How to Choose an Outdoor Church Sign

Is your church ready to boost visibility in your community with a new outdoor sign? Choosing the right signage is a big decision — one that affects how your church is seen by neighbors, visitors, and first-time guests driving by. That's why Lifeway OneSource has partnered with Stewart Signs, a trusted leader in custom outdoor signage, to give churches a simple, guided path from first idea to finished sign.

Below is a step-by-step look at what that process looks like, so you know exactly what to expect when you're ready to invest in a new church sign.

1. Consultation: Defining Your Church's Signage Goals

Every project starts with a conversation. During your initial consultation, a Stewart Signs consultant — available through the Lifeway OneSource partnership — will walk through your church's goals and vision for an outdoor sign. Are you trying to increase visibility from the road? Attract more first-time visitors? Simply refresh an outdated sign to match your church's current branding? This step sets the direction for everything that follows.

2. Site Survey: Assessing Your Church's Location

Once your goals are clear, a virtual site survey identifies the details that shape your sign's design and placement — things like traffic speed, number of lanes, visibility from the road, electrical access, and local zoning regulations. For churches, this step is especially important: sign visibility along a busy road can make the difference between a passerby noticing your Sunday service times or driving right past.

3. Sketch and Proposal: Designing Your Custom Church Sign

With site details in hand, Stewart Signs' design team creates a custom sketch tailored to your church's branding and needs — whether that's a digital LED display for service times and announcements, or a classic monument sign. You'll receive a detailed proposal covering specifications, materials, and cost, so your leadership and finance team have everything needed to move forward with confidence.

4. Permitting: Navigating Local Sign Regulations

Sign permitting can be one of the more time-consuming parts of the process, especially for churches navigating city or county zoning rules for the first time. With Managed Installation, the Stewart Signs team handles code compliance and permitting on your behalf. If your church prefers Direct Installation, you'll start the permit process directly with your local building and regulations office — with guidance available along the way.

5. Production: Built for Longevity

Every sign is produced using high-quality materials and industry-leading techniques, built to withstand weather and daily wear so your investment lasts for years — not just a single Christmas or Easter season.

6. Installation: Two Options to Fit Your Church's Needs

Churches can choose between two installation options:

• Direct Installation

  — your church or contractor completes a self-installation, equipped with the right tools and instructions for a smooth setup.

• Managed Installation

  — an experienced Project Manager oversees nearly every detail, offering a hands-off experience for church staff who are already stretched thin.

7. Ongoing Support: A Partnership That Doesn't End at Installation

After your sign is installed, support continues. Lifeway OneSource's partnership with Stewart Signs means your church has access to lifetime phone and online support — from routine cleaning questions to troubleshooting — helping your sign perform at its best for years to come.

Why Churches Choose Lifeway OneSource + Stewart Signs

Buying a new outdoor sign involves more steps than most churches expect — consultation, design, permitting, production, and installation. Through Lifeway OneSource's partnership with Stewart Signs, churches get a single, guided path through every phase, backed by a team that understands both the technical requirements of signage and the unique needs of ministry.

Ready to boost your church's visibility? Reach out to Lifeway OneSource today to start your custom outdoor sign project with Stewart Signs.