Name Change?

Let’s change the name of the church! I ask, why?

The following statement is one I left on a post in an online forum. The original poster asked how to get people on board with a name change. Further how do go about getting them tied into the vision and mission of the name change.  Below was my reponse.

A name change without a DNA change will not help.

• For example, if changing the name is “the secret sauce” for growth, you’ll still be stuck.
• If the DNA…(values, vision, mission) necessitates a change of name, go for it.
• Though I have never personally led a church through a name change, I was on staff at a church who changed their name. After the pastor left (that initiated the name change) the church name eventually went back to the original name under the new pastor. Why did that happen?
• The answer I believe is due to the reason why the name was changed to being with. The name change wasn’t organic. The values, vision, and mission of the church didn’t necessitate the change. The DNA of the church didn’t change. Same church….different name.

Write the vision, make it plain.

• Allow people to get tied to the vision first. Once that happens begin tying a new identity (name) with the new DNA (values, vision, and mission).
• It could be a tag line at first. For example. Say the tag line from your values, mission, and vision was the following. A place for people looking for life and significance.
• As people live out, or reproduce the values, vision, and mission, it may  be, that you find out the vision and mission necessitates for you to identify as Infuse Church.
• The name changed because the identity changed.

Allow the name change to be from the values, vision, and mission. Let it be organic.
Just to be honest, my advice may not be worth the time it took to write it out. I admit, I’m limited in my experience with the question, but, maybe it’s helpful.

Share this: Some helpful tips if your thinking of changing the name of the church.

1. A name change without a DNA change will not help.
2. Write the vision, make it plain.
3. Allow the name change to be from the values, vision, and mission. Let it be organic.

Read more here… https://georgetallmageonline.wordpress.com/2016/06/27/name-change/

Advertisement

Growth or Comfort

The following picture was shared online. There is profound truth. Take a moment and meditate on the message. If we want growth we need to part ways with comfort.

Gaze or Go?

And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (Acts 1:10-11 ESV)

As devoted followers of Christ, our goal isn’t to simply gaze. We are to put dirt between our toes and go.

Washing the Feet of the Church

An individual from NACOG came up to the church to pray this past Friday. The building wasn’t unlocked so they decided to just walk around the facilities and pray. North Aiken isn’t a large facility, to give you an idea, the church only owns 0.36 acres. It’s fairly small. While praying, this individual began pulling up weeds in the areas where we have plants and mulch, between the church and sidewalk.

I took notice on Sunday that the flower beds looked great and began asking around in order to find out who took the time to serve in that daunting task. This individual let me know that she did it as she was praying. She went on further to say the following.

“Pulling the weeds out of the flower beds made me feel like I was washing the feet of the church.”