An attractive church brand is known for something that’s beneficial. Of course a church is needed because it speaks to our spiritual deficits. Plus it’s a fellowship of Christ-followers who wrestle with similar issues all while loving neighbors as Christ loved us. But everyone doesn’t know that. Jesus said we’d be known for having love one towards another. That’s quite a brand! Different communities have different needs and interpret love differently. That’s how churches can develop different brands and still feel uniquely different. It always comes down to defining your audience. Being known for a thread (that thing that sets you apart as a church) requires consistency of messaging, keywords, and vision. If you’re not controlling them, you don’t have a brand....

We live in a crazy loud world (that's why every church needs a thread). A world that’s decided it doesn’t “need” a church. That’s perhaps understandable for your non-churched community, but our congregations are also slowly deciding to attend only occasionally. Most local churches are experiencing a decline in attendance. In our loud world, we know most are choosing what to listen to and what to ignore. The louder everything gets the more (for our sanity) we block what we perceive as non-essential. The way we decide what’s non-essential? It’s based on how we perceive something. What something is known for (perception) allows for quicker decisions! And we know that most people (we’re busy!) are wanting to make decisions quickly. The solution?...