 January 27, 1999
Few churches show signs of the times
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___Does your church have anything to say?
___The initial opinion of people in the community about that question may have more to do with what's said on a church sign than what's said in the church sanctuary, according to a number of church communication experts.
___While many churches have outdoor signs with changeable message boards, few churches use those signs effectively, these communicators said.
___Yet often the first impression people have of a church is the church sign, said Mike Townsend, sales director for J.M. Stewart Corp., a manufacturer of church signs based in Sarasota, Fla., which works with LifeWay Christian Resources to serve Southern Baptist congregations.
___He cited research by the Church Growth Institute that found 10 percent of people who join a church attended that church for the first time as a direct result of the church sign.
___"Stop and think about what the
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TAKE-OFFS ON POPULAR ADS are a common source of creative church signs, such as the message seen recently on this portable sign outside a rural Texas church. (Photo by David Clanton)
| average sign in front of a church is," Townsend said. "They're not all that attractive. If churches would just give due diligence to their signs, they would increase the number of people who come in."
___One of the foremost ways churches send the wrong message is by posting weekly sermon titles on the marquee for passersby to see. Put bluntly, Townsend and the other communicators said, posting sermon titles may stroke the pastor's ego but does nothing for anyone else.
___Asked about the effectiveness of posting sermon titles, veteran church communication consultant Floyd Craig groaned. "You've got to be really good to put a sermon title up there," he said. "If a sermon title is appealing to the audience rather than to just the preacher, then it might be worth putting on there."
___Something far more effective than the sermon title might be advertising a money-back guarantee on the sermon, he said, only half in jest. "Guaranteed: Sermons 15 minutes," he proposed. "That would get attention."
___While few pastors might be willing to make such an offer, Craig's proposed sign wording illustrates the type of thinking behind effective church signs, he and the others said.
___Added Dan Pryor, a Dallas communication and leadership consultant, churches should approach their sign decisions first by asking a basic question: "Who are you trying to communicate to?"
___Using an outdoor sign for messages that only have meaning to those inside the fold not only may be ineffective but may repel prospective visitors, he and the others suggested.
___"We have found the best way to use a marquee sign is to view the sign as the communication that exists between the church and the people who drive by, the people we call the drive-by congregation," Townsend said.
___Thus, clever sayings, Scriptures quotations, uplifting thoughts and timely announcements are appropriate.
___Craig suggested this example: "Children hugged here."
___"Think about what would cause people to smile. Do that over a long period of time, and people will begin to have a good impression."
___Church signs have the potential to silently influence thousands of people each day by their accumulative impact, Craig said. He cited the influence of a church sign he passes every day on his way to and from work. The sign is changed about twice a week and always presents an uplifting thought.
___"Without exception, they put up statements that make me say, 'Oh, that's good. That's a nice thought.' One of these weeks, I'm going to stop by there on a Wednesday night when they're having prayer meeting and thank somebody. They always have a spiritual word, and I need something in the morning that will help me."
___If churches will meet the needs of passersby in such simple ways, those strangers will be more inclined to have a positive impression of the church as a place to find help, Craig added.
___Providing information that is helpful to those driving by is the key to any success in signage, said Phil Hester, a former Houston advertising executive who 10 years ago moved to San Diego to become a pastor and start an innovative church.
___To illustrate, he recalled an account his agency serviced, a Texas-based stock market investment firm. The firm wanted to build an image through billboards, and the ad agency recommended producing billboards with electronic boards presenting running Dow Jones averages.
___The campaign was a huge success and firmly associated in the public's mind the name of the investment firm with helpful information about the stock market, Hester said.
___"I've thought about this many times in terms of churches," he added. "Signs, unless they are speaking to a need in the community, become like trees, invisible. They're there but you don't see them or read them. You just drive by them."
___Although Hester's church, Northstar Community Church in San Diego, doesn't have a sign because it doesn't own a permanent building, if he did have a sign he would "try to have messages that related specifically to issues relevant to my community."
___For example, he said, people would be interested to know what ministries a church offers, such as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, youth programs, clothes closets, divorce recovery groups, Boy Scout troops.
___And, Hester said, given that technology has made electronic signs more affordable today, he would put up a sign with running messages, maybe the time and temperature as well.
___When concocting clever messages, churches walk a fine line between being prophetic and being offensive, said Townsend, the sign salesman. "You don't want to shy away from what you stand for, but you certainly want to be prudent."
___To illustrate, Townsend draws upon Jesus' declaration that he would make his disciples "fishers" of men. "The sign is a hook, and you want to put an attractive bait on there."
___That means churches also must be honest in what they advertise on their signs, added Monty Carter, a South Carolina pastor who previously worked in marketing and evangelism.
___"Better to go without, or just cover the basics, than to run the risk of making a false identity statement about the church," he warned.
___If a church wants to advertise itself as a friendly place, it better be friendly to those who visit, Pryor added. "You've got to live up to your promises."
Have you seen an interesting or unusual church sign? Give us your feedback.
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