Its a question I force churches to ask themselves anytime we sit down and talk about branding and identity.

I recently spoke to a church who told me they couldn’t afford to hire anchored, or any other artist for that matter, because they were a small church and had to be good stewards with the money God has given them.  Ultimately, I understand if churches have not budgeted for line items like branding & marketing, but really, its a mistake.

Whether you’d like to admit it or not we live in a consumer driven culture:  the same culture you preach to, the same culture that is your congregation and most definitely the same culture you are trying to bring the Gospel to.   These people are accustomed to brands for the better or for the worse and this mean that your brand, your identity, your logo is what people will take away from their first visit to your website, or their first visit to your church, or the first time the pick up a support piece.

So as you cast vision as a church, as you define, and redefine who you are as a gospel centered church remember that the face of that will first be your branding.   From now on when folks tell me they can’t afford to hire a professional artist for their branding, I’m going to tell them the can’t afford not to.

If your church is interested in branding or re-branding themselves mention this post through Jan. 1 2012 and receive 25% off Branding Concept & Design.