IMPACTUS FAQ's

Why did we make this change?

For over 25 years, Promise Keepers Canada was a conference-centered ministry calling men from across Canada to gather at large, impactful events. After many years of successful and well-attended conferences, we witnessed a significant change in conference attendance.

In 2017 after the explosion of digital and social media, the leadership team spent extensive time in prayer seeking the Lord’s guidance. As a result, God led us to explore the possibility of reaching generations of men globally online and reaching the next generation of men who primarily learn and interact online.

We’re the same ministry with the same vision –“To see every man becoming, growing, and living as a disciple of Jesus”

We had a successful launch of Impactus, but still have much work to do to make people aware of the ministry, the new name, and how we can help equip men and leaders of men for godly impact.

Promise Keepers Canada was formed in 1995 as a conference ministry in Canada. After many years of successful and well-attended conferences, we saw a consistent and significant decline in conference attendance. In 2017 after the explosion of digital and social media, the leadership team spent extensive time in prayer seeking the Lord’s guidance. The team was strongly impressed by God to explore the possibility of reaching generations of men globally online and reaching the next generation of men who primarily learn and interact online.

Yes, a great deal of research (consultations, focus groups, town halls, etc.) was done on the Promise Keepers Canada brand name, awareness amongst men of all ages, feedback from younger men as well as the name Impactus.

Key research findings:

The Promise Keepers Canada name was well known amongst core conference attendees over the years; however, the brand awareness and familiarity with what the ministry did was very low in Canada for a ministry that had existed for over 20 years.
There was and is much confusion (which remains today) with PK USA. Many men feel PK Canada and PK USA are the same ministry. When interacting with Canadian men, many fondly recall “attending one of your conferences in the U.S.,” which is not the case.
The name was often reduced to PK, PK Canada, or PKC, which added greater confusion and only served to hurt the awareness of the brand, as many men had no idea what PK was or stood for. Impactus cannot be short formed.
There was a significant decline and plateauing in conference attendees. The ministry was not sustainable as a conference-only ministry.
As Promise Keepers Canada, we were limited to doing ministry in Canada only as per our agreement with PK USA. To become a global ministry and reach men around the world, a new name and direction were necessary.
A common theme amongst younger men surveyed, if they knew Promise Keepers at all (which was rare), was “Promise Keepers is something my dad or my grandfather did.” A new brand and online direction were necessary to effectively reach the sons and grandsons of men who have attended PK conferences over the years.

God planted the seed of an idea in 2017. The change was not taken lightly and involved much prayer and seeking God’s direction. The transition began in September 2020 and was communicated to ALL Promise Keepers Canada constituents, including donors, conference attendees over many years, Daily Devotional, email subscribers, and more.

Brand Transition, as seen on our website and in ALL communications since 2020:

September 2020 - Promise Keepers Canada | Impactus
September 2021 - Impactus | Promise Keepers Canada
September 2023 - Impactus

Our vision remains the same today as it did many years ago – “To see every man becoming, growing, and living as disciples of Jesus Christ.” In order to continue to work towards this vision, our mission has to change. The world is dramatically different than it was in 1995, and the method of reaching “every man” has to change. The next generation of men does not relate to Promise Keepers Canada, and the name restricts ministry efforts to Canada only.

Promise Keepers Canada is not the first brand to successfully change its name.

Here are some famous brands that have changed their names:

Gideons > ShareWord Global

Campus Crusade For Christ > CRU

Facebook > Meta

Cadabra > Amazon

BackRub > Google

Blue Ribbon Sports > Nike

RIM > Blackberry

Brad’s Drink > Pepsi

Starbucks Coffee > Starbucks

Kentucky Fried Chicken > KFC

World Wrestling Federation > WWE

Pete’s Super Submarines > Subway

Absolutely not. Per the research and reasons listed above, the Impactus direction allows the ministry to reach men globally. Furthermore, outside of the core Promise Keepers audience, the name has not been well recognized and has not been well received by younger men. Our hope and prayer are that the generation of men who have grown with Promise Keepers Canada over the past 25+ years will be supportive of the mission to reach their sons and grandsons more effectively for Jesus.

No. At the root of Promise Keepers Canada, leadership wanted to draw men closer to God – and this has not changed.

Our core beliefs and statement of faith have not changed. We have moved away from the Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper and made this change on the new website launched in September 2020. We will revise and develop new ministry value statements to strengthen our commitments and clarify our focus.

How we communicate and the tools we use may change, including fewer conferences and more digital content. Our world is changing, and we are changing with it. Please note that “we are changing” but not the gospel or the need for the gospel in all men’s lives.

Absolutely. We’ve seen God confirm this direction more than once. The most significant was in March 2020, when the world and in-person gatherings were shuttered due to the pandemic for nearly 3 years, and we were able to pivot to an online-focused ministry instantly without missing a beat. We had been developing online content for months and were able to minister to men through our website and social media. Had we not been prepared, there was a good chance the ministry would have ceased to exist.

Impactus is a Latin word that comes from the root word IMPACT. One of the meanings of impact is “to press closely into something as in to leave a mark.” For men to have a godly impact on the world around them, they must press closely into their walk with God and allow Him to press closely into us.

As well, Impactus is a universal word that does not require translation into other languages, which is significant to becoming an international ministry.

It’s a different world today than in the 1990s and early 2000’s. While there are a lot of great and historical memories, conferences of all kinds do not get the attendance they once did, and being a conference-driven ministry in Canada alone is no longer a sustainable model. We will do conferences - fewer than before, and they will not be the “same old, same old” as has been heard for many years. God has called Impactus to minister to men globally, and we will leverage technology to bring online conferences to men around the world.

Yes. Impactus is and will remain a ministry to men. Our direction will focus on two groups of men:

Individual men (with an intentional strategy to reach younger men)

Our mission is to “Ignite and equip men to have a godly impact.” Our vision is “To see every man becoming, growing, and living as disciples of Jesus Christ:

This includes men of all ages. We will continue to intentionally reach younger men while continuing to speak into the lives of men who have grown with Promise Keepers for over 25 years.

Men’s Ministry Leaders

As a men’s ministry, we believe that ministry to men is a critical way to see every man become grow and live as a disciple of Jesus. Our heart is to help local churches and leaders develop life-changing ministries to men. When authentic discipleship takes place, it changes the lives of men, their families, the church, and the community.

Our website and social media presence will be stronger than ever. Our online and social presence will be branded as Impactus and will speak to generations of men. We will have more resources for men of all ages and men’s ministry leaders as we seek to see every man become, grow, and live as a disciple of Jesus.

The website URL changed to impactus.org in September 2020 and will remain this way.
The social media username changed to @impactusmen in September 2020 and will remain this way, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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