Back when I was a kid churches had really creative names. There were the Firsts such as the First United Methodist Church or First Evangelical Free Church. Also, I remember the Denominationaly Recognized Unusually Long Names like Beth Haven Independent Baptist Church or Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. The third category I can recall were the Our Ladies…Our Ladies Immaculate Heart Church or Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church.
Before my childhood way before the separation of Church and State churches had names showing off their how they were intertwined: The Roman Catholic Church, The Church of England. Before this, waaayyy back in the day church was just called Ecclesia.
Today’s churches have different names and I like to place them into three categories:
The edgy:
-Scum of the Earth
-Pierced Chapel
-Hot Rod Church for Sinners
-Guts Church
The throwback:
-Ecclesia
-Imago Dei
-Mars Hill (Seattle, Michigan, OK City)
-Flood Church
The Communal:
-Mosaic
-New Life
-Life Church
-Crossings Community
-The Dialogue Church
Needless to say church names have evolved quite a bit. So have church websites which will be a future post I’m sure (click the links). I've gone to a few of these churches and like all churches they have they're makes and breaks. What I did not know was how hard coming up with a cool "rockin" new church name was.
Just take a look at churchcommunicationpro.com’s article on Seven Ideas for Naming Your Church:
1. Pray about it…and then pray some more. Jesus is the CEO and we need to take our requests to Him. When I decided on Element 3 Church for my church name it became clear through prayer and a vision. There was a lot of meaning behind it and I knew this was the one. Maybe it won’t happen that way for you but I do believe that prayer is essential for discovering your church name.
2. Play with words and ideas. Start writing down all the ideas that come to mind. Don’t hold back any possibilities even if you think it’s stupid. Use a Thesaurus or a website like Nameboy.com to kick around word alternatives and see what piques your interest. Explore and play around.
3. Ask yourself if the idea or name fits. Does the name flow with your vision? Is it too conservative, too edgy, or too abstract for your church’s vision? It’s important for the name to fit your style, belief, and image or it will never grow roots. You gotta be passionate about it as a leader or it will die on the vine.
4. Avoid generic names. Choosing a name like First Denomination Church of My Town is boring and lacks originality. Generic names usually just don’t create excitement and are harder to brand. Break out of the mold and think different.
5. Avoid difficult names. Names taken from Hebrew or other languages are not always the best choice either. They might be cool to seminary grads and artistic types but if it’s hard to understand or pronounce people may feel stupid trying to say it. Please don’t make people feel stupid…you’ll only get negative buzz or press.
6. Don’t go with public opinion. If you ask 10 people you will usually get 10 different answers. Some people will think you are nuts and others will think you are a genius. Go with your gut feeling first and then the advice of no more than three people. Focus groups thought Amazon was a dumb name…you draw the conclusion here.
7. Own it and promote it. Once you have decided on a name move forward and don’t second guess it. If you think it rocks then it will rock! Your passion will be contagious and you can brand and promote it. You will be criticized by some, no doubt - but move on and keep promoting it and your vision.
Is it ok for church names to change? Do you like the new names better? Are they too trendy? Are they "rockin"? Does it even matter? Discuss...
In part 2 of the series join us as we take a look at the dramatic journey of the Third Presbyterian Church of Dubuque as they contemplate a name change.
