Is a Church a Brand? Should It Be?

Now I know even mentioning the words “Church” and “Brand” in the same sentence is probably going to make some folks a little uncomfortable … or maybe REALLY uncomfortable.

What about this makes us uncomfortable? I believe a lack of understanding of what a brand really is is what makes us uncomfortable about using it in the same sentence as a church. But I can help. Let’s dive into it.

What is a Brand?

Maybe the best place to start is what a brand is not. A brand is not:

• A logo
• A business
• A trademark
• A famous personality
• A website
• Or even a product or service

So, what is a brand? The best definition of a brand that I have ever heard is from Marty Neumeier’s book, “The Brand Gap”:

“A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service or organization.”

Or in the case of churches, it’d be: “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about your church.”

What Goes into Creating a Person’s Gut Feeling About Your Church?

Let me share a story about one of my favorite brands: Toyota. My gut feeling for this brand is off the charts. Why? Three reasons:

1. When I was a kid, my dad bought a Toyota pickup truck. He had it forever, and while the truck practically rusted out from underneath him, he drove it for nearly 400,000 miles with next to no problems. As I grew up, we had other cars. They went to the shop. They had problems. But his Toyota pickup never did.
   
   
2. My wife and I purchased a Toyota a number of years ago. One day, she was stopped in traffic when an F350 plowed into her car going over 50 mph! While her journey recovering from a traumatic brain injury is a testimony we’ll save for another day, she survived a horrendous crash. If she had been driving our other car at the time, I honestly don’t know if she would be here today.
   
   
3. We have our second Toyota sitting in our garage. It has nearly 200,000 miles on it, and we have never had a single problem with it.

So, based on these three stories of my experience, what words do you think I would use to describe Toyota?

• Safe
• Reliable
• Durable
• Well-engineered
• Built to last

At the end of the day, these things matter to me, and they shape my overly positive gut feeling about Toyota’s brand. Let’s unpack that a bit.

What Are the Key Ingredients of Creating a Brand?

1. Consistent action that fills a specific need over time
   
   
2. Consistent recognition that the action came from your organization or church over time

Consider this:

1. What do you think my gut feeling would be if I had a Toyota that lasted for a long time and another Toyota that was continually in need of repairs? How do you think that would shape my perception of “reliable, durable, well-engineered”?
   
   
2. If I never saw the Toyota logo on my dad’s truck, the 15 years I spent watching him drive it nearly 400,000 miles wouldn’t have factored into my gut feeling about Toyota.
   
   
3. Time is an important factor. My gut feelings weren’t formed overnight. They go back over 30 years to that first ride in my dad’s pickup truck. It takes time. Sometimes decades. But it’s an investment that’s well worth it.

A Few Questions for Your Church to Ponder:

1. Does your church have a consistent outreach that fills a specific need? This could be a million different things. Some examples:
   • Food bank
   • Health ministry
   • Serving homeless in the community
   • Personal finance / education
   • Single mothers
     
     There is no limit to needs in your community or in the world. You just need to focus on filling one that matters to your church.
     
     
2. Does your community know you are doing this outreach?
   
   
3. What is your community's gut feeling about your church?
   
   
   • If you asked your church members what 5 words they would use to describe your church, what would they be?
     
     
   • If you asked 100 community members what 5 words they would use to describe your church, what would they be?
     
     
   • Would you like the answers? Would those answers align with who you are? (You may be surprised! I encourage you to find out.)

In later posts, we’ll discuss ways to build and reinforce your community's gut feelings about your church. Make sure you don’t miss those future updates by subscribing! 

And if we can be of help, we would love to work directly with your church. Just contact us and let’s have a conversation.