As we are preparing for the church plant, we have come up with several potential names. Please give me some feedback about what you think about the names. Keep in mind that the area that we are planting in: the largest demographic of people is between 25-34, they are very success and career-orientated, active, educated, artsy, and there is a high single population (37%). The name must connect with and make sense to these individuals.
1. Convergence - A Church Community - we want people to understand the importance of "Merging God and Life"
2. Axiom Church - an axiom in mathimatics is a starting or point of origin. To understand who we are and our current state, we must begin with the proper foundation - God and His redemptive plan.
3. Origins Church - similar to the statement above. We must have the proper foundation or point of origin to begin to understand life and God.
What do you think about these? Any other suggestions?
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2 comments:
I like Converge, or maybe Convergence
Convergence Church - Merging God and Life
or
Convergence Church - The intersection of faith and community
Didja hear Braxton played for us Sunday? He was awesome and came through for us big time. Hopefully this'll get him playing more regularly.
Through a cursory look online at the term "Convergence" , I found that there appears to exist a many decades long, well established and documented movement in various streams of Christendom called the "Convergence Movement" with corresponding luminaries, literature, leadership, groups of churches, etc. You might simply search Google, on the terms "convergence movement Christian" as I did.
By adopting this name, your church will be implicitly identified with this movement. Was that result intended? That raises the further question, "Does (being connected with the Convergence Movement) matter?" For most believers who don't read, and aren't students of the modern Church movements (and I am not claiming to be one), this question may be academic. Most believers may not know, or may not care. They (I refer to those in the Body of Christ hypnotized by a comfortable easy reworked experience of church) have been "dumbed down" and now just want a "happy meal" on Sundays.
For a significant number of others who have walked a bit more than some, seen a bit more, and been delivered from certain bondages spiritually (I include myself here), the word "Convergence" has deep implications, and is not just an catchy "brand", in the marketing sense. The powerful term "Convergence" calls up the questions, "Convergence with what?" and "Convergence of what?"
The term "Convergence" appears to have a varied history, and not only in Christian circles. I remember, for example, a huge, worldwide “New Age” event called "Harmonic Convergence" in 1987. And, in the press, I cite a headline from several years ago from India:
M2 PRESSWIRE-10 January 2002-Indian Government: Convergence is new age mantra for growth -- Rudy; Rudy inaugurates INFRACON-2002 (C)1994-2002 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:10012002 Convergence is the new age mantra for growth and development and it would lead to increased opportunities and reduced cost in the field of infrastructure.
For me, also, the name "Convergence" somehow resonates with those "user friendly" neutered and lukewarm churches. Who are the intended "target audience" of this “new” marketing oriented name? If the target is the unchurched, if you market it just right, you’ll attract a group of Christ-distorting syncretists into your church, which I think most churches are not prepared to deal with from within, doctrinally or spiritually.
I say this because of my own upbringing and tortuous life history with various false religions, spiritualism, Freemasonry, etc., virtually all of which (that I know) have forms of transcendent unity of all the world's religions at their core. Because of that, I am sensitized to certain classes of names (and the reason behind those names) of worldwide groups with which I had personal contact, had my circles of friends, and often allegiance, such as The Unity Church, The Unitarian Universalist Church, The Unification Church, and the syncretist, gnostic, and pantheist likes of them, such as Baha'i, Theosophy, Subud, and many more, all of which I knew, in the biblical sense of that term. (I separated myself from all of these, some twenty years ago, by the Grace of God, at age thirty seven, being baptized in an Episcopal church, and having subsequent deliverance, etc.) There is a current “bumper sticker” containing symbols of all the world's major religions, and beside those symbols, it says, "COEXIST". Of course, what these (above) movements do is much more than coexist.
Yes, for countless millions of people like me, this name, “Convergence” is rich with meaning. Some are attracted (to this name) because it means the "God is in all religions" thing. To some others who have been delivered, this name is to be shunned, precisely because it means the "God is in all religions" thing, and they definitely won’t be coming to a “Convergence Church.” No way.
Can the name “Convergence Church” be redeemed for me? Not easily, no. Because the "brand" itself conveys the message, without another word being said: "It's all one."
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