I believe that Graphic Design has its place in creating a brand for the Church. I also believe that art and design should be rooted in the word of God. Creativity has to be used in design to capture a new audience with the same old message of the gospel. And sometimes churches feel exclusive because they don’t change at all, in any way, for several years. A church started in a middle school, or a home, is much more inviting because outsiders feel more welcome and comfortable. And that can be accomplished in any church through creative design elements and concepts.

I love how Barton Damer of Igniter Media puts it: “design is an opportunity to present the greatest story ever told in ways that the world has never seen before”. I believe there is a movement of nondenominational churches towards imitating a certain standard for contemporary and modern church services. They all want the drum set, the online giving, the big screens, etc. As believers we have a mission to design new and creative ways of communicating the gospel of Jesus because we live in a world in need of a Lord and Savior. I want to make it a personal goal of mine to make my design work an accurate representation of who I am, representing Christ. I wrote a mission statement for Leader Scholars Institute here at JBU, and it provides a foundation and direction of everything I do. My mission statement reads:

“To manifest God’s glory through my relationships and influence by connecting marketing and the Kingdom to foster motivation in people to serve God and others”

If I can bring God’s glory through my design work, I can provide “damage control” for the Church in my own unique way. A large (and one of my favorite) part(s) of my walk with God is participating in corporate worship. Art and design provide a way for people to be invited into worship with the Creator of the Universe. I think that this is why graphic design holds a special piece of my heart: because it directly impacts my relationship with Jesus. Design matters to us as Christians because it matters to God so much. He designed the whole universe; the galaxies; Earth. You better bet that art and design matters to God in a big way because he also created us, our minds, and animals.

I believe that churches should actively be creating, designing, and building their church brand though art and design. This also includes redesigning and rebranding. I’m not one to know much about how church art and design works, but my church back home in Olathe rebranded their church, and did so effectively. They are in the Old Settler’s Parade every year, and they completely brought their new brand to the same parade last year. They are a great example of bringing the same message to the same audience, but in a different way.

Church parade participants for the church wore redesigned t-shirts with a different shade of orange than the previous ones, and handed out rebranded balloons, tattoos, water, and candy. The church was seen in a different light because they added a word to their name, but also because they handed out water bottles and played music on a float like years past, but with new branding. I’m sure the redesign was a smart move right before the city parade because it gave the church a platform to gain more kingdom members through higher attendance. Someone even mentioned that it's like they finally realized their middle name, "mission". With an alter call every Sunday, this was a great opportunity to minister to people in the community and give them an opportunity to find their footing in their walk with God, by capturing their attention at the parade. People in attendance saw a church in transformation for good.

Art and design are a very important part of church marketing. They provide the materials and messages that churches need to attract visitors. These visitors can later be saved for eternity just because an effective advertisement or graphic did its job. Mailers, emails, parades, you name it, and design does it. Art and design also provide a first impression for many people. In cities where going to church isn’t normal, design can be used to catch an eye that motivates action, just with the amount of creativity and effort that is put into a campaign.