This week we are going to finish our conversation on branding. If you haven’t listened to part 1 of this conversation, hit pause and go listen to part one. 

This week we will reference a case study on mcurtis.co that works through the transition from a house of brands to a branded house.

What does a strong church brand do?

• It delivers on the promise of growing people in their walk with Christ 
  • If you have an event, it moves people toward growth 
• It helps clarify pathways for spiritual growth. 
  • It directs those with needs to biblical solutions 
• It is an identifier of a specific gathering of the body of Christ 
  • It reveals the transformative power of a legitimate relationship with Christ to a doubting and lost world 
    • It is a testimony of the truth of God’s word, and of God’s promises through the body of Christ 
• It values the right things 
  • It can be a tool to articulate what is important
  • Sometimes we lose sight of the larger mission because of our love for our own area of focus.
  • Multisite usually focuses the conversation of house of brands vs branded house, but I think our values should.

Case Study

• Every ministry had a logo, and every ministry leader wanted their logo to be amazing. We were constantly rebranding ministries
• That isn’t a good branding practice, and it is an expensive use of time
• Multisite amplified the complexity. We were now tasked with overseeing, designing, revising, and maintaining hundreds of logos. 
• We weren’t helping people find what they needed. 
  • Catchy names, witty abbreviations, and a completely internal language that visitors couldn’t engage. 
  • This is a house of brands - unique everything for everyone 
  • We moved to a branded house - one brand with minor, plain name customizations for each ministry. 

Recommendations for a branding solution

You brand should establish a visual hierarchy based on importance

1. Church first

2. Campus second

3. Ministry third

Everything your church does should function within this system. 

• Affirms that a win for any team is a win every team.
• Affirms that a win for any campus is a win for every campus.

Your brand should have goals that move forward the mission:

Clarity: People who have never been to our church need to understand what we are saying without us explaining it. 

Consistency: Consistent branding helps people understand what we are saying, and reinforces that we are one church with multiple ministry sites. 

Scalability: This new branding philosophy can be implemented quickly which will allow us to move at the speed of ministry. 

Flexibility: As each campus begins developing and investing in a local focus, this approach positions us to help support better. 

Unity: As an organization, every ministry win is a win for our church.

Bottom line:

The strongest brand isn’t one that wins awards for looks, it’s one that points your congregation and your staff toward the mission.