Constant Change, Unchangeable God

As you already know, Outpost has been through several changes in the past few years. We have a fun new change for you: a new logo! Heraclitus said, “The only constant thing in life is change,” but, unlike this Greek philosopher, we Christians have a deeper understanding that God is the constant over and above any change.

There is a paradox in this, though. During the Christmas season, we remember that God was and is incarnational through Jesus Christ. The changeless God and His changeless Word took on flesh and experienced human growth. There is a mystery in how the infinite and always-the-same God sought to make Himself known and communicate His eternal message to us finite and ever-changing humans.

Changeless, yet Dynamic God

While God is changeless, He is not static—He’s dynamic! His Word and Truth never change, even as our culture and society do. What does change from time to time, era to era, culture to culture, person to person, is the packaging and style of communicating God’s Truth and Gospel. Again, God and His Word are incarnational—meaning somehow His Truth remains the same even as it is expressed differently in order to be understood in many diverse contexts.

Simplify and Clarify

All of that to say—we are still the same ministry with the same focus. With this logo change, we hope to communicate our message in a clearer way! A lot of my role here as the director of Outpost has been to simplify and clarify who we are and what we do. That was the main purpose behind the core values—Honor, Humility, Honesty, and Healing—as well as behind articulating our mission “to love God, declare freedom, and establish outposts of restoration for the sexually and relationally broken Body of Christ.”

Image of our new logo, described in the article.

Our new logo is, likewise, meant to help us communicate who we are more effectively. Part of the impetus for the change was a desire to make a more memorable logo. We want people to think about us and pray for us often! The basic design shows the letters “O” and “P” combined as “OP,” which is usually our abbreviation for “Outpost.” The black “O” is meant to represent the kingdom of darkness where sin keeps people trapped in an endless loop of despair. The red shape that turns the “O” into a “P” is meant to represent a house of refuge or “outpost of restoration” for those that have been called out of darkness. The Cross is the bridge that breaks us out of the endless cycle of sin and brokenness.

We also have a new slogan or way of articulating our mission: “Encounter. Equip. Establish.” or “Encounter God. Equip the Church. Establish outposts of restoration.” Each of these ties directly to part of our mission statement, articulating it in a succinct and memorable way.  Now let’s talk about this slogan, and how it specifically relates to each part of the mission statement.

Encounter God

This ties to the phrase “love God” in our mission statement. We believe loving God ought to lead to encountering Him, and encountering Him to loving Him. Encountering God’s love is essential to starting and sustaining the healing journey, which is why we emphasize it and try to create spaces for our participants to encounter God.

Equip the Church

The longer form of this phrase could say, “equip the Church for a deeper evangelism” (if we wanted to add yet another “e”). This is another way of saying “declare freedom,” since we are seeking to equip churches, ministries, and Christians to proclaim the Good News of God’s transformative power—that there is hope and freedom from sexual and relational brokenness!

Establish Outposts (of Restoration)

Another way to say this is “establishing transformative community.” The reason we are called Outpost is because an outpost is a waystation, the furthest reaches of a territory or kingdom. We are meant to be a place of refuge for those defecting from the kingdom of darkness as well as those who have wandered or are wandering away from the kingdom of light. An outpost is not someplace where you live forever. Our goal is to see participants learn and grow in this transformative community for a time, but ultimately be sent forth into what God has for them.

Speaking of being sent forth, there is another major change coming—I (Jonathan) will be stepping down from my position at Outpost in April. I am following God’s leading and call to an executive pastor position at a church in another state. This decision was not easy since I believe Outpost is such a gem and a treasure—there really is nothing else quite like it! And I’ve loved the ministry I’ve been able to do here. Still, I’m trusting God knows what He’s doing, both in my life as I walk in obedience, as well as for this ministry of His. I have always felt my role here was a transitional one, and it’s been such a blessing to serve alongside the staff and volunteers. They are amazing and are more than capable of ensuring Outpost continues serving the brokenhearted through this transition of leadership and beyond!

Now more than ever we need your continued prayer and support. We are actively looking for my replacement, so please pray that God will call the right person to help lead this ministry in its vital work. Thank you for your prayers!