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Great custom graphic design is ideal. But sometimes time, money, or skill limitations make it necessary to use premade graphics. And even when you have the time, money, and skills, there are still occasions when it is more efficient to not reinvent the wheel and to instead use and build upon a premade resource.

In either case, here are 15 of the best sites offering free church graphics and resources. And if you want to spend some cash, I have also included 6 sites that cost money but are worth considering for premade resources.

Free Church Graphics and Resources

• CreativeMYK.com
  Offers free church graphics including logos, photos, vector art, projector slides, bulletins, sermon graphics, projector slides, templates, and more. The site also includes a social network for Christian artists.
• LifeChurch.tv Open
  Offers free sermon series resources that include message outlines, sermon graphics, videos, and more creative materials created by LifeChurch.tv (Edmond, OK).
• Muddy River Media
  Offers free illustrative videos, motion backgrounds, countdown timers, stock photographs, illustrations, small group resources, and more.
• NewSpring Ministries
  Offers free sermon series resources (e.g., sermon graphics, audio, message outline, & service outline) as well as administrative forms and manuals created by NewSpring Church (Anderson, SC).
• Northside Christian Church Creative Resources
  Offers free logos, posters, and other artwork designed by Northside Christian Church (New Albany, IN).
• Nside Admin
  Offers free administrative documents from North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA) on church government, human resources, accounting, facilities, IT, and Web.
• Seacoast All Access
  Offers free sermon series resources that include sermon graphics, motion graphics, audio, video, message notes, and small group questions created by Seacoast Church (Mt. Pleasant, SC).
• Vine Resources
  Offers free sermon series graphics, postcards, countdown videos, and message bumpers created by the college ministry of Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY).

Free General Graphics and Resources

• Adobe Exchange
  Offers free downloads to use with Adobe software including brushes, styles, gradients, custom shapes, and patterns for Photoshop.
• BittBox
  A blog that regularly highlights free Photoshop brushes, Flash components, vector graphics, and more.
• Brusheezy
  Offers free Photoshop brushes.
• Flasheezy
  Offers free Flash elements.
• PS Brushes
  Offers free Photoshop brushes.
• Smashing Magazine
  A blog that regularly highlights free graphics, fonts, and more.
• Vecteezy
  Offers free vector graphics.

Church Resources that Cost Money

• Creative Pastors
  Sells sermon series resources that include sermon graphics, video, mind maps, outlines, audio, and more created by Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX).
• North Point Resources
  Sells logos, DVDs, sermon messages, conference messages, and more created by North Point Community Church (Alpharetta, GA).
• Outreach
  Sells church graphics that include postcards, banners, bulletins, door hangers, invitations, brochures, logos, signage, and more.
• The Church Box
  Sells sermon series resources that include sermon graphics, PowerPoint slides, and audio created by Four Corners Community Church (West Chester, OH).
• WiredChurches.com
  Sells sermon series resources (e.g., outlines, graphics, videos, audio, & scripts) and administrative resources (e.g., forms, documents, & manuals) created by Granger Community Church (Granger, IN).
• WorshipHouse Media
  Sells mini-movies, motions, stills, software, and editables for churches.

For Discussion:
- What are you favorite websites for church resources and why? Be sure to mention whether they are free or cost money.

The Center for Church Communications (CFCC) has had great success with their Flickr Church Marketing Lab. And now members are hoping to capture the synergy of the online lab and bring it to their communities by creating local labs. There are already seventeen regions across the United States that are creating local church marketing labs, and the list is growing.

One of those regions is my community - Tulsa, Oklahoma. We are already networking on Flickr and Facebook, and we plan to have our first meeting at 6:00 PM on Monday, April 7th at the Panera Bread at 71st and Garnett.

If you are in the Tulsa area and want to talk church communications, I would love to see you at the meeting. We will be meeting on the first Monday of every month. Meeting locations may vary from month to month. For the latest details, visit the Tulsa Church Communications Lab’s Facebook page.

For those of you outside of Tulsa, you can join an existing local church marketing lab or create a new one. Visit CFCC’s website for more information.

Seth Godin is interviewed on the latest episode of the Catalyst Podcast. It features Seth Godin’s big ideas behind Squidoo and his two most recent books, Meatball Sundae and The Dip. The Catalyst team also gets Seth Godin’s thoughts on the church and religion.

To listen to the interview or subscribe to the podcast, visit the Catalyst website. It is well worth it for any Seth Godin fan.

2 Big Lessons from Jesus’ Ministry Marketing

Overall, two big lessons stand out to me from Jesus’ ministry marketing.

1. Product is Priority.
   Great products market themselves. Always be striving to improve your ministry. Above all else, strive to be more Christlike.
2. Maximize Your Distribution
   Jesus was purposeful in reaching new people. I believe it is the church’s responsibility to utilize technology to maximize their reach.

For Discussion:
What do you think the role of marketing is in the church?

>> Read part 1 of the series.
>> Read part 2 of the series.
>> Read part 3 of the series.

Why doesn’t church marketing look like Jesus’ ministry marketing?

Quite simply, we aren’t perfect. We have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Ideally, a church should have the crowds of Jesus. Ideally, a church should impact people’s lives in such a way that that the entire region talks about it. But no church is perfect. We aren’t Christ, but we are trying to become more like Him. And I believe that as a church becomes more Christlike, it will create more word of mouth.

I have yet to hear of a church that generates the kind of sustainable word of mouth that Jesus’ ministry had, which is why advertising, direct marketing, and public relations are valuable tools for many churches.

>> Read part 1 of the series.
>> Read part 2 of the series.
>> Read part four of the series as I share the two biggest lessons I’ve learned from Jesus’ ministry marketing.

How would Jesus market His ministry today?

Had Jesus’ ministry taken place 2,000 years later, I do not think much would have changed. His ministry (His product) would still be perfect and would garner significant amounts of word of mouth and press coverage. It would still be of no charge financially. The biggest change would be His use of technology. Without question, Jesus would use technology to its fullest potential to distribute His message to as many people as possible.

But what would Jesus do for promotion? Would He use advertising, direct marketing, interactive marketing, personal selling, public relations, or sales promotions? I think He would use interactive marketing and personal selling. He would have a website to bring His message to a greater number of people globally, and He would still have a personal face-to-face ministry. The other areas are debatable. With large levels of word of mouth and press coverage, why spend money on advertising, direct marketing, or public relations. I definitely cannot imagine Jesus using the gimmicks of sales promotions to attract people.

>> Read part 1 of the series.
>> Read part three of the series as I take a look at why church marketing does not look like Jesus’ ministry marketing.

Pantone has published the top 10 fashion colors for spring 2008. As a designer, it is a convenient reference for me for knowing the latest color trends. So this spring, as you begin to design your church’s bulletin or postcard, give it a touch of spring and add some PANTONE 14-0852 or one of the other great 9 colors.

[via Trend Hunter]

This January, Church of the Resurrection (Leawood, KS) is beginning a new sermon series called “Seeing Gray.” Pastor Adam Hamilton will be searching for insight to some complex gray areas of faith, morality, and politics by studying the Bible and Christ’s example.

They are also taking the discussion from the pulpit to YouTube, and they are looking to hear your thoughts, opinions, and questions on each topic that will be discussed over the first five weeks of 2008.

Liberal or conservative? Republican or Democrat? Is there a right answer? What would Jesus say?

Here is the sermon series trailer:

Here is the YouTube question for week one of the series:

I appreciate this fresh approach to getting the congregation and others to join in discussion around each topic in the sermon series. To join the dialogue, visit their YouTube page.