How changing a church name unleashes emotions — And guidelines to decide if you should change it (Part 2)
In Part 1, we discovered why people react strongly when a church name change is discussed. And as a church researcher and coach, I examined two things researchers say we must consider before changing a church's name. Here is brief recap of guidelines #1 and #2, followed by "5 Characteristics of a Good Church Name Change."
1. Communicating an uplifting message (What message does your name send to the community?)
First, we learned that a name should send a positive, uplifting message to the community. This is a primary way to communicate to the community the hope, healing and forgiveness a church should embody.
2. The name game, and changing how a name is perceived.
Second, we learned that it's more important to change the personality of a church than to change the name. "Journey Church," "The Point," "The Bridge" and other trendy names have become ubiquitous. As a result, non-churchgoers sometimes feel that a name change is an indicator of a desperate church.
3. The reputation associated with a denominational affiliation
Often churches consider eliminating a denomination affiliation because non-denominational churches are the largest segment of Protestant churches and may grow faster (US Religion Census). But eliminating a denominational affiliation comes with positives and negatives.
A commonsense positive is that a denominational designation helps people who are looking for that denomination find your church.
Another positive is that a denominational affiliation lets people know you have a network for accountability. Many people have witnessed nondenominational churches come and go at an alarming rate. In my experience, such observers are leery of joining a church with no denominational oversight.
A negative may be that denominations can have undeserved reputations. Large denominations are comprised of many different types of churches. A bad experience in one denominationally affiliated church will not usually transfer over to another church of that denomination. Unfortunately, people don't think that way. Unchurched people often make a judgement based upon their experience with a church's affiliation.
Anthropologists know that when considering a church as their home, guests will subconsciously ask themselves, "Are there people like me there?" Therefore, you should consider how your denomination is viewed among those to whom you are reaching out. Some denominations have developed favorability among certain economic segments. Pew Research found that Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches are attended by more affluent people.
Therefore, if you are a Presbyterian or Episcopalian church launching a church plant in an economically challenged part of a city, the denominational designation in your name might make people feel the church people are of a higher economic level than they.
And undeserved denominational reputation can also play a positive or negative role. A large denomination has a greater variety of churches. Therefore, fringe or controversial churches may receive media coverage that is not representative of most churches in that denomination.
For example, a survey by YouGovAmerica found conflicting favorability based upon who is asked. Among people who are "very religious," Baptists have a positive reputation. But when you add religious and non-religious people together, net favorability drops. Therefore, if you're ministering in a community that is largely a non-churched or skeptical community, the designation Baptist in your name might give you an undeserved reputation. But if you're ministering in the Bible Belt, then Baptist in your name is a positive.
Do your research, listen to all opinions and move slowly before you change your name.
New Testament believers had a similar controversy about message and perception over which Jewish laws to require converted non-Jews to embrace. Rather than rushing to a solution, they gathered as apostles and elders as a council in Jerusalem to hear all sides (Acts 15:1-4). They gave Paul and Barnabas time to recount miracles among the non-Jews (v. 4, v. 12). And they considered the traditional views of the Pharisees who were present (v. 5).
They were undoubtedly swayed by Peter when he said, "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith." (vv. 7-9). James then summed up their deliberations (vv. 13-21) and a letter was written (vv. 22-35).
A lesson here is that when controversy divides believers, it is important to listen to all viewpoints, and deliberate slowly before you make a provocative change.
Five characteristics of a good church name
These characteristics are not easy to incorporate in a church name (hence so many similar church names out there). Therefore, use these as general guidelines when considering a name change:
1.Work as hard to change the personality of a church as you work to change the name. I have seen churches spend months, sometimes years, changing a name. But a name change without also changing a church's personality will perpetuate the outsider's view that churches change names because they are struggling or desperate.
Changing a church's personality is harder, but is a prerequisite.
2. Be unique and describe you. Choose a name that describes who you are. If your church's strength is worship, use celebratory language in your name. If your church's gift is teaching, use words to reflect that.
3. Avoid faddish terminology.Faddish names are proliferating right now. But, if someone has had a bad experience in a church with the same name, they might project that upon you. And as mentioned above, non-churchgoers may regard faddish names as an indicator of a desperate church.
4.Create an unforgettable URL. A recent domain suffix allows churches to add ".church" to their name and create an easy-to-remember address. While many popular addresses are taken, this could be another incentive to come up with the name that uniquely reflects you.
5.Point to the Bible as your guide.A friend pastors a church in Atlanta called 12Stone church. It wasn't always called that and previously had the rather common name: Cornerstone Church. But a consultant told them that Cornerstone didn't seem to reflect the miraculous nature of their church. The pastor and leaders began praying.
Together they realized the story of Joshua's 12 stones set in the middle of the Jordan River as a memorial to their miraculous crossing (Joshua 4) was a good reminder that God does miracles today. Attendees have explained to me that "12Stone" means, "Many bold crossings." That's a good reminder.
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Bob Whitesel (D.Min., Ph.D.) is a foresight coach, professor, and award-winning author of 14 books. For over 30 years, he has guided leaders and churches to pivot and engage what’s next. He holds two earned doctorates from Fuller Theological Seminary and teaches on leadership foresight, church health, and organizational change. His website is www.ChurchForesight.com. Learn More » |
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- They tried to quiet Charlie Kirk—but the gospel still speaks (by Bob Russell)
- The power of an unoffendable heart (by Tom Crenshaw)
- How did Jesus deal with animosity? (by Chris Bolinger)
