How Brand Alignment Creates a Growth Culture

Watch the video podcast with John Opalewski.

John Opalewski is our guest on the podcast and he owns Converge Coaching which helps pastors and churches get back into healthy alignment.

When church brand alignment happens it unites all areas of the organization toward the vision and the result is church growth. This starts with the church leader getting into alignment first so the organization can become healthy.

Being intentional about building a brand means being intentional about creating alignment with how you communicate about the organization across all forms of media. A branding guide is a wonderful tool that helps the keep the vision consistently before the eyes of the people.

The more prepared you are for growth the more expansion can take place.

John was the lead pastor of a church that was thriving but he ran into burnout. The organization was doing great but the leader was being destroyed under the weight of growth.

He now helps pastors by coaching them toward personal and professional alignment, by helping them navigate difficult situations they might be in so they can transform their ministry into one that is healthy.

John says the church will never be able to truly outgrow the leader so they must continue in a place of ongoing personal growth.

5 signs when a leader needs to check their personal health

1. Spending more resources trying to keep people then reaching people
2. People are leaving as fast as they are arriving
3. Stress fractures where burnout and/or depression is happening with staff
4. Low moral from a lack of organizational energy
5. Supporting programs that are not moving the ball down the field for the church

When a church brand alignment happens the pastor and his family find themselves in a healthier place and the church’s back door gets narrower where less people are leaving than are joining.

There are some key areas where alignment is critical for a church to be healthy. Health is needed for growth to take place. John talks about these 7 areas where churches need to focus so they can create organizational alignment.

7 keys to alignment

1. Clear compelling mouthwatering vision of a preferable future
2. Practical strategy or map for the vision
3. Core values based on the vision
4. Measured wins that align with the vision of the church
5. Team alignment where people serve and work in their wheelhouse
6. Building and shaping a culture that fuels the vision
7. Making sure the weekend gatherings increase the invite-ability of the church’s audience

Tips to see alignment in your church

Have a high level of invite-ability to your weekend experience. Give people confidence that every Sunday is a good Sunday to invite their friends.

Find a fresh set up eyes to help you identify where you are misaligned so you can start taking the alignment journey sooner rather than later.

How to lead a multi-generational church

1. Surround yourself with a multi-gen staff.
2. Have to be yourself. Don’t imitate other generations.
3. Verbalize the idea of multi-generational church as part of the DNA.
4. Be a willing listener to the younger generation.
5. Be releasers of the next generation by giving them important things to do
6. Be willing to take some hits from the older generation
7. Spend time with the younger crowd

If you are trying to lead a multi-generational church, you must communicate to the older generation

• Remind them that at one time they were the ones that pushed the envelope and they needed people to make room…now they get the chance to do so for someone younger
• Let the older people know you are not trying to remove them but inviting them into the mission.
• Do things with the older generation to connect with them.
• Spend time with the older crowd.

Connect with John

• www.convergecoach.com