Michael Reeves Told Me to Tell You This

Most churches try to stay away from politics: We don’t want to offend anyone. If we offend them, it should be with the gospel, right? Yes, and amen. But… In a post-Christian culture, One that is hostile to biblical family values One that is proud of their depravity One that calls good evil and evil good … any effective outreach requires that our speech be as salty as it is sweet. Does it take wisdom? Yes. Should we seek a clear conscience? Yes. But these guardrails do not exclude bold, unapologetic, and sometimes even provocative messaging in our church communications. Reasons like “We don’t want to give people more reasons to avoid church” and “We want to cast a wide net” have lead to many churches dialing back their true convictions in outward facing marketing. This feels safe, but here’s what it really does: Dilutes the message Waters down your unique congregational identity Speaks to no one in particular Gets lost in the sea of noise The solution to this isn’t to be inflammatory for its own sake. There are enough provocateurs out there already. Rather, the solution is to build a crystal clear message and brand around your church’s unique history, theological convictions, and context.

When a church skips the brand strategy and message clarity step and runs straight to design, the result can feel hollow. Visitors may walk away asking, “What do you actually stand for?” But when a church begins by clarifying its message rooted in God’s redemptive story, everything else clicks into place. The logo, the website, the campaigns, and the Sunday morning announcements all point back to the same simple truth: we are part of God’s mission to redeem people and renew the world. That kind of clarity resonates. It helps longtime believers stay focused, and it gives newcomers an easy on-ramp to understand what you’re about. A Better Starting Point So before you pour energy into design, start with this simple question: How does our message reflect our part in God’s redemption story? When you can answer that clearly, the rest becomes much easier. Your branding won’t feel forced or hollow, because it will be anchored in something bigger than trends or preferences. It will be anchored in the greatest story ever told. Here’s the key takeaway: Being clear is being a good steward of the attention people are entrusting you with. Ultimately, the message you bring in your church brand should be the same as what you preach from the pulpit: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If it’s not, then we are squandering chances to preach the good news through branding before someone ever sits down in the pew. And when your church communicates its role in God’s redemption story with simplicity and conviction, people don’t just remember your brand. They remember the good news you’re sharing.

It’s tempting to jump straight into designing a logo, refreshing the church website, or launching a new social media campaign. Those things matter, but if the message behind them isn’t clear, all the creativity in the world won’t connect with people. That’s why one of the key principles from StoryBrand is so important: “If you confuse, you lose.” Before you design, you need clarity. For a church, clarity doesn’t come from brainstorming catchy taglines or trendy mission statements. It comes from remembering the story we’re a part of: God’s story of redemption. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells a unified story of a God who rescues, restores, and redeems. Your church is not creating its own isolated narrative. Instead, your identity, mission, and message flow from being a small but meaningful part of God’s larger story. That’s what gives your message both clarity and power. People don’t just need another community group or service organization. They need to know that your church exists because God is writing a story of redemption, and you’re inviting them into it.

There’s a dirty word in the church communications world: “Marketing”. We’ve all seen the clips of megachurch pastors dressing up like Disney characters or posting the latest memes on their Facebook page. Some people call it “outreach” or “creative evangelism,” but we all know what’s really going on. How do you cut through the noise, rather than blending in to the sea of generic marketing people are flooded with today? While you may not be recording TikTok dances for Jesus, you’ve probably been tempted to copy the latest church marketing fad at one point or another. After all, isn’t anything worth getting visitors in the doors to hear the gospel? This is how many churches get caught up copying one another’s marketing and advertising, hoping that people in their community will see it and be compelled to visit. My issue with these approaches is simple: What resonates with one church’s community probably won’t resonate with your own. A travel agency based in Hawaii would be foolish to copy the marketing of a travel agency in Minnesota. If your communications and brand strategy aren’t based on your local community where God has uniquely placed your congregation, you’ll be stuck in the cycle of trend-chasing and throwing outreach spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. The alternative? Focus on the real stories of people in your community who have experienced hope and belonging in your midst. These stories are local. These stories are genuine. These stories are powerful because we serve a God who is powerful. With this approach, your community won’t be able to ignore or forget the powerful transformation God has worked in local people, to the praise of his glory. That’s why I emphasize community at the 3rd C of a kingdom-first brand.

It’s no secret that people remember images better than words. Studies show we can remember 65% of visual information after 3 days, compared to just 10% of written/spoken info. That’s a 6x increase in retention! But why does it matter for churches? Good question. Something I’ve learned is that a brand isn’t just a logo, colors, or fonts. A church brand is an opportunity to tell the story of what God has done and is doing in that local ministry. Said another way: your brand is the visual aid for people to easily remember what their church stands for, and the story God is telling there. This ties in closely to the examples we have in the Bible of when the Lord commanded that a monument be built to signify his mercy and might. In Joshua 4:1–10, God tells the Israelites to take twelve stones from the Jordan River and set them up as a memorial. This visual monument served as a lasting symbol to help future generations remember how the Lord miraculously stopped the river’s flow, allowing His people to cross on dry ground. These stones were set up intentionally as a tangible visual aid to reinforce the Israelites’ generational memory and faith. To add even more layers, God also instructs that twelve stones be used. Why twelve? To symbolize the twelve tribes who crossed over the Jordan that day. In the same way, designing an intentional brand identity with symbolism and permanence is the most powerful way to help your people remember their God-given identity as a body and look to Christ, week in and week out.

Strip everything away, give your church a generic name, and make the logo a cross. Go black and white with your color scheme. Congrats - you have a timeless brand! I’m being a little bit sarcastic, but there’s an element of truth here. Over-simplification is usually the fastest, easiest way to a truly “timeless” look. However, it’s not the only way. And for churches, it’s almost never the best way. The history of the world is timeless by definition, but definitely not simple. God’s creative and recreative work is anything but minimalistic. The way God works is simple but deep, focused but rich with meaning. So too is the story being woven together in your ministry, whether it’s 200 years old or a brand new church plant. What is God’s perspective of your church? If you want a timeless brand identity, this is the question you have to answer. Once you start narrowing it down, your logo colors and fonts become clear and easy choices. Rather than trying to become timeless by using Helvetica and no colors in your brand guidelines, you should be looking for ways to incorporate the truth of who God says you are as a congregation. Does it take more work and intentionality? Absolutely. Is it hard? Anything worth doing is.

I’m an extreme sports fan, and those who know me know that I would never pass up a chance to try one. Of course, I’m no Red Bull athlete, so it usually looks like me attempting the low-stakes version of whatever the true pros are doing. One of those sports I’ve casually enjoyed since high school is rock climbing, and believe it or not, there’s a nice analogy to branding here. In bouldering (climbing lower with no ropes above a crash mat), a route or particular climb is called a boulder problem. A beginner climber like me can climb any V1 boulder problem with ease and most V2s with moderate difficulty. Some V3 problems are too challenging at my skill level, while others are doable after a few attempts. (Don’t be too impressed - the scale goes up to V17). There was this one V3 problem giving me trouble on my last visit. I kept falling over and over, until I eventually felt so fatigued and frustrated that I gave up. Why am I sharing this story? I think it’s appropriate that they’re called “problems,” because they have a solution that takes more than brute force and raw strength to solve. They take strategy. All around me were more experienced climbers who could have showed me the trick to get past my sticking point. With their expert advice, I could have probably reached my goal with only a couple of tries. Even better, I probably could have learned tips from them for other problems too. Here’s the thing: If you want the fastest way to your goal, don’t be afraid to seek guidance from someone who’s done it before.

Every day around mid-morning, I take a bathroom break and that’s when I write these posts - gross I know, but it’s the perfect amount of time and I have no distractions (now you won’t be able to get that image out of your mind, so you’re welcome). Context aside, when I’m motivated and inspired it’s easy, but today I had some serious creative block of the “stare vacantly at a blank page and start the same sentence five times over” variety. I have a hunch this doesn’t just happen to creatives. Most of my readers are church leaders, I’ll wager that you probably experience that wall too. If so, maybe you can benefit from the two strategies I use to overcome creative block. 1. Short term strategy Exercise is my immediate strategy for overcoming it in the short term. I’ll go home after work, grab my dumbbells, and start lifting. Something about an intense workout stimulates my creativity and writing energy. However, that only works on that day, and if I can’t get a workout in, I’m in trouble. 2. Long term strategy My long term strategy to overcome creative block is to write daily. I used to think I didn’t have time for something recreational like writing, much less every day. But I realized that as long as I put it on the other side of something I enjoy more (chess puzzles), I could force myself to take 5-15 minutes and crank out a thought. Writing became a habit I was cultivating. Something you practice with regularity and discipline becomes easier and easier, and those creative block moments get fewer and farther between. Even when it takes a bit longer to get rolling, the groove is greased and the engine is still warm from yesterday. If there’s something you know you should be doing (maybe writing, maybe calling to check in on members, maybe something else) make it a small part of your daily routine and see how much you start feeling empowered when those “block” moments hit.

In every sport, industry, and field of study, there are “the greats.” Basketball has Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant. Theology has Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin and Augustine. Depending on what part of the world you’re from, branding and design industry has its own greats. In the US, there’s Motto, Clay, CGH, and Matchstic. In the UK, you might know Pentagram, Landor, and Wolff Olins. Every designers dream is to apprentice for one of these legendary firms. However, there’s something that separates the greats from the rest of us that can’t always be taught. Sometimes it helps to get insights from those who are a few steps ahead of you - insights those already crossing the finish line at world-record pace may have forgotten. For some of us, myself included, we need it explained to us like we’re five. These legendary firms at the pinnacle of achievement have better things to do than dumb down their processes for me to understand. All that said, I’ve been spending some time to research approaches used by the (somewhat) newer faces in the branding and design world - firms like Koto, How&How, and DESIGNSTUDIO. In the coming days, I’ll be sharing key insights that you can apply to your church branding today. See you in the next one!

Let’s talk about First Baptist Aurora. This was a church that once thrived but found itself dwindling in numbers and energy. That is, until Pastor Robert stepped in with a vision to create a community where high school dropouts and doctors, recovering addicts and homeschool moms, could all worship side by side. He wanted people to feel like they truly belonged. The church started to grow again, but there was a problem: their visual identity didn’t match the new life happening inside the walls. So, I partnered up to help them rebrand. Two words shaped our entire process: historic and urban. We pulled colors from the church’s own brick, molding, and stained glass to create a palette that felt timeless yet fresh. The church’s beautiful stained glass windows inspired a modern logo and sparked a key design element: the arch. We used arches everywhere, from logos and icons to social media graphics, creating a look that felt unified and deeply tied to the building’s architecture and story. The result? A brand that bridges the old and the new. Today, First Baptist Aurora has not just a growing congregation but a clear sense of identity. Visitors connect more quickly, and the leadership has tools to keep building momentum. Here's the takeaway for pastors: A good rebrand isn’t just about looking pretty! It’s about helping people see what God is doing in your ministry are and inviting them to be a part of it. P.S. You can see the full case study here, including our in-depth process and more images/video.

I recently came across a church in Arizona called Ironwood. I’m absolutely enamored with the elegant simplicity of their brand, so I thought I would share it here as inspiration. The idenity of this church is centered around the idea that Jesus called his followers to have a soft heart and a steel spine - a rewording of the command to “be full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). How cool is that? In their branding and church culture, they committed to have tender hearts, overflowing with love, genuinely interested in people’s stories, quick to forgive, and humble enough not to take themselves too seriously. At the same time, they aimed growing spines of steel, with bold courage, unshakeable conviction, resilience in a world that pushes back, and a reverent fear of God. The symbol they chose to represent that was the native Ironwood tree, which is a slow-growing, incredibly strong and resilient species. These trees become a haven for desert life, and things come near them for life and protection. They also designed the logo to be viewed as from God’s perspective, which was a nice touch. Finally the coolest thing about Ironwood in my opinion, is that they had an actual, 80 year-old ironwood tree transplanted to the front campus. It can be seen on their map here: This is one of those brand identities that I didn’t get to work on, but wish I had. Hopefully you can also appreciate it’s elegance and effectiveness too.

I often talk about capturing your unique vision and church identity in a brand identity. However, when people hear “brand identity” they immediately jump to thinking about the logo. Hackney Church of London is proof that a generic logo can work (and shine) when it’s part of a well-executed design system. The church worked with London-based design firm OMSE, who was clearly capable of designing a much more nuanced and complex mark, so why did they do something so plain? They explain in their case study notes: We worked with Hackney Church to design a new identity that could flex across the breadth of their activities. From formal and often sobering occasions, to joyous celebrations. {{ comp.video({ src:"/img/hackney-church-logo-by-omse.mp4" }) }} Their choice of a minimalistic approach was strategic and intentional. Maximum flexibility was the highest priority - not explanatory power. If you take the time to review their rebrand case study, you’ll see how a logo doesn’t have to capture your entire vision, vibe, or identity. It just needs to be an entrance point. In other words, the brand identity is the house, and the logo is just the cornerstone. Here’s what Armin Vit, founder of the BrandNew blog had to say about Hackney Church’s new mark: In a way, it’s almost an overly generic icon that could apply to dozens of churches around the world but not only is the execution flawless in this case it also goes hand and in hand with the overall personality and vibe of the church both in its physical presence and its range of activities. What can we learn from this? Your logo doesn’t have to be so perfectly unique that it’s entirely unmistakable. In fact, it’s quite easy to paint yourself into a corner with a rigid, inflexible brand identity (speaking from personal experiences). Instead of relying on your logo alone to do the heavy lifting, copy OMSE’s approach with Hackney Church and focus on making your branding beautifully simple.

I’m taking a break from Tend Your Brand for the next 10 days to focus on client work and big-picture planning for Restore Graphics. I’ve been disciplined since January of this year publishing every weekday without fail, and I’ve built up a catalog of over 150 posts related to church branding. This habit has been incredibly good for me personally, and I’ll absolutely be finishing out the year. I wanted to get through all of 2025 without missing a beat, but deadlines and life events are a thing that sometimes gets in the way. I’ll be taking a breather for the next 2 weeks, after which I’ll get back into the daily writing headspace. If you don’t see Tend Your Brand come back on September 1, please hold me accountable and reach out to light a fire under me!

Last week, after nearly four years as a Designer at the Voice of the Martyrs, I turned in my resignation. As a long-awaited answer to prayer, the Lord has called me into something smaller, better, and more focused. The story behind this change is a testament to God’s faithfulness, so I thought I would share it here. For years (close to 8 years now), I’ve had this dream of working for myself. Starting a design agency was something I considered seriously 4 years ago when my wife and I moved back to our hometown of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, but it wasn’t the right time. God provided my amazing job at VOM, so I tabled the idea. Another year passed, and suddenly three churches called me within the span of a week asking for help redesigning their logos. It was a hectic summer and we were in the middle of building our house, but I loved every minute of it. At the end of those projects, I realized “there’s something here.” I started focusing all my effort on figuring out how to do more church rebrands. My wife joined me in praying for more clients. I made a lot of mistakes, but eventually stumbled into one project after another. I still can’t believe it’s happening, but it is! Please pray that the Lord blesses Restore Graphics and makes it bear fruit. Thank you to all my former clients for being incredible to work with, and encouraging me to continue pressing forward with excellence and all for the glory of God.

Building, creating, and doing business is how many of us are called to glorify our Creator. By building businesses and influence in every sphere, we’re carrying out the dominion mandate and bringing more of creation under submission to Christ’s lordship and rule. This is true whether our work is in law, construction, medicine, or design. I love serving churches because it’s a chance for me to reflect God’s creativity and what he is already doing in each local church body to advance his kingdom. All this while pointing back to the timeless truth of the gospel. Sometimes that looks like symbolism in the logo itself, and other times it’s the overall feeling of reverence, optimism, or hospitality that you can bring out through other visual elements. My work has gained attention from secular designers from time to time, and I don’t think they quite understand what it is that I do. They don’t see how working with churches can be profitable. The truth is: it’s not the most lucrative market. I price projects at below what I believe the value is, but even then many churches aren’t willing to spend ministry dollars on branding. That’s okay with me because I’m able to pour myself even more into other projects that ARE a perfect fit. Because of this approach, I’ve gotten to have those conversations with my peers about why I continue to work with churches. I’m driven by more than just money. If this were all taken away tomorrow, I would still praise God for it. I feel invigorated and fulfilled by the work he has called me to in this season of life, but I know it is a gift and that the next thing he leads me into will result even more in my ultimate good and his ultimate glory.

Last year I realized something… Designing comprehensive church rebrands is one of my favorite things to do, but I’m just one guy! The most work I can ever take on is a couple of new clients per month. The only way to help more churches… is to give my process away for free. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m writing down everything I do in a typical church rebrand project, adding templates and worksheets, and breaking it into simple steps anyone can follow (even if they have no design experience)! This is the first time I’ve ever mentioned this to anyone (outside of my wife), so I can truly say “you heard it here first.” Over the next several months, I’ll share behind the scenes sneak peaks of this thing. And the best part is… you will have an opportunity to shape the final product. I’ll be dropping more details in future updates, so keep your eyes peeled for the next one. 👀