I belong to a tribe called "covenant". In years of ministry I have received mail to the "covert" church, the "convent" church, and the "convenient" church. We are open from 7 - 11, and we have nuns who are spies. We are a very interesting church. Ah names, sometimes it just does not get better.

This is a huge issue. These days, it's not just about renaming established churches. We also must consider the naming of our new churches. In Southern Baptist life, the naming of our churches is a source of argument and battle. Some people even want to use the word "Baptist" in a church's name as a baseline criterion for denominational support in church planting. - See my post at http://missionmpossible.blogspot.com/2006/11/show-me-money-funding-church-planting.html

I pastor a Southern Baptist church in Kentucky. We planted this church in 2002. We named our church Crossroads Fellowship. Our name has great depth of meaning. The slogan that we often use is, "A Place of New Direction." We have so many people in our church who come fron unchurched or de-churched backgrounds. They literally reached a "crossroad" in their lives ... and they chose to follow Jesus and serve Him through this church. And it doesn't hurt that we are only about 200 yards away from the major intersection (i.e. crossroad) in our entire county.

But, the lack of the "Baptist" name was enough to have us "defrocked" and rejected by the local Southern Baptist association. We have been rejected for fellowship by other Baptists simply because of the name on our sign. It's pretty sad.

But we drive on, and continue our search for those other young adults in our community who find themselves at their own "crossroads."

With reference to new church names, go ahead with the change! In any case, names were changed all the time from the beginning of Christendom. You mention Saul. He was changed to the Greek name Pavlos, "in order to contextualize himself in the Greek-speaking world", and more easily to mingle with the large populace of Greeks everywhere in the East since the centuries of the Helenistic Empires. He addressed the Greeks in their own language and scipt - his Epistles like all the New Testament originally writen in Greek. The Greeks acrosss the eastern world were the people he had decided to christianize (in company with Barnabas, a Greek-Cypriot) after the failure of the Apostles to christianize the Jews. Actually the Greeks became in the processthe first Christian nation in the world. Much later, the Greek "Pavlos", was converted to "Paul" (a different Roman name), and from there on to just about any other paraphrase you can imagine, to fit different languages and vernaculars in the world. No problem with names!

Thank you for generously sharing this great example of true spiritual wisdom in leadership and the people of God themselves. Changing the name without reference to denominational identity for me is an astonishing move in the right direction to recognition by the local churches the reality that the Spirit is one. Different are only the ministries. How simple, yet how difficult to us to comprehend…

I truly, truly appreciate the meaning behind that name. But with all due respect, it kinda sounds like a name for a Shopping Mall.

And that raises maybe some key questions: Does it mean the same to a person outside as it does to a person on the inside? And is it worth the effort to try to explain that it is a church, and not a Mall. Unfortunately what is well understood and internalized by members, can be a complete abstraction to an outsider. There can be value in a name that sounds like a church or a place of worship. Sometimes that's what people are looking for the most. Do we make it easy enough to be found? Sometimes being too clever or too generic can be a barrier. Can the name mean what we want it to mean without any explanation?

Just some impressions. I may be totally alone in my shopping mall opinion--that's okay. No offense intended.

I pastor a "Baptist" church and we are doing well being a "Baptist" church. I do not intend to propose a change in the church's name. I have been blessed, with God's help, to lead members in refocusing their spiritual energies and visions on the mission of the church - bringing in and building up souls for the kingdom. In 5 years, we have accomplished much - and we didn't change our name. Here's my intepretation of Jesus' plan for bringing people into the church - GO TO WHERE THEY ARE AND ASK THEM TO FOLLOW YOU. They will come - come to see a Man whose name has remained the same for over 2000 years - JESUS! Don't change the name to attract people to your church. Just go to where they are and invite them to come.

Here I am a young pastor and we are having a board meeting. One member brings up that at one point in time the church was considering a name change. I stopped that by remembering that we are in a small town. Most farms are remembered by their ORIGINAL owners not the current ones. A name change would be fairly futile, our best way of reaching the community is to become more like Jesus in a very public way.

There are times when it just does not matter. I hope that there are good changes happening to back up the name change lest its meaning is only semantical. All the name changes accompanied a change in attitude or direction in life. It sounds like this New England congregation is doing that. May God bless you for it.

@Kent - that is priceless with the mistakes in your church name. I loved it.

Great stuff. The corporation I work for has changed its name not very long ago out of change in the market place and desiring to keep it's head above water by influence at any rate.

Changing names as being descriptive; we all love the one Jesus used of Himself " Son of man."

Gordon, perhaps you would have saved a lot of time and enjoyed the outcome as much if you all would have picked straws as some other Christians had years ago to replace an apostle.

Good morning everyone,

I just wanted to comment on the name change issue. Many churches in my area of the world have been changing their names to grace this and covenenant that, but the church that I am working for and a member of has decided not to change its name. The name of the church goes something like this "Insert Name of Town Here" Baptist Church.

Any you know what, we like it! We are not a stick in the mud old-fogey traditionalist church, although we do adhere to the fundementals of the Christians faith, but that is another posting. We have heard it many times that we need to change our name to be more with the times and reach out to the "younger" generation. Well I am in my mid 20's and I love the name!!

Why? Because the name represents who we are and our ministry. The "Insert Name of City here" part signifies the community that we are a part of. Other names like "grace", "mosaic" to us seem so foriegn and disconnected with our community. (We do have a lot of teens and young adults, so dont respond with that we are not reaching the new generation) The Baptist part of our name shows what we belief and the rich heritage we have recieved from those who have gone before us. It shows that we connected with a huge body of believers that spans the world. The church part of our name shows that we are a part the Global body of Christ. We are a HUGE mission's minded church and send people all over the world with many career missionaries in our membership. So the Church part of our name is the Global, while the city name is the local. We like to cover both ends of the spectrum, in obedience to Matthew 28:19-20.

So, I urge some that have the more "traditional" names to not just get rid of it just so you sound new and hip, but to realize that a name means something and it has its place. Names like "mosaic" "covenant" etc. are all nice and have their place, but what will the next generation think of it, will they see the history and beliefs in your name?

Blessings to everyone!

Change done well can bring renewed energy for more change and growth. People can be refreshed by a more clear vision that comes from a name change. A name change can be just the right tool for instruction and motivation for reaching the lost, building connections to a community and developing a more missional outlook for the kingdom. It is not always necessary, but done well a name chance can bring a huge swell of momentum to a sleepy congregation.

great story..
Thanks Gordon, you are a great inspiration.

My pastor friend was able to swing First Baptist in his city (a church so traditional it's motto was "Oldest Church in California" !!). He navigated not only a style transition, but a name change...a great one: New Vintage...which with "Vintage" emaning something old but good...shows old and new can mesh even in a new name..That amazing story here..

Church website
here..

The church I pastor is a five year old plant, so we got to choose name at the beginning: Third Day Fellowship of Fresno. We just this year took out the word "Fellowship," not because we don't believe in fellowship anymore...but because the words is kind of archaic...and it shows we are city-focused church...our version of Center-Point. So we are now Third Day Fresno...Church website here or our church myspace page here...doesn't every church have a myspace page??(:

The fact that it is such a big deal what the name of our church is makes us look really petty and stupid. No offense- I am not talking about just this post. I'm talking about American Christianity in general. Just pick a clear, obvious name that gets the point across and start preaching the Gospel. I know I sound harsh- I'm just a little bit tired of the preoccupation with all this surface level junk.

Leoskeo, I know what you mean about a sleepy congregation... those fed too much sugar on theology and creed. Those not having a clue that revival Himself ( as person) lives at the core of their being because the pulpit is trying to conform salvation rather than conform to salvation.

Salvation is and never will be the so and so church, or the so and so church but the living and vibrant Spirit of God.

I would be a poor soul, no, I wouldn't have it if I could not worship my Heavenly Father at all times and everywhere for loving me and mankind so intense, so undeniably.

A church name should reflect the community it represents and also be releveant and mean something ot the community in which it is located. It is amzing how people can get so caught up over a name, the main focus has to be the faith community and it's mission. When a name uses words that does not relate or mean anything to the culture around it and sound archaic, is it any wonder that people who do not go to church don't want to walk in or attend?

"The Holy Order of the Redeemed and Choosen servant..." - This sounds wacky right? Whilst this is an exageration for most some churches use language that makes us sound crazy. Also what does Presbetarian, Methodist, Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal, moravian, brethen, charasmatic etc mean to a post modern society - I think that our society does not see our theological differences and we sometimes do!

I read some years ago about a Baptist church and a Christian church that decided to merge. One night all their elders and deacons and trustees got together to hammer out a new constitution, bylaws, vision and mission statement, and name for the new church. They experienced incredible levels of unity and agreement until towards the end of the meeting when a name was being chosen.

The Christian elders and trustees wanted the word Christian first in the name; the Baptist deacons wanted the word Baptist to appear first. Harmony quickly evaporated into tension and finally, one of the older Baptist deacons, a burr-headed guy with black Larry King-type glasses, pounded the table and cried out, "I've been a Baptist for forty-seven years, and you're not about to make a Christian out of me now!!""
As we chuckle over this story may we always remember to major on the majors and minor on the minors.

It's seems that most people on here are pastors or ministers at their church, so maybe I can bring a different perspective.

There are people who have volunteered to speak for the entire Christian community, and has done so in a way that upsets me, not to mention the un-churched they may be referring to. Because of that some people may be completely turned off to churches if they know they are of a certain denomination. I work in a very liberal environment and I am the only Christian in my office. The name matters to my co-worker. They are more likely to attend with me if the church name has the word community in verses baptist or methodist.

Lastly some people need to get over their traditions, and have a desire to reach their community. You may have to have strategic marketing efforts, nice websites, or cool sounding names. We have the greatest story to tell, and sometimes take the poorest efforts to tell it.

Thomas said earlier in this thread "come to see a Man whose name has remained the same for over 2000 years - JESUS!"

While I appreciate the sentiment of the sameness of our Lord yesterday, today and forever, and mean no disrespect to Thomas at all, was I the only one who laughed out loud when thinking that the name "Jesus" in its English form is nowhere near 2000 years old?

You had a reason indeed. I was curious to understand why you changed the name, but I understood it. I think it is better like this, really.

Words shape the world that we live in. (The pen is mightier than the ???, A day that will live in ????, Fourscore and seven years ago...). Names in most cultures are truly significant markers. They often marked your destiny in a large part.

I appreciate greatly Gordan's serious thought and reflection on the importance of a name change for this congregation as they considered who they are, who they are becoming in Christ, and where they have been placed (New England).

Different denominational names carry different stereotypes depending on the part of the world. In my context, Baptist often implies rigid legalism and it is almost assumed that one is talking about a Southern Baptist. I disagree with the assumptions of my context but if I were a Baptist minister, I would have to carefully weigh the cultural baggage that is placed upon the one's identification as Baptist.

The point is that names are important in identifying who we are but also who we are becoming and even what we do. It is true that name changes can mean nothing without purposely, prayer full relfection. Gordon has shared a process and struggle that reached deep into the life of his community; certainly well below any superficial issue. Thanks, Gordon.

Hey, I know a mall called Centerpoint in Malaysia :)

I deeply appreciated the wisdom and compassion that Pr McDonald and his leaders showed through this name change. We have the same struggle in naming new mission starts and debating name changes in "my" denomination. I'm amused and saddened to see the same mistaken pride and self-righteousness in our human-made brand identity across the board and in some of the posts.

Kudos for being sensitive and faithful, both in mission to the Gospel, and caring for the people of God.

probably a silly question, but why does a church even need a name?

so that when people give money they can put it on the check...? this and corporate marketing? neither of which would be allowable in times of persecution. not that we have to adhere to ministry philosophy during persecuted eras, but what is absolutely essential to a successful ministry? what is more important, our name or our impact in the comunity? who cares if name recognition causes people to know who we are and what we stand for... btw CenterPoint says nothing to a lost person. its only attractive to members of another church. our impact in the community should be such that they are changed by the power of the gospel. not to go super-spiritual here, but its the name of Christ we want them to remember most.

not that i think a church should not have a name; ive actually spent hours thinking of oa cool name for a church someday. just trying to get to the heart of the matter. why do i want one so badly? i obviously need help getting there. smile

Had I been there, I would have said, "Folks, now here is a really novel idea, put Christ back into the church name. After all, the church is his bride.
Had He been asked what to name it, I think his answer would have been something like, "Son, or daughter, does the church not belong to me? I built it!

Now had you asked Satin, then you would have gotten all sorts of answers, but I would dare to say, none of the names would have had the name of Jesus in them!

Has anyone noticed that the people who think the name change is a good thing are those who have a pronounced interest in their community? Has anyone noticed like me, that any Baptist church I have ever known has mostly 95% transfer growth? Read 1 Corinthians 9 & tell me that anything is not up for change when the lost are at stake. Jesus said to leave the 99 for the 1 - YES - that means even the Baptists & their name get left behind. Jesus does not need our neanderthal personal efforts to defend His truth & glory. My final inflammatory statement is this ... overseas missions in the church is many times a horrid disguise for a lack of personal evangelism. Like buying your kid a toy instead of spending time with them. Sure it is a nice thing to do, but that is not what they need or want. Our community around us is lost, we have the answer. Whatta ya say you save the money for Russia & Africa & invite the neighbors over for a BBQ & not talk church - just get to know them. Enough of me ... thanks for listening.

I woke up in the middle of the night (1 am 3/20/09) and the Lord spoke to me these words, “I am bringing down all the names that man has put on my body”
Naming something does several things: it gives identity and it shows difference. It the case of naming churches etc., it robs Jesus of His glory and mixes in ANOTHER name besides His and it thus adds confusion to the mix: “Which church or which movement is right?” if this doesn’t send confusion throughout the nations, I would like to know what does?
Where do we get the freedom to divide and name our special groups? It is heresy! I saw this heresy shortly after I gave my life to the Lord and have been troubled over our justifications and blindness ever since. How could anyone miss such an obvious gargantuan sin? John 17 without a doubt is the strongest prayer that Jesus ever prayed. So what revelation do we have that is so important to divide and name His body? We are the called-out ones, but not called out from one another.
Be assured, division is not of God. Naming our ministries for our exclusive use is not of God. Calling the ekklesia a building is not of God. The name church is not of God. Clergy/laity is not of God.
Don’t tell me that you know the church is the people, the next time you take a collection for the church, where does the money go?
“For where two or three are gathered together IN MY NAME, I am there in the midst of them." Matt 18:20, NKJV
Deut 28:10, “Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.” NKJV

Deut 28:58, “that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD” NKJV
Read
http://www.therealchurch.com/articles/naming_his_church.html