’re giving and what you’re doing? How are people going to come to Jesus if they don’t see you partnering with a local elementary school, or if they don’t know how much money you’ve given away to feed hungry children on the other side of the globe?

Acts of benevolence, far from being at cross-purposes to the Gospel, flow as natural consequences of the transforming love of Jesus. The Gospel pushes us outward towards Good Samaritan-like deeds. But notice: The Good Samaritan didn’t create a Facebook page, sharing photos of his good deeds as he went along. He didn’t drag the previous robbery victim up onto his synagogue platform the following Saturday to share his testimony. He simply cared for that other man out of love.

We must be aware of two very powerful cultural winds that intersect to create a storm of smarmy, skin-deep Christianity: 1) the pressure to legitimize ourselves through visible social action, and 2) the pressure to publicize our good works. What makes the issue complex is that neither of these pressures can be rejected out of pocket as sinful or unilaterally wrong.

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