Grace Community Christian Church

 

Archived Things Above

Name Change (11/5/03)

For about eight months now we've had a board on the back wall of the church where you have been invited to write down suggestions for a new name for our church. This has certainly been something that I've been encouraging for the past several years, & I think it's time we make a decision.

But before we do that, we need to understand why it's important that we do this. After all, First Christian Church has served well as a name for over 30 years, & for some of you who have been around a long time, thinking of calling it something else makes you uneasy. So let me lay out my thinking on the issue, & then suggest a plan that will allow us to finally lay it to rest one way or the other.

1. The name First Christian Church is a very institutional sounding name, one that was very popular among Christian Churches several decades ago when denominational distinctives carried more weight in a community than they do now. As a racquetball buddy of mine asked just the other night when I gave him my card, "So where's Second Christian Church?"

2. Quite often in the Bible, when God was doing something new in the lives of His people, He gave them a new name. Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah. Jacob became Israel. Cephas became Peter. Saul became Paul. I have no doubt that God has begun doing a new work among us, & it seems appropriate that we allow ourselves a new identity to reflect this new direction of following His will.

3. The church's name can be a powerful tool in attracting new people who are looking for a spiritual home. I'm not naive enough to think that by simply changing our name, people will suddenly flock to us. But combining a name that says something about God or Jesus or the benefits of being a Christ follower, or the reason we exist as a church, with a body of people who really evidence Godly enthusiasm can be a powerful witness. Ideally, a name (& slogan) will cause people's ears to perk up & be a bit curious. We serve an immensely creative God; certainly we can reflect that in our name!

Some tremendous names have been suggested! And hopefully some more will be included as we wind down to a decision. (You can check out all the names submitted thus far elsewhere in this newsletter.) I propose that at our Thanksgiving Dinner on November 23, we hold a series of ballots to whittle the list down to the top 3 or 4 names. Then we let one of our children pick the winner out of a hat. Again, this is biblical! Many decisions were made by lot in the Bible, even the selection of an apostle to replace Judas (Acts 1:26)!! Once the new name is selected, we'll do the legal legwork to make it official beginning in January, 2004.

Also in January, I propose a big celebration in which we honor what God has done in the past through First Christian Church, & anticipate what He will do in the future!

"The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow. You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." (Isaiah 62:2-3, italics mine)


Jim Dewar --