When I came on staff at Brentwood Baptist, we had two campuses — and we were just beginning to dream about a third. That dreaming quickly turned into doing… which then turned into us launching **three more campuses in 45 days**.
Yes, you read that right. We went from two campuses to five in a month and a half. And at the time, we still hadn’t established church branding guidelines. We were working off a five-year-old brand guide that no longer reflected who we were becoming. In other words… we had a lot of work to do.
Through that season — and the addition of three more campuses since then (eight total) — we’ve learned a lot about **multi-campus branding** and how to keep everything consistent without strangling creativity or contextual nuance.
Below are four essential lessons — a small snapshot of what we’ve learned and continue refining as we grow.
1. Establish What Is Core to the Brand
You have to define the **non-negotiables** — the core elements that make your brand recognizable across every campus. Think through:
- Color palette
- Typography
- Iconography
- Overall tone and aesthetic
Don’t assume people will pick up on subtle nuances. Show examples. Be visual. Create clear guides. The more specific your instructions, the fewer “surprises” you’ll see later.
2. Define When and How Something Can Deviate
Not everything can — or should — look identical across all campuses. Context matters.
For example, one of our campuses sits in a highly urban part of town, surrounded by coffee shops, bars and historic architecture. The neighborhood vibe is different — so the design sometimes needs to be different too.
That might mean a unique texture, a localized color scheme, or a completely customized look for a particular event.
Pro-tip: If another campus complains about “special treatment,” just tell them you’re beta-testing. Works every time.
3. Set Future Checkpoints for Brand Evolution
Brands are living systems — and they need room to evolve.
As your church grows, your brand must grow with it. That’s why we hold **monthly design review meetings** to evaluate whether the brand is still serving our needs or whether we need to adjust direction.
For example, we recently made a big decision: **no more stock photos**. Our old brand guide relied heavily on them, but it no longer fit who we wanted to be. So we invested in a photographer and moved forward.
Looking to build a brand for your church? Download a FREE brand guide from SALT Conference — a great starting point for crafting your own. DOWNLOAD NOW
4. Lead Through Relationship, Not Title
One of the biggest mistakes young creatives make is assuming they need top-down authority to enforce branding.
Here’s the truth: you can enforce compliance with a title, but you won’t gain cooperation.
If you want branding consistency across campuses, build **relationships**, not rules. Become a ministry partner — not the “branding police.”
When trust is in place, people will view you as someone who helps them, not someone who blocks them.
Branding across multiple campuses can feel like managing a giant hairball — messy, tangled and overwhelming. But if you take a breath and build around these four principles, you’ll create a scalable foundation that grows as your church grows.
