Church Branding Resources : Breakthrough Media Group

Five Reasons Why Missional Churches
Cannot Ignore Identity Branding

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as:

a "name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers."

This sparks my imagination about as much as an owner’s manual for a ceiling fan. But, let’s dust off some of the clinical, corporate jargon, and find some spiritual gold.

Today, pastors and planters are told with increasing frequency that they should build their ministry on solid branding foundation. Yet, as a communication discipline, branding continues to be widely misunderstood, ignored or misused. Ok, so maybe as an under-40, media-wired guy, I'm especially tuned in and sensitive this problem. But I do represent in large part, the emerging audience of the Church that is becoming more brand aware.

I firmly believe that as the missional and incarnational approaches become the prevailing models for the church, we will need the power and clarity of good identity branding even more. And if we ignore it, we leave a key component off the table.

We will need good identity branding because:

1. The Church is already "branded".

It's the local church's job to brand in such a way as to correct or adjust people's wrong image of the Church and begin to reflect God's heart and ways. We aren't starting with a clean slate. The Church has done a lot of bad branding over the centuries, and also in our time. And now we are faced with a jaded and indifferent, sometimes even hostile, audience of un-churched and de-churched people. But these people can be reached through brands that surprise and delight in fresh ways. In fact, there's a world waiting for a spiritual reality they can understand. We really do have what they want, we've just done a poor job of presenting it.

2. A brand's first impression is hard to change.

And that can be good, or bad. People’s decision about your church is largely based on their first brush with it, your church's name and any accompanying images and themes, a community event, a message t-shirt worn by a member, your church sign, your building, the home page of your website, a newspaper ad or direct mail piece. Even first encounters with your members and those early relationships are given context by the mental backdrop of your community image. People normally make a quick decision based on what they see first and as quickly as possible try to fit it into one of their preexisting mental images or stereotypes. If there is no immediate fit, that's good. You've probably just made it to first base.

3. The Gift warrants the best wrapping.

If you believe the gifts of God are the greatest offer we can present to your community then present it with excellence. Have you made every effort to see your whole package (brand images and brand experiences) as it they are seen through the eyes of potential recipients? Do they awaken or inspire? Do they provoke curiosity? Is everything tasteful and coordinated? Do they look for the first opportunity to "open it up"?

Remember too that wrapping is as pleasing to the recipient as the gift itself, and therefore should reflect your personal knowledge of them. Say you were a Dallas Cowboys fan... would every gift you give have blue and silver stars? Yet, I've worked on logo design projects where the client changes course, deviating from a good brand strategy, in order to please personal tastes, committee, or staff. Your brand must connect your heart to the heart-perceptions of your audience. Create an intentional plan and stay the course.

4. People want you to be you.

I have a confession to make. I don't normally listen to contemporary Christian music [cringe]. Oh, occasionally I find an album I like, but to me most of it sounds like a rip-off of more talented secular music. But it may not be a talent issue at all. It's like the artist is afraid to be himself and just go for it. Instead he opts for the safe, marketable drizzle and ultimately, sees limited success.

You and your ministry are uniquely gifted for a unique mission. To be effective, you have to be yourself, and people want you to be yourself. How else are they going to make sense of your ministries and your deliverables? Your brand strategy should authentically portray your ministry's unique DNA: it's identity and personality, it's heart and vision, and it's beauty and substance.

5. A good brand awakens the heart.

Your brand has the greatest impact when it's made to connect with the deep heart cry of people in your community. Rolf Jenson in his book, The Dream Society, chronicles our rapid movement from the Information Age to the Dream Society, where effective leaders will become story-finders and story-tellers. He demonstrates, through case studies, how it's not the best product, service, or cause that captures the imagination and catapults an organization forward, but the best story. People's dreams (yours and theirs) are the best story. That's why the bible is filled with them. As Dallas Willard puts it, "we live in a God-bathed world," and God's story can be found all around us in the hearts of people, where stories begin as dreams.

Our research and other's have found overwhelming evidence that the most effective church identity connects in some way with people's deepest life aspirations, and (as a central theme) images the church as an empowering community for true and fulfilling purpose. Every church will do this differently, depending on its mission, methodology, and audience, but in contrast to an end unto itself (the prevailing image) an effective brand clearly communicates itself as a launching pad for life.

In summary, here are five reasons I believe an effective, missional church cannot ignore good identity branding:

1. The Church is already "branded.
2. A brand's first impression is hard to change.
3. The gift warrants the best wrapping.
4. People want you to be you.
5. A good brand awakens the heart.

…………………………………………..

Chris Johnson,
Breakthrough Media

Free Brand Development Worksheet
Receive a detailed worksheet that asks the right questions to help you kick-start your branding process.

6 Objectives for a Remarkable Brand Identity (RBI)
Is your brand too safe? Give them something to talk about.

Breakthrough Logo Portfolio
See some of our logo development work.

* This entire report copyright © 2007 by Breakthrough Media Group. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward, copy or share single copies of this document in the context of local outreach planning, provided entire document is kept intact including the menu of links at the end of the article. For permission to excerpt, or to make multiple copies (more than five), or to reprint in a publication or post online email me at Chris Johnson.