When a church considers its brand, does it ever think about its church management system? Often, when a church thinks of its brand, it thinks about its outreach message—meaning the logo, web site, and marketing, but rarely does it consider its church management system. Quite often, the church management system is just referred to as “the database.” However, included in the brand is the entire “customer experience,” or in this case, “congregant experience.”
So if that’s the case, included in the brand is the style of music, the style of message-delivery, such as Bible-based preaching, story-telling illustrative, or Bible teaching, and, believe it or not, the execution of the church processes, whether it be detailed, casual, non-existent, or something else entirely.
In the commercial world, the personality of the company can be characterized by competitive criteria like customer intimacy, operational excellence, and price. Churches are characterized by these same terms—and, on occasion, by less flattering ones.
When it comes to your church management system, does it add to the brand? If the church is family focused, do you have a check-in system that helps secure the children from being picked up by an estranged dad involved in a custody battle with his wife? This adds security consciousness to the brand.
Is attendance automatically posted so that Monday morning the youth pastor can follow-up with the kids that normally attend but have now missed 3 services in a row? This adds customer, or, for our purposes, congregant intimacy to the brand.
Does your system provide self-service capabilities that allow a person to register for an event online at the church website instead of wait in yet another line in the lobby after service? Can a person give online at the church website or do they have to continue to carry their checkbook to service? These add convenience to the brand.
These “congregation experiences,” as well as many others, define the church’s brand, something the church can’t decide. The church members influence and encourage certain aspects, but the community around the church actually brands it. It doesn’t have to be valid or accurate. The congregants define their “target brand” and reinforce behaviors necessary to meet that target.
But how each individual experiences the church contributes to the overall brand because they tell someone their opinions about the church. If John Smith tells his friend Frank about the church he visited last Sunday, he may well influence Frank’s attitude when he visits that church. Word-of-mouth becomes essential because people come with a certain set of expectations.
What you think of American Airlines or Coca-Cola, for example, is primarily based on experience or reputation, even before you use a product.
So many things affect what people think when it comes to brand. I think the brand of the Mavericks is affected by what people think of Mark Cuban, the owner. Similarly, a church’s brand is affected by what people think and feel about the senior pastor.
So answer the question: how does your church management system contribute positively to your brand?
Grace to you,
jhook