How a thriving church rebranded to reach the post-pandemic world with executive pastor Dain Jepson

I helped Montgomery Community Church cut through the noise by creating alignment with the vision and brand visuals so it could reach more people than ever before.

Many churches are dying because people no longer understand why they need a church in their life. However, other churches are growing because they know how to cut through the noise to reach their community.

Montgomery Community Church desires to grow to serve more people in the Cincinnati area with the ministry it provides. We designed a clear brand for the church and put it on display online and offline. A great brand helps people understand you quickly because they will buy into what they can easily grasp.

As a ministry team, the Montgomery leadership sought an expert to come in and guide the process of rebranding the church. They knew their limitations and wanted to focus on doing what they do best: ministry.

Many pastors feel the struggle of a church that is disjointed, and they want to unify everything under one vision. More people would take their next steps with the church if things were clear. This confusion within the brand is what Montgomery was dealing with after years of growth.

They lack the know-how in this area and need an expert to look at the organization to provide an overarching brand strategy. The vision does not need to change. There just needs to be a more concise way to communicate it.

Pastor Jepson longed to serve their city with the ministry, but he didn’t know how to get people not to drive by the church every week. He knew people were hurting, and the church is a hospital to help them recover their marriage, finances, children, hope, peace, joy, and strength. There is a better story for people than the one they are living.

People judged Montgomery Community Church before they even tried it by what they saw online. Montgomery needed to present itself in a way that was consistent with the quality of ministry it provided for families. We had to get their online presence built up to be relevant and engaging to the needs of the people.

The New Brand

The Strategy

Everything started with having a strategy so the right experience could be created for Montgomery. When a good plan is in place, the organization has alignment and consistently makes decisions that support the vision. Otherwise, a bunch of opinions drive the creative process and cause confusion which is the enemy of the vision.

A New Logo

The new Montgomery logo and brand visuals were updated from an old design that was difficult to understand. We kept the orange color from the previous brand and updated some secondary colors. Great logos are simple and punchy, which makes them sticky. The new logo design sets up the church to be on all types of media and leave an impression. 

“We love the new logo Michael created for us. It represents our vision so well. The design is simple and clear.” Dain Jepson, Executive Pastor.

The Website

A fresh website was created for Montgomery with the primary aim of inviting new guests to come to the church. With this clarity, we designed a site that answered questions and provided all the steps a person needs to make their first visit. We also offered a section of the website that served the congregation so they could access resources.

The site has a lot of photos to show the people of the church. The photos showed happy people that were enjoying church life. We want users to “see a better version of themselves” when they view the website. 

Montgomery Community Church’s New  Website Home Page

Podcast Video

Great brands reach people where they are and invite them in. Dain Jepson is the executive pastor of Montgomery Community Church, and he joins us to discuss how they are creating a brand to reach people as the dust settles on the pandemic.

Dain gives insights on the branding process and how his team was able to come together to have meaningful discussions. He also shares the impact the new brand is having. This episode will help you understand what a good branding process looks like, so the results you get are excellent.

Show Notes

• Montgomery Community Church’s website: mcc.church

   

  • Dain is the Executive Pastor at Montgomery Community Church
  • Principle of a Christian Private School
  • Worked in a non-profit that served around the world
  • The vision of MCC is to transform future generations with the gospel
  • MCC wants people to live for more which means helping them to discover their God-given purpose
  • The branding process will help people understand MCC more quickly, so they know their next step
  • The lead pastor initiated rebranding MCC because of a desire to reach a new generation
  • MCC had a team that researched the branding and marketing agencies before making their choice of who to go with
  • MCC had a team with diverse backgrounds
  • Michael brought a framework that brought clarity for the MCC team to discuss who they were art articulate it well
  • The logo design was very well received by the church because it was a great representation of the vision
  • The biggest struggle with the rebranding process was keeping the focus on the new person so they feel welcome
  • The team prioritized creating next steps with the brand experience online and in-person
  • Dain believes it’s essential to meet people where they are after Covid so MCC is developing their online ministry
  • Their new website was developed and launched – mcc.church