Churches seeking a more seeker friendly name...

This is another example of what is wrong with our churches...they have quit being shepherds of the sheep committed to discipleship...but, rather, beacons to the world to build up their numbers. I asked a person recently about their faith...and here was their response. "I attend _____ church, but am not born again. I am reading the PDL and believe in a loving and forgiving God." This is soooo typical of what you will find in mainstream, protestant churches these days. This is why so many individuals have left (including yours truly) the church. I think home fellowships are going to be where those who want more will be ministered to. You may keep your church membership active, but personal growth and discipleship will take place in groups of like-minded believers who want more than programming and slick marketing schemes.

June 9, 2005
Former 'churches' opt for name change
FAITH

By ROBIN EVANS
Knight Ridder Newspapers

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Don't count on Googling "church" to find all the Christian places of worship near your home. The word is being abandoned as many congregations choose catchier names to attract new members.

The HighWay Community, Harbor Light and Great Exchange are just a few of the unconventional names being chosen by congregations in California and across the country.

It's all part of a larger effort to draw in younger generations looking for something other than their parents' church, as well as people who have never attended church or found the right fit.

"They're very creative with these names. They raise curiosity, break stereotypes," said Eddie Gibbs, professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif. "They appeal not just to the younger generation, but those impacted by popular culture."

Some churches have gone so far as to change long-standing names. Among the latest are the Evangelical Free Church of Fremont, which became Bridges -- as in building bridges -- and the city's 70-year-old First Assembly of God, which this month became Harbor Light.

"First Assembly of God was probably an appropriate and meaningful name a generation or so back. Just like First Lutheran or First Presbyterian," said the Rev. Terry Inman of Harbor Light. "Back then it meant just getting started, but today it sometimes comes across as projecting first class."

"People just don't have a clue" what denominational titles mean, he said.

After several months of conversations with the congregation, church leaders chose a metaphor they had often used to describe their goal of "guiding people through the storms in their lives, looking for hope and purpose," Inman said. "It's created a lot of excitement and energy."

Over the past decade, efforts to connect to a younger culture have brought contemporary music and jeans-wearing pastors, coffee-shop ministries and interactive sermons to the houses of God, as well as new names.

The trend began in the '60s and '70s with baby boomers leery of anything institutional and the development of suburbs, Gibbs said.

"People out there had walked away from traditional denominations," he said, "so if they saw the name, they'd walk away and were unlikely to go back."

Additional impetus for names that conveyed more specific meaning -- even when "church" was retained in the title -- came from Illinois the Rev. Rick Warren's 1995 book, "The Purpose-Driven Church" -- predecessor to his popular "The Purpose-Driven Life" -- in which he urged churches to focus on their mission.

"Names often try to convey something people will understand or resonate with," said the Rev. Curtis Chang, teaching pastor at San Jose's River Church Community, whose name he says signifies movement, life, something happening. "There's something here that's accessible you might otherwise under a different name think, 'That's not for me.' "

Sometimes, name choices or changes are intended to convey what a church is not. That's been the case with a number of Baptist and some evangelical churches wanting to distance themselves from the extreme religious right.

"For us, it's a desire to be more clear about who we are and not to be misunderstood," said the Rev. Fred Biby, executive pastor of Bridges. "The term evangelical is often misunderstood in our culture today. A lot of people interpret that to be extremist or exclusive rather than inclusive. That becomes an obstacle to people coming to visit us."

The HighWay Community, whose logo is a freeway overpass, also chose to leave the denomination out of the title. The Highway, established by the First Baptist Church of Los Altos, Calif., references a passage in Isaiah that talks of a future with God where one will be lifted to safety.

"We just don't want a name to be a hindrance. It can keep you from reaching people you have a ministry for if it's loaded," the Rev. Dean Smith said. "We have a real broad congregation in terms of political outlook."


http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/06/09/faith.20050609-sbt-MICH-D3...