As the ways to communicate online and with technology expands, so does the number of places your logo and colors need to be kept up to date. Your logo has to be replicated across every platform on dozens if not hundreds of profile pictures and thumbnails. And you’re probably using more online services than you think. In fact, the only thing holding some churches back from rebranding is the simple logistical costs of transitioning. That’s why it’s more important than ever to have a timeless visual brand. For every additional year your branding stays relevant, you’re saving ministry dollars on the costs of a rebrand. Conversely, a DIY or cheap logo that’s fresh but doesn’t stand the test of time is costing you money in the long run.

In the design world, something people often forget (or don’t realize) is that a church brand has to speak to two audiences instead of one. Unlike most businesses, a church doesn’t just have “customers.” It has a congregation and a community. You can think of these as internal and external audiences. Without a balanced approach that considers both audiences, you can end up speaking to only one. Some churches only do branding inwardly with their congregation. Others only speak to their community. This reality makes it all the more important that you have a timeless brand designed to work in both contexts. Churches need a brand designed to resonate with the people they’re trying to reach (community), and the people they want to inspire (congregation). Without a healthy balance, you’re probably not reminding your community THAT you exist and your congregation WHY you exist.

The Evangelical Press Association just revised its publishing ethics code to account for AI-generated content. Some organizations like The Voice of the Martyrs have stated that they won’t use AI tools in their process whatsoever. Are small churches expected to follow suite? The reality is that AI can save churches huge amounts of time and resources. There are no ethical reasons I can think of not to use it. ChatGPT has made content calendars and meeting summaries a commodity rather than a luxury. Midjourney has made beautiful backgrounds and sermon series graphics readily available. These tools help you tend your brand - use them! Are y’all using AI in your church? Reply and let me know.

People attend your church for a reason. Don’t be afraid to ask your congregation what that reason is. I grew up in the church, but it wasn’t until adulthood that I realized how significant the local church is in God’s plan for his kingdom. Christ meets the spiritual needs of his Church generally, but he also meets our individual needs through individual, unique, local churches with unique identities. Maybe you’re the only reformed church within driving distance. Maybe you’re the most hospitable church with young families. Whatever the reason is, there’s a need that your church uniquely meets for your members. Identify that, and you have the foundation for a galvanizing brand.

I was looking through a “Church Creatives” Facebook group I’m a part of and I came across this post: While the top comment here is a little snarky, he’s absolutely right: Having a well-defined visual brand all starts with defining your vision. What does your logo stand for?

Lifting weights has been one of my regular activities since college. I train hard, but I’m under no delusions that I could be a power lifter or body builder. That hasn’t stopped me from getting extra motivated every couple of years and starting to train like an Olympic athlete. Deep down I think I’m secretly hoping for some kind of miracle muscle growth spurt. What happens? Reality kicks in and reminds me that I’m not going to the Olympics - I have other priorities, a job, and family. My goal isn’t to be an elite-level athlete. The thing is, when you’re building a brand, the best approach is the one you can do consistently, week in and week out, over years and decades. You don’t have to be the church with a dedicated media team and a $100,000 logo and website. It all comes down to consistently tending your brand.

What if I told you that you can get away with lime green, hot pink, or any other uncommon color in your church branding, as long as it follows a simple principle? Sounds crazy, right? Color has the power to make us feel bored, excited, intrigued, sad, and everything in between. There’s a reason that very few churches use a fuchsia color in their brand, but is there ever an exception? Yes. Relevance. If a color is associated with the particular context of your audience, then it makes perfect sense to use it! A youthful, energetic church in Palm Beach may be perfectly suited by a lime green and hot pink color palette. Should you copy this for your Presbyterian church in Nebraska? To quote the apostle Paul, “All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable.”

One of the main points of confusion I see in churches is thinking that marketing problems are actually branding problems (and vice versa). "Church members glaze over when I explain our purposes." (Branding Problem) "People in the community don't know we exist." (Marketing Problem) "We don't have enough visitors coming in the door." (Could be both, or neither!) Today I want to clear up the difference with a bite-sized explanation that makes it easy to remember. Branding = Who You Are Branding defines your church's identity through logo, colors, messaging, and overall vibe. It shapes how people feel about your church. A strong church brand has a clear message and consistent visuals that attract people and give them a sense of belonging. Marketing = How You Promote Marketing is different because it promotes your church brand through advertising, social media, and outreach. It focuses on getting attention and driving action. Effective church marketing uses social media, emails, and videos to reach new visitors. How They Work Together Strong branding must come before marketing. Marketing helps spread the word, while branding determines what that word is. Think of branding as the roots and marketing as the branches of a tree—you need strong roots first. This is why I called the blog Tend Your Brand — it's my goal to help you cultivate those roots so they grow deep and wide in the hearts of your people.

Sometimes you’re stuck with a brand you inherited from whoever came before you. If the gut feelings and associations around that brand are good, then you don’t want to throw everything out and start over from scratch. As my dad would say: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s true… but… there comes a time when you could use a little refresh to make that brand more effective, without losing the trust and goodwill built up in the past. You need a good old Rebrand Lite™️ Color adjustments One option is to brighten up your color palette slightly, bringing a little more energy and vibrancy without losing the hues that are recognized by your congregation. Logo adjustments A second way to do a light brand refresh is to refine your existing logo. What is the core idea it represents? Is there anything that distracts from that core idea? What happens if you simplify it just slightly? If it’s multiple colors, is there a way to make it work in a single color? This is a more advanced option, but even a slight adjustment can help your logo look more clean and confident. Font adjustments There are two elements to typography: selection and application. Fonts can be tricky to navigate because there are so many bad ones out there. Rather than picking totally new fonts, think about how your existing fonts that could be used in a new creative way. If you’re pruning things that distract, and nurturing things that bear fruit, you’ll be able to make an outdated brand work for a long time! It’s not a forever solution, but hopefully these strategies can make a difference in the meantime.

It can be hard to know if you should tease a church rebrand in advance. An all-at-once approach might seem cleaner and easier. However, if you really want a lot of buy-in from the congregation, there are real advantages to letting certain people get a little taste of the rebrand before it officially launches. I recently worked with Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, KY on a total rebrand. Here’s what worship pastor Will said about their strategy (shared with permission): Before I did the big roll-out to the whole church, I did a presentation for our staff and our deacons. This allowed me to practice my spiel, but it also let two influential groups of leaders give their immediate feedback. It also created some helpful buzz, as those leaders could tell their friends that they had seen the new branding and liked it. That helpful buzz was really important. For Walnut Street, teasing or “pre-launching” their new brand was a great way to build momentum leading up to the official launch. Where else would you apply this idea of creating buzz?