Innovation. Sounds cool and sexy.
Disrupters. The word drips from one’s lips.
Change agent. Sign me up.
Standardization?
Sounds like the chaperone who makes everyone uncomfortable at the dance.
Innovation and standardization are two sides of the organizational coin. Without one, the other fails. Innovation without standardization is like playing tag with no home base. From what does innovation leap? To where does it land?
Most enterprises understand this fact, but many churches still lag behind when it comes to finding this balance. I’ve met so many great leaders who are doing amazing things to inspire people with the hope of the gospel. They have a clear vision, but lack clear visuals or a clear voice.
Having a standards manual, style guide, or brand standards (interchangeable phrases here) can be the first leap into creating a solid foundation from which your church can grow. Without one, the look, feel and voice of your church will be a diluted, ever-changing, unimpressive mess.
Innovation and standardization are two sides of the organizational coin. Without one, the other fails.
A brand standards manual becomes the dictionary for your church’s vocabulary. The Constitution for your church’s grand experiment. The Magna Carta that finally ends the internal “How do we say that?” or “Is it okay if I use this color?” debates.
Here are three crucial things a brand guide allows you to do:
1. Frame your story so others can tell their story.
We all know Disneyland is the Happiest Place on Earth. We instantly feel Coca-Cola nostalgia when we see its red and white logo. Nike makes us feel like faster, stronger runners.
Those are not just marketing tricks — they are stories, consistently told.
When you connect life change to your logo and messaging, people begin to see themselves as part of your story. But they can only do that when the usage is clearly defined.
- The card at the coffee shop uses your logo correctly.
- The website matches that same look and vocabulary.
- The church environment matches the website.
- The host and pastor speak in the same voice they read online.
- Guests feel confident that what they see reflects the real experience.
When you clearly frame your story, people can use those tools to tell their story. That’s when it becomes our story.
2. Define the yes. Avoid the no.
I tell our creative teams to always get to a yes. Sometimes that means re-routing an idea so the final goal is still met — but staying within the brand.
But let’s be honest: there are a lot of “no’s.”
“Can I make the logo pink?” — No.
“Can I stretch this graphic?” — No.
“The kids love Comic Sans.” — Absolutely not.
How do you avoid endless arguments?
You define everything clearly in the brand guide:
- Do this — not that.
- Use this — not that.
- Say this — never say that.
A good brand guide empowers your team to get to “yes” faster, without chaos.
3. Serve the people who serve the people.
Your job in creative services is to make ministry easier for everyone else.
If campus pastors don’t have to fight poor design decisions — you’re doing your job.
If kids ministry teams don’t get dragged into fonts and templates — you’re doing your job.
If people know exactly how to communicate clearly — you’re doing your job.
When you maintain and advance the brand, ministry leaders are freed to focus on their mission: advancing the gospel.
Brand standards are not restrictive — they are a gift to the people doing the real work of ministry every week.
We’ll cover more at SALT 2018. Hope to see you there.
