LOUISVILLE – The General Assembly Mission Council has become the Presbyterian Mission Agency – and with that comes a new logo and “brand identity.”
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has spent at least $60,000 to hire the Kansas City, Mo., marketing firm Premier Studios to develop the logo, which incorporates elements of a flame, a dove and an open Bible – and also the idea of motion. The purpose is to create a brand identity that will be used, along with the PC(USA) seal, in publications, online communications, stationery and more, said Matt Johnson of Premier Studios.
The name change is the result of the PC(USA)’s new Form of Government, which restricts use of the term “council” to what used to be called governing bodies. Presbyterian leaders also want consistency in communications – the denomination’s communications staff will receive training and orientation on how to regularly incorporate the new logo and its associated colors and typefaces into materials they produce.
Presbyterian leaders unveiled the new logo during the Sept. 12 meeting of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board. The board was not asked for its approval of the new logo, and after small-group discussions, some members seemed to like it more than others.
Linda Valentine, executive director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency, told the board’s executive committee that the new logo won’t be put into play all at once. Rather, as new materials are developed and distributed, the new logo will be worked in.
“It’s not like a corporate environment where all of a sudden all the signs come down,” Valentine said.
The PC(USA) faces some of the same marketing challenges as do for-profit businesses. Unlike businesses, however, it must try to balance its spending on promotions with the need to bring in more donations to support the ministry of a denomination beset by shrinkage of its membership and budgets and by a series of layoffs. The executive committee members also talked about creating a culture that recognizes God’s abundance rather than always worrying about scarcity.
In a news release, Valentine described the new logo’s design as provocative, innovative, distinguished and sophisticated.
