An Exciting New Change
An organization's logo is an important part of its identity. At ITEC, for the last seven years, we have had a logo that tells the story of my grandfather Nate, and his four friends, that many of you are familiar with. We have found that understanding ITEC's mission, and its connection to the 1956 story, has sometimes caused confusion.
In short, ITEC exists because, oftentimes, short-term missions create dependency that can sideline the indigenous church in the Great Commission. ITEC develops tools and training programs that equip and empower the indigenous church to meet basic needs in their community as a door opener to share the Gospel.
The Original ITEC Logo
When my Dad started ITEC in 1996, our original logo featured a handshake. This small element shared a vision of partnership and interdependency with indigenous Christ-followers as the cornerstone for ITEC. We were not going to travel overseas to 'do things' for the believers there, rather, we were going to develop tools to train and equip the church there. Indigenous Christ-followers know the language, understand the culture, and can navigate their context much better than we can.
ITEC actually wasn't my Dad's idea, it was a request from the Waodani, the tribe that speared my grandfather and his four friends. So, in 2012, our logo was redesigned to its current version that prominently features the story that, in many ways, led to the eventual founding of ITEC. The two prominent features of the logo were Waodani spears and the Piper PA-14. At that time, ITEC was heavily involved in Ecuador, training in tandem with our team there.
Since 2012, God has opened doors for ITEC training far beyond the boundaries of Ecuador, or even South America. While our mission and vision haven't changed, we have continued to refine what we do, asking God to lead the way. We are continually humbled by the people God has brought to our team both in the US and Ecuador in recent years.
It has become clear to our team that there is often confusion between our current branding and the work we actually do. In three words, ITEC develops, trains, and equips. We develop tools and training systems, we train mature Christ-followers around the world to meet physical needs of their own people as a door opener to share the gospel, and we equip others to do the same (both in the US and abroad). Many people, however, approach us at conferences, or even come tour our facility, asking us what kind of aviation work we do. Those who have followed ITEC for years are often shocked to learn that we are involved in so many other disciplines, all over the world, not just in Ecuador.
A New Look With Deep Meaning
With this knowledge, we embarked on a large branding redesign project and we're happy to share it with you. Our new logo is simple and clean while having deep meaning built-in. The primary feature is the yellow box, in Piper yellow, honoring the legacy and roots ITEC has in the story that began with the missionaries killed in 1956. The box itself is also incomplete, with the ITEC letters both inside and outside of the box. The development arm at ITEC requires outside the box thinkers to develop tools for frontier areas, while our training team must be very structured, operating inside the box. Under the logo we put our three mission objectives: Develop, Train, and Equip.
While we know that many of you have come to like our former logo, we hope you find equal excitement and meaning with this refocused branding. You will begin to see this logo replacing the old logo in many places very soon. We are thankful for your continued prayers, donations, and support of ITEC and the work that God has invited us to complete together. Thanks for being a part of the extended ITEC support team and for being a part of this story that God continues to write.