Compassion By Design

You know, those symbols that represent different programs on your computer– Icons.  The cool little symbols that go on the left of the webpage and represent the page– the compassion by design one, called a “favicon” is a little green apple that you can barely see.  I have created a new term for the image that most non-church people have in their heads about church– I call it the “bumicon”.  It has been named from that classic term “bummer” combined with the word “con” for “icon”.  

In my opinion, church logos, marketing and other public expressions of what church are about are for the people who are NOT in church, not for those who are just church shopping.  Kingdom net growth means reaching new people, so I figure that is what these branding are really about. 

What do you suppose most people (who are not in church, or don’t want to be in church) would select as the appropriate icon for the church?  I think it might be the universal symbol of “thumbs down” or a red hand pointing at them.  What do people associate with church?  Most of them only have a frame of reference from their own past or from the media, especially if they haven’t been to church recently.  They would probably select a pretty stained glass (but irrelevant) window as the icon, or perhaps a little preacher standing behind a pulpit, in black and white of course.

What would be the best icon for your church?  For some churches, the image of a concert with people waving their arms  and a stage with cool looking people with guitars might fit– not sure how you get that down to an icon.  Or for others, a serious looking business meeting with people in business casual or suits is the image that they should form.  For post-modern churches its probably a steaming cup of coffee as the symbol or a candle (oooh, how mysterious!).

If we are serious about reaching people, then we have to be serious about understanding how they view us. For many, I am afraid that we are constantly fighting against bad images, and having to correct them before we even have a conversation.  We have to pay attention to the substance of who we are and to the way that people view us.  At Compassion by Design, I advocate for churches whose image revolves around a pair of work gloves, a broom or a compassionate hand.  What’s your favicon?  Hope its not a bummer

In the world of community, WE is always more powerful that I or OURS.  You will be hard pressed to find a community event that only has one logo or sponsor.  This is both a neccessity and a way of looking at things.

In some of the church growth thinking, ministries are instructed to avoid associating with other churches, to make sure their brand, their “flag”, is always flown higher than any other ministry.  But this is not a good marketing approach, and it is not an approach that is appropriate for growing ministry in the context of community.

• Your logo or brand is more powerful when it is associated with others than when it stands alone.
• Leadership in the community means demonstrating that you are about improving things for everyone, including other organizations and churches.
• Ownership of an event or program by yourself is the lowest expression of service–it might just be really just another form of advertising.
• Serving in the community means building relationships so that you really fit in, and don’t just establish another silo or parallel track.
• Branding that occurs through social marketing and community cooperation will be less expensive, more powerful and penetrate deeper into the community.
• Cooperative service establishes a church character that will be learned and shared by emerging leaders and will make “believers” out of our skeptics more quickly.

How many logos should be attached to an event?  Simple answer, how many will fit on the page?

The needs assessment process initiates this in its very inception, and we recommend that you find multiple sponsors for your needs assessment.  What’s a sponsor?  Anyone who wants to join in who is value neutral or better in the community.

A couple of speaking events coming up that you might want to consider attending:

November 1st, New Jersey Community Resource Center Compassion Ministry in Your Church   More

November 5th, Stadia West Conference Sacramento, CA More

November 7,8 NWCEA Partnership Summit “Think Outside the Church” Portland, OR  More

December 4th and 5th - Assembly of God Church Multiplication Network- Leadership Summit More

We have opened a needs assessment Wiki so that people who are taking the important step of building insight and relationships through needs assessment can share what they are learning.  This is a site where you can read stories about other’s success and challenges, get access to survey documents and formats, pose questions and get answers.

What is a wiki?  

A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content.  That means that users contribute what they are learning to the expertise provided by Compassion by Design.

How do I join?

The compassion by design wiki is open to anyone who has attended needs assessment training, participated in a coaching group or who has ordered needs assessment materials.  If you fit this category, send an email to dmills@compassionbydesign.org to get a password to this valuable site. 

Upcoming Free Conference Calls.   To find out about and register for a free conference call that provides insights about needs assessment and other community service information, click here.

Upcoming Free Conference Calls Include:

• October 27th 5 p.m. EST.  Did the Faith Based Initiative Pass You By?    Getting Serious about Funding for your Non Profit and Faith Based Community Service Organization
• November 3 5 p.m. EST Making Your Church Service Powered.  Practical steps that will take your church into new community impact
• November 17th 5 p.m. EST: Church Loans in the Tight Credit Market
• December 8,  5 p.m EST First Step toward Community Impact: Using the Compassion by Design Needs Assessment Approach

To explore our needs assessment materials click here.