A recognisable and salient identity (logo, typeface, etc.) can help to ensure that we gain attention and that our message cuts through the clutter. Within the context of Christian organisations, building a strong identity has undoubtedly helped Tear Fund, Spring Harvest and Alpha raise their profiles and capture attention. Similarly, we knew that in order for our 'voice' to be heard above the clamour, our identity could not afford to be bland and recessive.

It is said that identity is strategy made visible. The new look you can see in this magazine is the culmination of a strategic project that began in December 2001. As part of a much bigger process to review and re-shape the mission, financial, and operational strategies of the organisation, we also undertook a complete re-think of our communications - including our identity. We realised that in order to signal a radical cultural and operational change in the organisation and its mission, we needed a radical new identity. Also, we acknowledged that although the truth of God is unchanging and Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday, and today and forever  (Hebrews: 13:8), nevertheless the Gospel is always clothed in cultural garments, and to be honest our 'cIothing' was beginning to look decidedly old-fashioned! We needed to modernise, enliven and rejuvenate our appearance.

Although we gave ourselves 'carte blanche', we decided very quickly to keep the Crosslinks name. Since our change from BCMS in 1992, our distinctive name is now established within the Anglican Communion and continues to serve our purposes brilliantly, 'Crosslinks' summarises the heart of the Gospel, the cross of Christ linking God to Man and being God's way of mission. Crosslinks also describes the postcolonial globalisation of mission with its new emphasis on partnership and national work: the cross links race to race, nation to nation, culture to culture. Crosslinks also captures the growing trend towards direct links between Mission Partners and their supporters. Finally, Crosslinks points to unity, for it is the cross that links church to church, generation to generation, traditionalist to post-modernist, Christian to Christian. All in all not a bad name!

Crosslinks magazine October 2003 index