A New Look
By Debbie Tanis
Last Sunday in our worship services we introduced a new visual identity for Four Oaks Church, including a new logo. You’ll see this reflected in our publications, on our website, our social media pages, and building signs. Wherever the old, familiar leaf appears now, you will see a new image emerge, designed to be a fresh expression of our identity as a gospel-rooted, local body of Christ in Tallahassee.
Every touch-point of communication, both digital and print, internal and external, is an opportunity to put Jesus Christ on display and reinforce our church’s mission and values. The message we communicate is meant not only to connect with our church family, but also to connect with our communities and our city. As we seek to share the gospel in these spheres, our voice should be loving and humble, consistent and unified. While a logo and a brand are only elements of the way we are perceived within and outside of Four Oaks, they should express our God-given identity as His church that stands the test of time and it’s ever-changing visual trends. In developing our new look, we started by examining our roots, reminding ourselves why Four Oaks Church was planted to begin with, and followed the branches to where we are now – a church that seeks to treasure, grow, and go in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
With this in mind, you will see some similarities between our current logo and our new logo which attempts to bring together traditional imagery with a modern style. At the center is a cross – symbolizing the foundation from which everything comes. The four points represent our four values and the leafy arms of the cross allude to our name and roots.
What we hope you will see is that our new logo represents both a rich past and a hopeful future, elements that we experience daily in our Christian walks. Just as this journey as disciples of Christ can be uncertain, our faith for the future is strong because of God’s grace in the past.
No logo, old or new, plays much of a role in the only certainty upon which we can depend: that God is with us and we will spend eternity with Him. But it can communicate a commitment to God and a willingness to follow him through whatever changes He wills for us. As we contemplate our history, mission, values and vision, and most importantly the gospel, our hope is that the new Four Oaks Church visual identity reflects our unique story as well as the larger narrative of God’s work in and through us. Our intention is that it mirrors what we value at Four Oaks Church – a spiritual vision for our church family, both corporately and individually, to treasure, grow, and go in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I would like to thank Pastor Josh Hughes for leading us through a journey that started with an idea to "update our logo," Pastor Zach Simons for pursuing the project enthusiastically with wisdom and an understanding of the process, and Forrest Hughes for designing our new visual identity.
