The National Association of Church Administration (NACBA) is now The Church Network. Whistles, confetti, fireworks and such. A new brand has been born! We're so blessed to be part of this rebranding. I'm honored and humbled to be involved. But now what?

It's a weird thing when you think about it. How many of us halfway through life decide to change our name and be known for something different? Not many. But that's what a rebranding does. Well, sort of.

Many of your churches aren't going to the extreme of changing your name (although many think they need to drop the denomination and go with a nondescript name), but many are considering changing their logo and tagline. Or at least many of you need to.

Then what? What do you do after you launch your new brand? Well, it's a three-step process:

1. Weigh the equity you've had and extend it.

Just because you got rid of something from the past, you can't simply erase its memory. Many still love the old you. And you want to bring them along into the future. "The Church Network is powered by NACBA" is a nice hat-tip to the past. Think of all the positives from your old brand and make sure you honor them into the future.

2. Control the new image or you won't have a brand for long.

You should have a great, new, simple, logo design, along with a simple font palette and a color standardization for this new brand. You also should have a brand positioning statement. That's the brand foundation that someone must control, limit and police. If you don't, your brand will drift and ultimately you won't have a recognizable anything.

3. Stop referring to your new logo as the new brand.

Remember, the most important component of your brand is your positioning statement. A brand is the promise that you'll deliver. It's the tagline that says, "Don't go it alone." That’s what The Church Network promises every person in their brand. You'll never stand alone, our network of people are there to help with the complexities of your job. It's much more than your logo. Your logo is simply a visual cue to remind people of your brand promise. The more you control the visual, the more consistent the message will be delivered.

This is a big deal. A renaming. A repromise. It should cost a lot of time and money to do it right. And you should invest a lot to protect and promote it. A "baby" has been born with great heritage. And this baby will deliver great things. It's like the Christmas story!

If only we could have had a star in the east to announce "The Church Network" brand. Ah well, I'll add it to the "to do" list for our next rebrand unveiling. Congratulations, The Church Network!