Why Would Anyone Want to Change the Name of the Church?

Dear Friends,

What’s with the name of a church? Well, today there is a significant sector of our church world that is very concerned with the name of their church.  Today many churches are renaming (rebranding) their name. They are jettisoning denominational affiliations like Baptist and Presbyterian and Methodist in favor or what some would suggest are more trendy and marketable names. Within a radius of 75 miles of our church, we find new and different sounding names of churches than we might not be accustomed to. There is Searchlight, Branch, Triumphant Life, Universal Church, Liquid, Elevate, Cornerstone, New Hope  and The Journey Church to name only a few. Take a road trip across the country and you are apt to see strange church ‘signage’ with names like  Door of Hope, The Nest of Love, The Refuge, Burning Hearts, Ignite, Oasis, The Potential Church, Wellspring, and the one I think is most unique: ReThink Life Church. 

According to the National Association of Evangelicals, “63 percent of its member churches do not include any denominational name.” (Taken from the  Internet, “The 9 Worst Kinds of Hilariously Trendy Church Names”). 

Why are churches, especially denominational churches, looking to change their names? For many it is the idea that by dropping their denominational label, they will be able to draw more of the unchurched who might be turned off by past experiences with denominational churches. For many the idea of a denominational church projects thoughts of old fashion, stuffy, uncontemporary and not relevant (hence why you have a whole group of “Relevant Churches” springing up across our country. 

Proponents of renaming churches suggest people today are looking for churches that might be described as informal, casual, and contemporary. The bottom line is they are seeking something different from the typical traditional church setting they grew up in. Some of those supporting name change, would also argue that they are more interested in talking about Christ as a reason for membership than defending or explaining the uniqueness of a particular denomination. 

I found it interesting that there is some research that reveals there are two denominations that don’t carry the baggage that some other denominational churches do, and they are Catholic and, you guessed it or maybe you didn’t, Baptist. This study by Lifeway Research also showed that “half of Americans view denominational labels  favorably, while the other half either feels negatively about them, or don’t care.” The study also concluded that “Eight out of ten unchurched adults do not feel a non-denominational name would make them more likely to consider visiting a particular church.” (Ron Sellers, President of Grey Matter, as quoted from the internet article “The 9 Worst Kinds of Hilariously Trendy Church Names.”

So, what does this all have to do with New Monmouth Baptist Church? In the interest of transparency, I would acknowledge that there have been some leaders in the church, myself included, who have often wondered if the renaming of our church would result in attracting more visitors. I suspect that sooner or later, your leadership, like the leadership in many  other churches across our land, will wrestle with this very question, and if, and when we do, we know that the topic will generate some intense and heated discussion from both sides.

Whether changing the name of a church with 150 years of tradition is a good idea or not, it needs to be thoughtfully and reasonably discussed. There are pros and cons of name change, and the question that must be foremost in our minds is what is the most effective way our church can reach our community for Christ? The name of a church may or may not be important to some people, but it will never be the most important factor in a person’s decision to attend or join a church.  The most important factor will be what takes place inside the church. If there is Christ centered preaching, leadership integrity, friendly people, strong relationships, a heart to see people come to Jesus, and a genuine love and desire to serve the community, it makes little difference what the name of the church might be. What’s inside the church will always trump the name appearing on the signboard outside.

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the pros and cons of church name change, but whether you are for or against such a change, let your communication be grace filled and spirit generated.

Yours in faith and fellowship,

Pastor Tom

P.S. And if the church should ever decide to move forward with a name change, I pray that it might never opt for any of the following existing churches like Fishnet Worship Center, Cowboy Church, Fun Church or the Church in the Now.