Rebranding for Revival: A New Identity for a New Season at Christ Methodist
Seventy years in, Christ Methodist Church is stepping into a new era. But this rebrand isn’t about fonts or colors—it’s about vision, mission, and reaching the next generation with clarity, courage, and Christ at the center.
As we recently celebrated 70 years of ministry, Christ Methodist Church is excited to share something special with our church family and community: We’ve undergone a comprehensive rebranding. This isn't just a new logo or updated colors—it's a thoughtful reflection of who we are, who we're called to serve, and where God is leading us in the years ahead.
What Is a Brand, and Why Does It Matter?
When most people hear "brand," they might think of corporations or products. But at its core, a brand is simply how others perceive and experience you. For a church, our brand encompasses everything from our visual identity to our voice and the values for our approach to ministry. Our branding is the first impression someone gets when they visit our website, drive by our campus, or hear about us from a friend.
A strong, authentic brand matters because it helps us communicate clearly who we are and what we stand for. In a world where people have countless options for community and spiritual growth, our brand helps potential visitors understand what they can expect when they walk through our doors. More importantly, it ensures that everything we do—from our worship services to our community outreach—reflects our true identity as Christ followers.
Our Discovery Journey: Eight Months of Intentional Reflection
The path to our new brand identity began more than a year ago with the question: How do we honor our rich 70-year history while effectively reaching the next generation?
We assembled a dedicated team that included the Christ Methodist Church Communications team and a carefully selected group of lay leaders, respected marketing and communications professionals from the Greater Memphis Metropolitan area. These servants brought years of expertise in brand strategy, marketing, and communications, but more importantly, they brought hearts devoted to our church's mission.
For eight months, this team regularly met for hours-long sessions, diving deep into fundamental questions:
Who are we as Christ Methodist Church?
Who are we called to serve?
What are our core needs and values?
Their work wasn't based on opinions or assumptions, but on solid data gathered from national polls, studies, and more than five years of surveys conducted within our own congregation. Additionally, the Christ Methodist Brand Team was guided by our recently established all-church mission, vision, and values.
The team's research revealed something beautiful: our target audience is "The Next Generation"—a diverse, multi-generational community seeking authentic faith, genuine community, and meaningful ways to make a difference. They identified core needs that resonate deeply with this audience: a relationship with Christ, truth, community, authenticity, peace, empathy and acceptance, "head and heart" teaching, and rooted relevance.
After months of careful analysis and prayer, the team compiled their findings and partnered with Matchstic, a renowned brand strategy and design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Matchstic has built a reputation for helping organizations clarify their identity and communicate their purpose with authenticity and creativity.
Our Personality: Authentic, Courageous, Passionate, and Present
Working with Matchstic, we identified four key personality attributes that define how we communicate and connect with others:
Authentic: We are warm and welcoming—a community where anyone can come as they are because we already love them and can't wait to walk alongside them.
Courageous: Guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, we boldly go, bringing peace, hope, and life where spiritual awakening is most needed.
Passionate: Grounded in the Gospel, we express our faith with magnetic enthusiasm, inspiring others to act in love and deliver the good news.
Now: We encourage everyone to live with urgency, embracing the present moment to bring peace in a world of uncertainty.
These personality traits shape not just what we say, but how we say it. Our communication is conversational rather than formal, confident rather than passive, emotional rather than cold, and in-tune rather than detached.
Bringing It All Together: Our Visual Identity
The new brand identity you'll begin seeing represents the culmination of this extensive process. Matchstic provided multiple rounds of creative options, and we went through several iterations of logos, typography, colors, and visual elements before arriving at our final design. Every choice was intentional, designed to reflect our personality while remaining timeless and accessible.
The goal was to "elevate, bring clarity, and attraction to the Christ Methodist Church brand—laying a solid foundation to support future growth." Our new visual identity honors our Methodist heritage and 70 years of faithful ministry while speaking clearly to emerging generations who are seeking authentic community and transformative faith.
What Comes Next: A Thoughtful Implementation
Change takes time, and we're committed to implementing our new brand thoughtfully and intentionally. The Church Council approved our new brand identity in mid-May, and you'll begin seeing it immediately in our social media, advertising, and promotional materials.
Over the next year, you can expect to see updated signage throughout our campus and a completely new website that fully reflects our brand identity. We're taking a methodical approach because we want every touchpoint—from our Sunday bulletins to our building signs—to consistently communicate who we are and what we're about.
Looking Forward with Grateful Hearts
As we unveiled our new brand identity during the 70th anniversary celebration, we’re filled with gratitude for the faithful generations who have built this church and excitement for the generations yet to come. This rebrand isn't about changing who we are—it's about more clearly expressing the heart of Christ Methodist Church and ensuring that everyone who encounters us can easily understand what makes this community special.
We believe God has great things in store for Christ Methodist Church. Our new brand identity is simply one tool to help us communicate His love more effectively and invite more people into the transformative community we've been called to be.
We exist to glorify God and make disciples of Jesus Christ among all peoples. Everything else flows from that simple, powerful truth.
A Look At Our New Branding
Our brand strategy includes a set of strategic components that capture the essence of who we are. Every touchpoint of our brand should be anchored by our foundational brand strategy. Distilled into compact words, phrases, and personas, these elements help us stay focused and grounded and serve to define our ideal reputation.
Here are a few mockups of our new brand in application.
TL;DR
Christ Methodist Church has unveiled a new brand identity in celebration of its 70th anniversary.
This rebranding reflects a year-long discovery process led by communications professionals and lay leaders to clarify the church’s mission, vision, and values for a new generation.
The new identity affirms the church’s commitment to glorifying God, making disciples, and spreading scriptural holiness through worship, love, bold witness, and service to the marginalized.
With updated visual elements and a refreshed tone anchored in authenticity, courage, passion, and present-moment faithfulness, the church looks ahead with clarity and conviction.