Accelerating the Dynamic Church : Branding

One church or a loose confederation of ministries?

Jeff Hook — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 23:43:00 GMT

We get to know a lot of churches in conjunction with our implementation of Fellowship One; currently we have sold over 500 churches. Plus we have talked to a whole lot more through the selling process. Clearly there are two different kinds of churches; those that act as “one church” and those that simply act as a loose confederation of ministries.

So how are they different? The “one church” church is concerned about the overall brand of the church and desires to have the overall brand’s “fingerprint” on everything that is done concerning that church. This should not necessarily be stifling to the ministries. It should provide some level of support concerning the overall level of excellence that is required when that brand is associated with an event, a mailing or a website? You might look at the different ministries as different “product lines” which are being used to attract and serve a different type of audience based on age, demographics, etc.

The “one church” also is more concerned about the coordination of the information flow as well as the information contained within the church database. They believe that the chances are if a parent’s phone number changed in the children’s ministry, perhaps that family would be better served if the general church database also reflected that change. The “one church” also helps people move from one ministry to the next as their life stage or circumstances change.

The “one church” is concerned about the overall workload of a volunteer across ministries, not allowing a person to get overworked and overcommitted. The “one church” does not allow a “problem” volunteer to move from one ministry to the next passing on a person who could be creating issues that are detrimental to the overall church, having the attitude, “as long as it is not in my ministry!”

We have also run into churches of the other sort, where the staffs do not have a process of on-going information sharing that allows them to all get on the same page as far as how ministry will be accomplished, what the common goals might be, or even how ministry is to be measured. Each ministry is an island; perhaps each ministry has a different formal database. If not, then at least a different informal database. You know the one that the staff and volunteers really rely on. And instead of taking the energy to fix the real issue of people allowing bad information to get into and stay in the system, they just create a database or spreadsheet that they can control. In other words, they go around the problem.

To me, the church that is a confederation of ministries is shortchanging the congregation. Within it, certain ministries will thrive; but others will flouder or even fail. Not because the congregation does not see a need or want to participate, but because the island of people will not feel connected to the church. This uneven experience that people feel will break the congregation into parts, and parts are not as strong as a whole. However, it takes strong leadership to get all ministries on the same page. Leadership that is willing to stand up to the different forces that want to do “their own thing.”

Grace to you as you go out to be one,

Jhook

What does your church management system have to do with your brand?

Jeff Hook — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:49:00 GMT

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