What Does Your Church Sign Really Say?
By J. S. Pellie
Is your church sign delivering the wrong message? Too many signs are saying things about the churches that the congregations never intended.
For example, some are shabby, drab and dilapidated. Letters are faded or missing. Panels are broken and information is outdated. Such neglect creates an image of unconcern and effectively nullifies many of a church’s outreach efforts. After all, the community wonders, how can the church help people set their lives in order if it can’t keep its own sign painted? And this is a legitimate concern. Whatever its condition, your sign says something about your church. It’s important that it says what you want, in every respect.
Most churches realize the necessity of having a sign. Unfortunately, not all recognize the importance of having a good one. And members often tolerate disrepair that they would not allow at their homes. The church sign does more than simply distinguish one place of worship from another. It is part of the church’s testimony in its community.
The good sign meets four basic conditions. First, it must identify, fully and honestly (including Assemblies of God affiliation). Second, it should project an image of leadership, stability, and involvement. Third, it should advertise what the church has to offer. And, finally, it must beautify and complement the church’s appearance.
The expense of a good sign may concern some churches, but the discerning pastor and congregation recognize its exceptional value. In reality it is one of the least expensive means of advertising, and the return on the investment is immeasurable. The cost involved, great or small depending on selection, is a one-time expenditure for an almost permanent message. Your church sign communicates with an audience that lives or regularly passes through your area, in short, prospects.
Your church sign multiplies the value of all other advertising. Whenever people respond to your printed, personal or broadcast appeal or your web site, your church is readily located and identified, and your visitors are effectively greeted.
Without sacrificing dignity, the best sign capitalizes on the beauty and attention-getting qualities of color and artistic design. It can often be used as a “signature” in the church’s newspaper ads, bulletins, other printed materials and web site.
Modern construction methods and materials give the church sign strength and endurance equal to high-rise commercial signs. With features such as high impact surface and weather and pollutant-resistant finishes, the really good sign is readily insured.
Some pastors testify their signs cost the church little or nothing extra. They are paid for by diverting a portion of the church’s advertising or other funds to a sign budget. As an alternative, some churches finance their signs through memorial gifts or special projects.
Whatever the design and expense, the church sign should please members and be accepted, admired and respected in the community. It is, above all, another tool for reaching the lost and building a strong body of Christians. Be sure your sign delivers the right message!
From: www.ag.org/publicrelations web site. July 2009
“This article may not be not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat meat. Throw away the bones.”
