The Bayou Church

Located in Lafayette, Louisiana, The Bayou Church—which serves more than 3,500 adults and kids on a weekly basis—exists to transform lives in Acadiana through Christ-centered relationships.

Among the Services Provided:

Church rename

verbal and visual identity

Website design and development

fractional communications team

capital campaign strategy and execution

Challenges

By 2013, more than 40 years after its first service, East Bayou Baptist Church was seeking a fresh articulation of its mission, vision, and strategy, and a possible rename to allow for broader reach in Acadiana. Then, once defined and after an initial rollout, the church sought to engage in an intentional and ongoing strategy to communicate its mission by developing a new team, systems, and processes through which they would be able to better serve and reach their community for Christ.

Strategy

After a successful partnership with Auxano to rename and rebrand East Bayou Baptist Church—The Bayou Church—our team stepped in as a fractional communications team in 2015 to create and execute a communications strategy that, still today, includes a range of responsibilities, from department leadership, to process and project management; digital communication and social media, to design and brand management; to Sunday-specific tasks. While remote, the Mane Ideas team functions as part of The Bayou Church staff.

Results

In the last five years alone, Mane Ideas has come alongside The Bayou Church to help successfully navigate a senior pastor transition, COVID, ministry building destruction due to Hurricane Delta, and a two-year capital campaign. By God’s grace and through His provision, lives are being transformed in record numbers. Most recently, more than 4,000 people attended one of six Christmas concerts; 1,200 adults have been engaged in small groups; and, more than $400k was given away to ministry partners within a 12-month span. Through this ongoing collaboration, The Bayou Church has continued to grow in its effectiveness for the Gospel.