A logo is primarily created to reflect a certain church’s brand and appeal to the audience they are called to reach. Since the logo communicates the calling and core values specific to the ministry of a certain church, it usually is not revised except in the case of drastic changes. These changes may be a new pastor, a new vision, a new facility, or a complete change of vision for the church.
1) A new pastor takes over.
When a new pastor steps into the lead at a church, it is most likely that he will have his own unique vision for the church. This vision may be similar to what has been in place but most leaders have their own perspective due to their personal experiences and inspirations. The specific calling of a new pastor means a possible adjustment in target audience and a different way of engaging them.
A new vision can oftentimes mean a rebranding of the church. Since the logo is a focal point of a brand, the old logo may be altered or totally revised to fit the new vision.
2) A new church is planted.
Before a new church even launches its first service, their brand should go before them. Many church plants distribute door hangers in local neighborhoods, hand out business cards with service times, and mail out fliers.
This way, before the church has even begun, people see their logo and the name associated with it. The church already has a visible reputation and branding that makes them memorable. None of this would be possible without a quality logo that ties everything together.
A logo and attractive branding elements such as fonts and colors also prove the excellence of the church. With the logo on various printed materials, signs, T-shirts, and more, it communicates that the church plant is well-planned and aims to stick around for the long haul.
3) The vision for the church changes.
Ideally, your logo should be ageless. Yet, certain circumstances may require it to be altered.
Many times a change in vision is due to a lack of growth which results in a change of focus for the church. A slump in church attendance might be motivation to repackage the branding, beginning with the logo to reach a new demographic.
Other times, it might be possible that the church simply feels called differently than in the past. A different calling most likely means a different type of branding, and a logo that engages a different kind of culture.
4) A church would like to be trendy.
A church may change their logo to be trendy. Getting into the specifics of certain cultures, however, can be challenging. Branding designed around current trends can quickly become outdated, and numbers can drop as the target audience changes what they identify with.
5) The facility is changed or renovated.
In many cases, due to rapid growth and success, a church must be expanded or relocated to keep momentum.
A change in facility may provide the opportunity to update the churches brand. When the church facility is significantly altered or completely changed, it is important to make sure that the brand aligns with the new environment.
Example: Faith City
Faith City is a church we worked with which was changing venues. They are are a growing church which needed to update their brand to better reflect their presence in the community. Like many churches they had a logo which was put together in their early days by a volunteer, and it served them until this point.
The new logo is more modern and capable of being used across all forms of media, yet it still communicates the vision of the church.
With a large shift such as a change of venue already taking place, Faith City thought it would be a good time to introduce to the congregation and updated look and feel of its brand.
Are there are any significant changes taking place in your church right now that might cause you to take a second look at your logo?
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