culture

The approach revolves around one key idea: Branding is culture-shaping. If there is an attitude, an ethos, and ongoing transformation you want to see in your church, then your brand is an indispensable tool. But too many churches see it as an afterthought! When your people encounter your logo, website, bulletin, and even interior decor week in and week out, they’re being shaped and molded. The way they live out their mission and daily lives is influenced by what images and ideas they’re immersed in when they participate in the life of your church as a whole, not just the Sunday morning service. If you approach your brand with a culture-shaping perspective, it becomes an asset that seamlessly integrates with your church and mission. Rather than being something tacked on to make things “look good,” your brand becomes a symbol that represents the real lives, relationships, discipleship, outreach, worship, and struggles that make up what it means to be a part of your congregation. Branding is culture-shaping. P.S. I was originally going to be more specific and say that good branding is culture shaping, but that’s actually misleading. Bad branding can shape your church culture too. You may have heard sermons or even preached one yourself on the idea of “nominal,” Sunday-only Christianity. Be careful you don’t fall into the trap of nominal, outreach-only branding. If your brand is a generic mark that gets slapped on your website and bulletin to fill space, people will notice the disconnect between what your branding is trying to be, and what your church identity is actually like. That kind of branding creates a sense of confusion, aimlessness, and messiness that you probably aren’t going for.