Logo to rid Church of muddled image

The Church of England plans to sharpen its corporate image by using a new logo, slick PR material and the internet.

The new logo, in the form of a large, lower-case C bisected by a cross, is aimed at providing a common corporate image for parishes across Britain and increasing the church's "gravitas". The symbol, in purple with the words "The Church of England" below, was created by the London design consultancy the Jenkins Group, which also produces work for Marks and Spencer and WH Smith.

A church spokesman confirmed last night that Nicholas Jenkins, the company's chairman, approached the church and offered its services: "For the last three or four years the church has been looking at how it can communicate and make it more effective. We are now running three print journalism courses so that parish newsletters have more impact.

"The logo is part of a bigger process. Obviously we have got to compete for people's attention in an increasingly competitive market place." In future, dioceses will be given style books to help with presenting their newsletters and circulars. The cost of the image revamp is expected to add up to around pounds 13,000, although Mr Jenkins has donated his services for free.

The new logo will be used from January on all Church House stationery. Twelve of England's 44 dioceses have already agreed to adopt it.

Church traditionalists, however, are expected to resist attempts to sharpen the church's corporate image, seeing it as an unnecessary attempt to market the parishes as though they were part of some commercial corporation. Church modernisers dismiss their concerns, however, as the resistance of a lobbying organisation opposed to all forms of change or modernisation of the church, including the ordination of women.