What Is Your Image Saying About You?
By Lisa Anderson

We portray a certain image to those around us by the way we carry ourselves, the way we dress and the things we do. Similarly, your church also portrays a certain image to your community. There are fundamental differences between our personal image and that of the church, but the concept is still the same. Because of the “reality of image” it is important that we portray the “right image”.

It does not have to take a lot of money to get the image you want. So, what exactly is your image saying about you? Below are four tips to creating a better image that portrays your churches vision and is effective in your community.

1 Have A Logo – Logos are very important in our day and age of visual enticement. A logo helps set the tone for your church and makes you easily identifiable in your community. If you are unsure where to start , just write down some words or thoughts that come to mind when you think about your church or organization. Then think of an image that would portray one or several of those thoughts. Use search engines to get ideas if you would like. Remember it is better to have something that is simple and easily identifiable rather than a fancy jumbled up logo.

2 Create A Brand – A brand is more than a logo. It is the way others feel about your church or the feeling that your church emanates. To have a brand, you need to decide what you want people to feel from your church. Do you want to be known as an exciting church? A family oriented church? Whatever it might be work towards making every newsletter, mail piece or flyer have that feel. Never let your vision stop with you. Relay it to your congregation.

3 Be Relevant – As the church, it is not our duty to go along with every new trend or fad; however, we must be relevant enough so that we actually touch who we are trying to reach. Some people get relation and relevance mixed up. We do not achieve relevance by imitating culture. Just because we do something that relates to a certain culture does not make it necessarily relevant. Some people have the idea that if we “dress like they do” or “play music like they like” it will make us relevant. This however is not the case.

The key to being relevant is understanding the culture, not imitating it. If you want to be relevant learn the lifestyle and needs that are specific to the culture you are trying to reach. Then, minister to those needs as Christ would.

4 Be Consistent – This cannot be said enough: “Be consistent in your image!” When you use different logos all the time, or have no logo, you do not have a fluid, organized look and you will have difficulty being easily identifiable in your community. Whatever logo you may have, even if it is not the greatest, be consistent in using that logo. That said, it is ok to change or update your logo on occasion, especially if it is out of date. If you do not have the means to update your logo correctly, then stick with what you have and use it consistently.

UPS is a great example of a mediocre logo that has turned out to be a great icon for their company due to their long-term consistency. When UPS created their logo, so many years ago, with that drab brown it was probably not the greatest marketing decision. Consistency has a way though, because of this the term “brown” is now widely associated with UPS. In modern times, they have a slogan: “What can brown do for you?”

With these few, simple tips your church can have a solid image that reflects the vision and integrity of your church. If you need help along the way Dylosh Design is here to help you!

This article “What Is Your Image Saying About You?” written by Lisa Anderson is excerpted from Dylosh Design Studios in Fresno, California.

This article may 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 the meat. Throw away the bones.