The Personality of an Orthodox Parish

Stewardship AdvocatesTM

In business and in the nonprofit community the personality of an organization is it’s brand.

Throughout this presentation there will be references to the “brand” of an Orthodox parish. No disrespect is intended by this use of marketing terminology. (The Ark of Salvation is not a brand!)

Rather, it is hoped that through the use of this term and an increased understanding of “branding”, parish leadership will gain clarity as to how the parish presents itself to parishioners, seekers and the larger community outside of the parish.

Every priest or experienced layperson knows that though each Orthodox parish conveys its identity in commonly accepted content and forms such as architecture, iconography, music, liturgical services, etc., nevertheless it still has its own unique personality.

What’s a brand?

Brands are to parishes what personalities are to people.

They can be exciting or dull. Direct or obtuse. Smart or dumb. Friendly or alienating.

One definition of a brand is what people say about us when we are not in the room or, what people who have a nodding acquaintance with the parish say about it when we are not present.

Biblical Word “Branding”: Some of the 45 Names Applied to the Believing Community

• Assembly of the saints - Ps 89:7 • Body of Christ - Eph 1:22,23; Col 1:24 • Bride of Christ - Rev 21:9 • Church of the Living God - 1Tim 3:15 • Church of the first-born - Heb 12:23 • Congregation of the Lord's poor - Ps 74:19 • Family in heaven and earth - Eph 3:15 • Flock of God - Eze 34:15; 1Pe 5:2 • New Jerusalem - Rev 21:2 • Vineyard - Jer 12:10; Mt 21:41 • Pillar and ground of the truth - 1Tim 3:15 • Israel of God - Gal 6:16 • Temple of the Living God - 2Cor 6:16 • Sanctuary of God - Ps 114:2

Some Word “Branding” of Christians in Early Church History by Roman Commentators

• Atheists

• Cannibals

• A most mischievous superstition

• Yet another mystery cult from the East

• An abomination

• Arsonists

• Disloyal traitors

• Haters of the human race

• Those who practice incest and worship an ass’s head

The Brand that Stuck

“They were first called Christians in Antioch.” Acts 11:26

Christians = those who follow or belong to Christ

The set of experiences, impressions, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a seeker choosing, or an inactive Orthodox Christian choosing anew, the Orthodox way over other paths of life.

For our purpose, the definition of effective parish branding would be:

• We already have a brand, now we need to manage it:

o The gospel drives the brand

o Parishioners internalize the brand

o Strategies strengthen the brand

o Staff, the council and volunteers deliver on the brand

o Materials and website express the brand

• A strong brand drives internal mission and aligns purpose

• A strong brand builds external trust and credibility in the greater community beyond the parish

Why should parishes care about branding?

Why worry?

Whether we want it or not we are already branded. People will form opinions about the parish – internally and externally.

The real question is this: do we want to shape this perception of what we stand for, of what our values are, of how we serve the community or do we want to just accept the default perception or brand that is handed to us?

Why is this important?

A strong, differentiated, attractive and relevant brand or parish personality can help us… – Gain new members to the parish

– Elevate the profile of the parish in the geography in which it is located

– Extend the influence of the parish into the community

– Attract volunteers from within the community

– Help the general parish membership focus more on the primary mission or purpose of the parish

– Assist leaders to become more focused and effective

What does professional market research tell us about great brands of nonprofits?

• They have a clear sense of who they are

• Are disciplined and focused

• Tell good stories • Internally and

externally aligned • Personnel have tools

and capacity to deliver • Consistently meet or

exceed expectations

Assessing our Present Brand

• How would the local neighbors describe you?

• How are you known in the city?

• In the diocese?

• How would the parish membership generally describe the personality of the parish?

• Is there a signature annual event that has the greatest impact in forming public perception?

What is the personality or brand of your parish?

If the brand is the personality of a parish then what personality attributes would we want our parish to convey through branding?

Every picture tells a story and conveys the brand. If one of the following pictures were prominently posted on a parish website what might it possibly indicate about the personality of the parish to the seeker or new Orthodox family just moved to the city? Remember: describe how someone visiting your website for the first time might perceive the personality of the parish from the picture – not how you as an involved Orthodox Christian feel about it.

Brands are More than Cosmetic

They make an impression and result in a perception by the audience; they indicate the DNA of a parish.

Orthodox Church Logos Past and Present What message (s) do they convey? What does it say of their values? Who is their audience?

Practical Steps for Shaping our Brand

There are five elements to building a brand

1. Words – powerfully convey basic ideas

2. Pictures – tell a story

3. FHBs (Friendly human beings) who listen, care and respond

4. Websites are essential and are becoming more and more important for accessing information; they are a window into our parish

5. Programs and services directed both inward to the parish and outward into the greater community offer the opportunity to experience our brand or personality

Short Sentences Can Tell a Powerful Story

In a wager, purportedly made by Ernest Hemingway, he bet friends that he could tell a moving and

evocative story in six words.

These were the words:

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

There is a story of deep emotion in these few words.

Creating a brand involves assessing the entirety of the parish and the environment in which the parish fulfills its mission. It is very helpful to study this before reshaping our brand or building it from scratch.

“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” (I Corinthians 9:22) In all matters pertaining to public perception and branding, put the audience(s) – not ourselves – foremost in our consideration. Always be thinking not so much about how we, within the Church, see ourselves, but rather, how others see us. What do we want them to see, to feel and to know about us?

Reverse Perspective

First Things First: Perform an Audit

• What is our mission, vision and values?

• What difference can the parish make in the lives of people in the local and the greater communities

• What do we do better than anyone else?

Performing a Brand Audit

1. Interviews and focus groups tell us what and why Staff • Parish Council • Volunteers 2. Surveys tell us how much and how many General parishioners 3. Review materials for the three “C's”: Clarity • Creativity • Consistency

Identify and define our audience(s)

• Who do we want to reach?

• What are their “traits”?

• Who are the best prospects?

• What are their demographics?

• Where do they live?

• What is their religious background?

• Where might we find them?

• What do they need from us?

Assess the competition

• Who or what is our competition?

• What are they offering that is attractive?

• What are they offering that we do not offer?

• How are they reaching people?

• What is there to be learned from the competition?

• What elements, if any, could be offered in our parish with modifications?

What are assets of the parish in terms of shaping or enhancing the parish “brand”?

• Parish name

• Mission, vision, values

• Visual identifiers (logo, architecture, signage, social media, social events, public service, etc.)

• Programs

• Ministries

• Services

• Leadership

• Information material

• Person of the priest

Common Branding Mistakes

• Four-color logos

• Believing that the logo is our brand (it’s an indicator of our brand)

• Believing that our brand is our mission (brand points toward mission)

• Not training the front line troops

• Mission drift

• Inconsistent experiences for viewers, visitors, etc.

• Staff, parish council members, ministry heads not empowered to deliver on the brand

Checklist

Our logo and other elements of our brand identity were created by a well-meaning, talented but not professional volunteer

Our website, brochures and other communications tools

were created on an ad hoc basis and don’t look like they come from the same parish.

We don’t repurpose content. Every time we create new

content we start from scratch. Our brand is generic. Our parish looks and sounds pretty

much like everyone else's.

The Holy Orthodox Faith

• What are the unique features of Orthodoxy?

• How do we express these through our personality or brand?

• How do we differ from other expressions of Christianity?

• Why should a person become Orthodox?

• What services are we providing to the community?

• How do we convey the Orthodox “brand” to the atheists, agnostics, unchurched, indifferent and those openly hostile to “organized religion” (Whatever THAT is!)

• In what way does our worship speak or not speak to those who become attracted to our “brand”?

A Primary Purpose Message Platform

• Elevator share (30 seconds to share our brand) o One or two sentences in length o 40,000 foot view of who we are and why we

are here o Build key messages from elevator pitch

• Limit key messages to no more than five o Present messages in bullet list form oMessages support the elevator speech o Each message must be concise and to the point

• Ensure that staff, council members and ministry heads internalize the key messages

• Remember: if brand is parish personality then the conveyer of the message’s demeanor is important

The Strong Brand

• Promises made and kept... over time

• Consistency in messaging, visuals

• Experiences that move and delight audiences

• Clear sense of what the brand stands for

• Staff, parish council members and ministry heads know how to deliver on the brand

• Not just a logo or a tagline

How might the graphic below help us to see ourselves? Have we ever surveyed this, tracked it or considered how we might do things differently?

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