Accelerating impact for a 30-year-old ministry.

Saint Paul’s Outreach is and always has been a Spirit-led ministry. Since their start over 30 years ago, God has guided their ministry of helping young men and women on college campuses seek deeper relationships with God and each other. In doing so, they’ve ignited a ripple of transformation in communities across the US.

With so much growth in the past 10 years, they came to a point where they needed new tools to keep moving forward. In their next chapter, SPO had big dreams of keeping the momentum going in all areas: reaching students, relationships with donors, thriving Households, and marketing endeavours.

SPO and Glass Canvas partnered to define their position and align ministry strategy with their communication efforts.

Getting to Know One Another

During our Strategy Sprint, a five-day strategic planning process, we quickly saw the strength and spirit of SPO. We spent time in conversation, prayer, strategic planning, branding exercises and decision making, and began articulating what God had called and anointed SPO to do.

The Power of New Language

From the Sprint, we created specific and unique language around why they existed, their brand promise, and brand charisms.

“Discerning what it is that God has uniquely and specifically called and anointed (us) to do is like scales falling off my eyes… we felt unity really for the first time around these key questions of the why, the how, the brand promise, the brand position.” – Gordy DeMarais, President & Founder of SPO

It was also important to identify why SPO felt so different to others in the college ministry landscape. SPO was called into building deep, life-long relationships during the college years and beyond. Their way of life meant establishing roots, inviting people in, doing life alongside one another in brotherhood and sisterhood, and seeking God together.

Naming this gave the team the foundation to explore new ideas with students, provide a more in-depth training tool for their missionaries, and create new donor material, all aligned with their mission.  

Matching the Look to the Spirit of SPO

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We had discovered so much heart and spirit with this community but it was yet to be captured in their marketing or communication.

Taking pieces from their why, charisms, and brand promise, we designed a logo that embraced the transformational journey of being in SPO. The triangle in the final stage of the progression holds a dual meaning of community, representing both the perfect community, the Trinity, and the unique ministry approach of SPO’s communities.

Tools & Structure for Long-Term Impact

We developed a detailed brand manual as a tool for their team, outlining everything from the mission behind SPO to how they speak in content. Together, all these things help make sure every piece of SPO communication supports their message all the time, every time.

As we worked with them on strategy for the upcoming national conference and brand launch, we used the project as a way to train their team on how to use the manual to the fullest.

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Brand in Action

With brand manual in hand, the SPO team built ASCEND, a national conference designed to create an environment of encounter and restoration for students. Strategically, the event also established the new brand look and set SPO on the path of living their brand foundation out well.

Launch Party Across the U.S.

In the spirit of their charism, the brand launch had to reflect the same integrity of SPO—focusing on the core Household and rippling outward. Within one week of the official launch, each chapter Household across the U.S. received a box of hats, shirts, water bottles, flags, etc. branded in the new SPO look.  

Preparing for the Next 30 Years

From there, we continued helping steward the SPO brand in different projects to make sure they had the tools, structure, and decision-making metrics for long-term growth. Here are some of the other things we did together:

Annual Report

Why Video

ASCEND conference direction

Strategic Planning & Consulting

• ASCEND Conference naming
• Social media launch
• Website refresh
• Donor strategy
• Mission call
• Brand launch
• Organizational chart
• Annual planning

“In all the time we've had the privilege of spending with SPO, one of the greatest things has been getting first-hand experience of the SPO brotherhood and sisterhood.” – Jason Jensen, CEO of Glass Canvas

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SPO is leaning fiercely into their calling, and because of that, we can’t wait to see what God has planned for our teams and the projects to come.