There are many reasons you might be looking for new church signage ideas:

Some churches are expanding and need to add some new signage to help guests find their way around the building, while other churches are refreshing the look and style of their church's interior.

Others may simply recognize that it's time to get more intentional will inviting new guests and welcoming them to your church, and recognize that the signs you use play a role in helping guests feel welcome.

Whatever the reason you're looking to update your church signage, keep in mind 3 types of church signage your facility will need:

1) "You're invited" signage

2) "You've found us" church signage

3) "How to find your way around" (wayfinding) signage for your church

1) "You're invited" church signage ideas:

For most churches in most communities, the community already knows you're there, and if they haven't visited, it's often because they don't feel like they're welcome or they don't see any benefit to engaging with you yet.

The benefits of engaging with your church can be expressed with social media videos, personal invites from your church members, and community outreach events, while your signage can let your community know they're welcome at your church.

Two types of signage that our church clients have found to be successful in inviting their community: Event-based and conversation starters.

• Event-Based Signage: Use vinyl banners as outdoor church signs to advertise events: Trunk-or-Treat, Fall Festival, Thanksgiving community dinner, Christmas concert.

People are more likely to respond to an invitation to upcoming events than a general "You're always welcome" type of message, so use your outdoor vinyl church banners to continue to promote the next event coming up.

• Conversation Starter Signage: We've found that yard signs are a cost-effective conversation starting tool, not for around your church property, but for on the front lawns of people from your church, both at their homes and businesses.

These tools start conversations with neighbors, patrons, and people walking by. This is when a simple "Want to visit our church? We'll save you a seat." or "Busy Sunday morning? Join me for church and a coffee." or "Watch church online: example.com"

Include your service times and church website with a short message that can be read while driving past.

You can sell these signs to the families in your church to cover the cost or simply use your sign budget to allow one per family with some extras for businesses, but either way, cast the vision at your church that these are conversation starters to invite people to your church and teach your members how to start and guide that conversation.

Give them out at your new members classes as a great reminder of your culture of inviting people to church.

Don't assume that people will just start showing up to church because these signs are out, and don't assume that your members (or new members) will know what to do once the conversation starts.

Cast vision for both and give clear steps from "nice lawn sign" to encourage people to make a gentle invite.

2) "You've found us" signage

The benefit of these signs is purely for first-time visitors, since anyone coming back a second time will already know where to drive. Put signage in your parking lot entrances, on the front lawn of your property, and around any street corner your property sits on.

If someone has decided they would like to visit your church, but can't FIND your church, then there's a pretty good chance they'll just drive away. Being unclear about where to park, which door to use, or even that they've found the right church could cost you an opportunity to engage with that visitor.

You may also be in a situation where your church is on one street, but your parking is a rear entrance around the corner. Someone has found your church (according to their GPS), but can't find your parking. Have clear directional signage to let them know where to go next.

Flag banners

Flag banners for churches (in various shapes and sizes) are a great option since they attract attention in event the slightest breeze, stand almost 14 feet tall, and are easy to assemble and store on the weekend.

There's a reason that flag banners have gained popularity with businesses both in the city and along highways - they are attention grabbers!

Handheld signs

When coupled with an energetic greeting team, handheld signs pop and are a great tool for your first impressions team to hold in your parking lot, but remember they're just a tool. The handheld sign is more about bringing attention to the smiling faces and excited people who are welcoming guests to your church.

If you're looking for a parking lot and there's someone holding a sign that says "Glad you're here" while smiling, waving, and pointing in the right direction, then that will give your guests confidence they've found the right place.

For the best results, use flag banners as well as a handheld greeting team. In the case that the greeting team is rained out, or volunteers aren't available for a particular morning, the flags will serve their purpose.

In the case that it's too windy for flags (or if you're in a location where local bylaws won't allow flag banners) then handheld signs will pop along with your greeting team.

3) Way-finding Signs For Your Church

When you walk into a mall or stop at the map station at a theme park, you look for the "you are here" sign on the map. This is the starting point for finding your way around.

Your church probably won't have 40 or 50 possible destinations like a mall or a park, but you will have 4 or 5 that most guests will need to find:

• Kids Checkin and Classrooms
• Restrooms
• Auditorium
• Parking Lot

Even if your church is a small facility, you can't assume that guests know that restrooms are down the stairs to the right or that kids classrooms are through the side entrance of the auditorium for example.

If your church campus has multiple buildings, exterior church signs will help indicate where the kids ministry and student ministry buildings are.

This might require way-finding church signage both inside and outside of your building, but to start with, a baseline is to have exterior signage showing where the entrance of your building is - where should we go once we parked the car?

How to determine where your church's way-finding signs should go and how many you need:

Pull up to your church in your car. Pretend you're running 10 minutes late as a first-time guest. Park at the back of your parking lot and look at your building. Is it obvious which doors to use? Do you take your kids to a different entrance? Are there multiple front doors or side entrances?

Look at this through the eyes of a guest who has never been to your building before, not as yourself who comes here every weekend - better yet, ask a friend or neighbor or a family member visiting from out of town who has never been to your church to do this exercise with you.

Once your entrance area is well defined, take a step in the front door. It should instantly be obvious where to find the restrooms, kids classes, information center, and auditorium.

Now, follow each of those arrows. If your kids classrooms point down a call, follow that arrow down the call. If you need to make a turn for certain age groups or specific classes, you need more signage - assume nothing.

From the kids classroom where you've "dropped off the kids" turn around and look for the restrooms. Follow these steps also:

• Is there signage that gets you back from the kids classrooms to the restrooms and auditorium?
• From the restrooms can you find your way to the auditorium using only wayfinding signage?
• Can you get from the auditorium back to classrooms after service?
• From the classrooms back to the parking lot using only your church's wayfinding signage?

While we have to giuess that if someone can't find their way, they'll ask, we also have guess that there won't always be an available volunteer who is not already helping a guest when another guest needs to find their way.

Have plenty of friendly faces willing to help, and have wayfinding signs to fill in those gaps.

Some guests also prefer not to have to ask and would like to find their way around on their own.

Make it as easy as possible for your guests by having way-finding signage for your church.

Types of directional signage for your church:

While you may think of permanent signage that hands from the ceiling or signage that is mounted on the walls, there are other options for creating function interior signage especially if your church facility serves as a multi-purpose space:

• Roll up (or retractable) banners: Perfect for portable church spaces, or temporary signage for churches who have different events through the week compared to a weekend. Switch a roll up banner for student ministry during the week, or for small group classes taking place around your church to create variations to your signage.
• Floor decals: While hard to spot in high-traffic spaces, they can be great for creating a direction in a lineup space (arrows along a wall for kids checkin or pickup) or in low traffic areas - like a single red floor decal that says "Exit only" in front of a door to help create a specific traffic flow.

• A-frame or sandwich board signs: Block off an unused hallway or an entrance that's not accessible during worship at the front of your auditorium for example. These signs can be custom designed with simply a logo and an arrow and are the perfect signage for both inside and outside applications.The coroplast inserts are swapped out within minutes, so you can have a youth logo, main church logo, an "Enter Here" or have your service times posted during the week.

• Sandwich board signs are popular for churches who are in a downtown area who don't have a front lawn but can use some sidewalk space to advertise events.

To maximize the benefits of your new church signage, keep in mind 3 types of signs your facility will need:

1) "You're invited" church signage

2) "You've found us" signage

3) "How to find your way around" (way-finding) signage