A logo… has your ministry got one or not? Is a logo even necessary?

We have been working on a logo for our youth group and we want it to communicate something of what we are on about without being too complex.

We hope it is appealing to the eye, memorable, creative and hits the mark for today's teenagers. The youth themselves are creating and deciding on the winning logo… we aren't spending millions of dollars, but they'll own it and hopefully love it.

So why would we bother with a logo?

Symbols have been used for thousands of years to signify people, things and even gods. One classic example is the coat of arms… medieval knights wearing them into battle to show where their loyalty lies.

In the early church it's traditionally thought that Christians, in times of persecution, used Ichthys (Greek for fish, and an acronym for 'Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour) as a mark to refer to a meeting place or to show that someone could be trusted as a Christian. Even today, I see the fish on someone's car and my assumption is… Christian.

Symbols and logos are more than just sexy, attractive and memorable branding. They communicate more than just the business name and the tag line.

If I see the McDonald's 'M', then I walk in knowing what I am going to get… the food, the service and the bill, no matter where you are in Australia (even the world).

Likewise, if I see that famous Apple on a product, I can know what quality, innovation and price tag to expect.

So the logo for our youth group isn't just the fantastic array of colour, smooth lines and the clear name that everyone sees. But it will take on the colour of the group itself.

It's this colour that matters the most. Being known for talking about Jesus, known for submitting to Jesus as King, known for good deeds, known for how we treat others… this is the true lasting colour of our logo.

But is the logo essential for the survival and success of your group?

I don't think so.

Our true colour will flow from who we are in Jesus. He is where our true identity is found. Ultimately the logo doesn't design the identity of the group, the substance of what the logo represents is found in the identity of the group - McDonald's can't just whack an 'M' on a rock and serve it for dinner.

So a logo is not essential, but it can be helpful, making it clear that this group is different to that group with respect to geography, time and even style. But the identity of who we are in Jesus remains the same.

When someone looks at your group what do they see?