Beyond A Logo: A Purpose

Early in the morning of June 6, 1944, Pvt. Robert C. Hillman sat alongside his troop inside a C-47 as it flew into enemy territory far from his home in Manchester, Connecticut. President Roosevelt's fireside chat the night before had offered no real clue about what lay before Hillman and 13,000 other soldiers. His mission as a trooper in the 101st Airborne Division was to parachute directly into the largest seaborne invasion in history. To dive headfirst into Normandy as the twilight of D-Day began to unfold.

His stomach must have churned as he contemplated the jump. The turbulence of wind and war rattled the rivets holding the Douglas plane together. The tension was palpable as everyone pondered the fate before them. Then, as sweat rolled across his forehead, he peered down at his parachute and began to smile. Then he began to laugh.

He leaned over to his fellow servicemen while NBC radio correspondent Wright Brown listened in. Even though things looked dim, he said, he was at least confident in the ability of his chute to deploy correctly. Intrigued by his change in demeanor, Brown asked Hillman why he suddenly felt so confident. Hillman replied by showing him the symbol of the Pioneer Parachute Company. A simple logo mark was stamped on his pack alongside the initials of the person who had sewn, packed, and inspected his chute before it was shipped out, awaiting this fretful moment.

He went on, smiling broadly: "My mother works for the Pioneer Parachute Company, and her initials are on my chute."

The D-Day battle was won thanks to so many brave soldiers like Hillman, who hit the silk, landed a successful jump behind enemy lines, and joined the seaborne invasion of Operation Neptune to liberate Western Europe. That mark on the side of that parachute pack might have meant something to every jumper that day if they had given it a second thought. But it signified something far more profound to Robert because of his personal connection. That parachute held more than a soldier. It carried an idea wrapped up in those folds of silk.

What is a brand and what does it mean for your church?

In old English, the word brand means fire, sword, or flame. To the Scots, a brand was a torch used to relay messages by sending light signals across the countryside. In early America and all the way back to ancient Egypt, brands were literal marks seared into the hides of animals to signify ownership and quality. Potters and masons left their marks on their creations in clay and stone to distinguish their products from others.

Throughout history, a brand has signified an indelible mark that leaves a discernible change after initial contact and creates a new significance. Think of Ephesians and how we are marked as Christians. Paul says we are sealed in the promise of salvation through Christ by the Holy Spirit. The image of the King's signet ring pressing into molten wax, marking the seal of a promissory note carrying out his will, comes to mind.

Over time, we adapted this practice of marking something to set it apart. As it drifted into modern terms, we use brand to signify a logo or icon. The act of marking became just the mark itself. But marked and set apart for something useful carries a spiritual connection worth sitting with.

Like a good reputation, a good brand is the most powerful asset to any organization looking to connect with people. Organizations pay close attention to and pour resources into building, maintaining, and protecting this intangible idea. They do this by being aware of how people perceive them, consistently pointing to their values through all their communications channels, and aligning their visual identities to make their mark more recognizable.

Why does branding feel like a tension for the church?

We can't reach people if we're unwilling to engage the people around us through the means they resonate and connect with. We have to be known as a voice for truth without being authoritarian about it. We have to be humble enough to speak in the language people understand in order to relay the beautiful truth of faith.

I don't want to be flippant about branding for the church because it's a serious subject. Our church brands need to reflect who we are as God has created and called us to be, not to be a cultural attraction through worldly tactics. If you have an aversion to the word brand or branding, substitute reputation and identity. Same thing.

The art of church communications and branding is a balance of tradition, authenticity, and relevance. On one hand, there's the unwavering mission to proclaim the gospel without compromising its truth. On the other, there's the imperative to reach people where they are and speak to their hearts through the mediums they use daily. That tension doesn't need to be resolved. It needs to be embraced.

Within that tension lies a profound opportunity. Yes, deliver the truth, but do so in love. Yes, love the lost deeply, but don't neglect the truth for fear of offense. It's a tightrope walk between maintaining the integrity of the message and being approachable in the spaces where people seek connection. If we choose not to reach people through the types of communication they use every day because it's not traditionally how the church has operated, we become irrelevant as vessels to carry the good news to the world.

Why should your church take branding seriously?

I hear occasional objections in discussions about branding inside the church. "Branding is for secular business." It smacks of consumerism to apply marketing terminology to God's church. These objections often arise from misconceptions about what branding actually entails, and they may be motivated by a genuine desire to emphasize prayer and preaching above a tagline or a design.

Prayer and preaching are more critical. But how will people outside the church walls see that value if we don't tell them? How will they encounter us if we don't communicate externally? Branding is not more important than proclaiming the gospel. But when done authentically, it can complement rather than compete with the church's core mission.

Proper branding in your church aligns people with your specific contribution to the Great Commission in your specific community through the lens of your particular culture.

Branding isn't about crafting a pretty image with a catchy scriptural tagline to attract attention. It's not a scheme to water down the complexities of faith to fill seats. It's about authentically representing the church's identity, values, purpose, and mission as it lives as a called-out body. It reinforces your purpose to your internal audience of active members and to your external audience of people in your community who need you.

How does a church brand actually get built over time?

I think back to visiting my grandparents' house when I was a small child. Even though they passed away years ago, I can still close my eyes and smell the varied aromas of that house. The kitchen where so many fresh vegetables from the garden were prepared over decades. The particular shade of light brown stain on the wooden cabinet doors. The sound of the percolator bubbling with strong black coffee. The anticipation of fresh biscuits from the oven.

In a blink I can be transported back to being seven years old, carefree, exploring their backyard full of roses, paving stones, gardenias, and the sweltering greenhouse next to the clothesline. I remember warm summer mornings fishing at the reservoir with Papaw, who drove his manual transmission F150 steering with his knees on winding backroads while holding an un-lidded mug of hot coffee.

It's incredible how God created our brains to twist together curiosity, happiness, fear, awe, and relief into emotional responses triggered through memories and tied to our senses. That memory is more than the sum of all its elements. It's feeling love. And it took years of meaningful interactions to build that.

Your brand is exactly that. What people think, feel, and say about you. A powerful memory built up over consistent actions and interactions. While not directly controllable or immediately manufactured, you can, over time and with careful thought and strategy, build a brand identity that relays your church's real purpose to the people around you.

What does it take to build a church brand that means something?

Your brand as a church directly reflects your identity, helps people quickly associate with who you are, and builds trust with the people God has entrusted you to lead. It involves far more than designing an appealing logo, crafting a catchy tagline, or chasing a viral video moment. It requires a deep understanding of your church's identity, vision, mission, purpose, and core values, and the ability to translate these into a cohesive narrative that resonates with both your congregation and your community.

When done right, it also brings everyone into unity around your collective purpose. It reinforces to your congregation why they belong while providing the how and why for evangelizing to the community. It brings into focus the mission of meeting needs in your scope and ability.

Purpose left to chance will never be accomplished. You'll never reach a goal that isn't clearly defined. Without diligent work, atrophy and complacency set in. These are natural rhythms in daily life. Why would building your church brand be any different?

It's up to you as a church leader to take hold of the reins of a communications strategy and move forward with what God has planned for your church, to reach and impact your community authentically with truth and love. That requires intention, consistency, and a willingness to do the work. It won't come together by happenstance. But it's worth the effort to carry the gospel to those whom God places in your path.