For years now, churches have been giving away or selling various kinds of merchandise, or “church merch.” Churches will slap a logo on anything from a pen to an umbrella. Aside from the creative aspect of producing merchandise, it gives people a tangible symbol of belonging to a congregation, of sharing in some kind of learning, or it may simply be a display of faith. Not to mention, free merch can be a great way to welcome guests.
Because styles are constantly changing, it can be a real challenge for churches to keep up. And creating trendy merch is important if you want people to actually rock it.
Jennie Risley from the Church Communications Facebook group recently asked for church swag inspirations, and we thought it would be a great idea to share the top photo submissions right here to spark your imagination:
Photo from Rachel Bowman
Photo from Rachel Bowman
Photo from Rachel Bowman
Photo from Nathan Mallek
Photo from Kelli Devon
Photo from Chad Brooks
Merchandises like those in the above images are the most common:
- Mugs
- Caps
- Shirts
- Sweaters
- Bags
- Tumblers
- Notebooks
Those are just a few ideas of items your church could personalize and distribute. Again, try to keep up with current trends too. Maybe seek out further inspiration on Pinterest or Instagram. Also keep in mind what kind of congregation you are serving. If you work at a mostly traditional or mostly contemporary church, design accordingly. Merchandise is a great way to be creative and connect people at your church, so have fun!
