The Church Sign and Its Captions
By: Verlyn D. Verbrugge

A church sign is essentially an instrument for advertising. At a minimum, it announces the name of the church, perhaps its denominational affiliation, and the times of its worship services and Sunday school. In most cases, it is located on church property, close to the road. Examined on this level, a church sign is no different from a retail store sign, a restaurant sign or an insurance company sign.

The problem with a permanent sign, of course, is that, for the vast majority of us, it becomes part of the landscape that, in our rush to get from one place to another, we no longer see, let alone special pay attention to. If you ask people who pass by a particular church every day what its name is, I suspect that the majority, while they know that a church is located on that street, would be unable to give its name.

The challenge for a church, therefore, is to develop a means of drawing continual attention to its location by having a sign that changes its look. The best way to accomplish this, I think, is by having a space on the sign where a caption of some sort can be placed, which is changed frequently. People's eyes will be drawn regularly to the sign and to the church it is advertising as the message changes.

Thus, for the last several decades, many churches have installed signs on which movable letters can be placed. The challenge for these churches, of course, is to find captions that cleverly draw people's attention so that they will remember them.

These captions can serve several purposes. They can serve as an identity marker to what a particular church stands for. If the captions frequently stress faith in Jesus Christ, the importance of reading the Bible and going to church, the value of prayer, and so on, people will know that church is an evangelical church. If the captions are of a generic, secular nature, stress God's love for everyone, and never hint at human sin and our need for salvation, that church is probably a more liberal church.

The message on the church sign can, of course, announce special events of the church that are open to the public, such as special services, Vacation Bible School , concerts, community outreach events, and the like. Naturally, you would not put on your sign an ad for an event that was not intended for the general public.

Another valid function of the sign is simply to inspire and encourage people driving by. Even if those who see the caption do not attend your church, you can bless them insights for everyday living and thoughts about their Christian lives as they travel from their homes to the mall or work. Captions can remind them of the importance of praying, attending church, accepting Jesus as their personal Savior, seeing God's will in everything that happens, finding encouragement for struggles they are going through, and so forth. You will probably never know how many people your sign ministry has blessed, but the Lord does, and that is what counts.

The development of a caption is the most critical element in a sign ministry. For the most part, people driving by a church sign have at best three to five seconds to read the caption, so a caption must be kept short and to the point. That means, in general, a maximum of 10 to 12 words.

A caption is, of course, made up of words, and each word needs to count. Therefore, the more cleverly you can use words, the more easily the caption will stick in people's minds. For that reason, the best captions play with words and the different meanings we give to words.

Some captions, for example, play with antonyms, such as: "Feeling down today? Try looking up." Not only does this caption play with the opposite of "down" and "up," but there is also a double meaning to the phrase "looking up." Or another one: "Put Christ first if you want you marriage to last."

Many captions simply play with the different meanings to the same word or phrase. For example, "Home improvement: Take your family to church" plays on two different meanings of the phase "home improvement." Or again, the caption, "If you are going the wrong way, God allows U-turns" plays both with the letter "U" and the double meaning given here to the idea of a "U-turn."

Captions can also play with homonyms or associations of word sounds. The following examples all have this characteristic:

• "We have a prophet-sharing plan."
• "Come in for a faith lift."
• "Come worship in the Sonshine."
• "For a special treat, try one of our Sundays."
• "Read the Bible; prevent truth decay."
• "Life is a puzzle; look here for the missing peace."

Many other effective captions are those that take off on a metaphor, though admittedly these usually force people to think and reflect (but that is about all we can do driving anyway). For example, the caption "Forcing a rosebud open ruins the flower" communicates that if we run ahead of God's plan and try to force his hand, we may be heading for disaster. Or the caption "Smooth seas don't make skillful sailors" suggests that we can grow stronger as we experience life's struggles. Or think about this one in the same vein: "We cannot direct the winds, but we can adjust the sails."

Another fruitful area for captions is to take current phrases and slogans and redirect them into a Christian message. For example, Hallmark's slogan "Care enough to send the very best" can be rewritten to "God cared enough to send his very best." People will get the association. Or here is a modification of the American Express theme: "Jesus: Don't leave earth without him."

The following captions are all based on somewhat current slogans:

• "Believe in Jesus. Just do it!"
• "Have it God's way."
• "The Bible: breakfast of spiritual champions."
• "There are some things money can't buy-like salvation."
• "Jesus Christ-like a rock."

The nice thing about these sorts of captions is that the next time a person sees an ad on TV or in print with the caption that was redirected, chances are good that he or she will think of the way you have modified it and receive a blessing or think about it a second time.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for what is going on around you and attempt to develop your own modifications of the phrases that we hear every day. They may be nationwide phrases, but they can also be slogans unique to your own community.

Captions associated with sayings can also be based on classic sayings or common proverbs. For example, most people know Shakespeare's famous line: "To be or not to be, that is the question." So why not try: "To be or not to be saved, that is the question." Or again, "All's well that ends in heaven." Or, "God's Word: The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

The categories of captions that, I think, bless people the most and stick with them the longest fall in the areas that touch their everyday lives. In the book I wrote on church sign captions, I divided the sayings into broad categories, such as captions on marriage and the family, on prayer, on going to church, on evangelistic themes, on encouragement, on God being in charge of our lives, on the Bible, and on living the Christian life. I also had a section on seasonal captions, and not just church calendar days such as Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter, but also each of the four seasons, the Fourth of July, Mother's Day, Labor Day and even Halloween.

Remember, the caption that you put on your church sign is mini-sermon that you are presenting to the community in which you live. Make sure that it has a message that you want passers-by to hear, both those who know the Lord Jesus as Savior and those who don't. May your church a blessing to those around you-even on your church sign.

Verlyn D. Verbrugge is senior editor for academic and reference works at Zondervan and pastor of the Woodland Drive-In Church . His book Your Church Sign was published by Zondervan.

Sidebar
Product Roundup

MPC
Signs For more than 50 years, MPC Signs has manufactured a wide variety of internally illuminated message board signs, way-finding signs and electronic message centers. Utilizing all aluminum construction, the signs are built to exacting standards. All signs are UL listed, created with high quality materials and workmanship. MPC Signs makes the experience of buying a sign easy. The company's "Create Your Own Sign" CD walks customers through the process of designing a sign. An on-staff graphic designer will help with the design process, if needed, at no charge. Detailed installation instructions accompany every sign.
www.mpcchurchsigns.com

Stewart Church Signs
Since 1968, Stewart Church Signs has been a trusted supplier of changeable copy and electronic signs to America 's churches. Stewart signs feature vandal and graffiti-resistant finishes, laser sharp graphics and come with a lifetime warranty. The company has been endorsed by 19 church denominations. Contact Stewart for a free Sign Project Planner.
www.stewartsigns.com

Schneider Signs
All sign faces from Schneider Signs are thermally curved and vacuum panformed from General Electric Solar Grade co-extruded Lexan. 3M high-performance vinyl graphics are computer-cut to assure exact graphic duplication with razor-sharp resolution. The graphics are then applied to the inside of the sign face to protect your image from external forces of airborne contaminates, adverse weather, damaging ultraviolet rays and vandalism. Their 1 ¼-inch face panforming depth provides for face rigidity, depth dimension and distinctive individual panels on one unified face. Copy track is riveted every 3-1/2 inches to assure a permanent even attachment that aids changeable copy placement. Communications continue during the nighttime with internal illumination from high output, energy efficient General Electric fluorescent tubes.
www.schneidersigns.net

Signs Plus
Now in its second decade, Signs Plus provides an extensive array of indoor and outdoor changeable copy and LED (moving message) signs. Incorporating dynamic designs with the latest technology keeps Signs Plus on the cutting edge of the marketplace. A comprehensive lifetime warranty is provided on the high quality engineered, cost effective signage from Signs Plus. 
www.signsplussigns.com

Green Sign Company
Since 1971, Green Sign Company has been producing all types of custom signs and awnings for a wide variety of churches and businesses. A dedication to backing its products, having a creative staff and understanding the competitive market are part of the philosophy at Green. The company offers a price matching guarantee and five-year warranties on products.
www.greensignco.com

SouthWood
For more than 30 years, SouthWood Corporation has been known for providing beautifully designed, high-quality signage solutions for places of worship and educational facilities. Many folks associate SouthWood with nice "wood" signs but do not realize that they also offer innovative sign solutions utilizing an array of other materials, such as aluminum, cast resins, high-density urethane, chrome, stainless steel, etched zinc, photopolymer and many more. SouthWood can help you plan and implement your new signage project whether you are creating a new look for your existing property or developing a new campus.
www.southwoodcorp.com