{"id":2105,"date":"2021-09-21T05:00:11","date_gmt":"2021-09-21T09:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?post_type=resource&p=2105"},"modified":"2021-09-21T12:12:06","modified_gmt":"2021-09-21T16:12:06","slug":"when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/","title":{"rendered":"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We hear this question often: Should our church change our name? My standard response to that question is generally, \u201cProbably not.\u201d In discussions the Replant Team has had, we\u2019ve learned that a pastor or church often will see a name change as a kind of \u201csilver bullet\u201d in replanting or revitalization. Sometimes, they will think a name change will suddenly change the baggage the church name carries in the community.<\/p>\n

There are good reasons to change a church\u2019s name. For example, a recent Lifeway Research article<\/a> told the story of a church that decided to change its name because of COVID-19. Why was that necessary you ask? Because the church\u2019s original name was Outbreak Church. That is an unfortunate name for a church to have in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Changing the church\u2019s name was a wise decision in this case.<\/p>\n

In an episode of \u201cRevitalize and Replant\u201d<\/a> from a few years back, Mark Clifton and Thom Rainer discussed this very topic. On that podcast, they argue for reclaiming the name rather than abandoning it. This can be hard work, but is usually preferable to changing the name. In some cases, changing the name can actually harm credibility in the community. For example, one church I pastored had been in the same location for 120 years. There was a discussion about changing the name, but I finally realized it didn\u2019t matter what name was outside the building; in that community, the church would always be First Baptist Church.<\/p>\n

The name was carved in the stone fa\u00e7ade on the front of the building! Changing the name wouldn\u2019t have made much sense. And honestly, over the years, I think the name was beneficial as folks moved to town and were looking for a church. First Baptist Church is easy to remember, and it was recognizable. Many folks were familiar with First Baptist churches where they grew up, or in the communities they moved from.<\/p>\n

Keeping your church\u2019s name, if at all possible, should be the default position. This is not to say there is never<\/em> a time to change the name of your church. There are times when it may be appropriate or even necessary:<\/p>\n

1. Relocation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, this will not always be the case. In the event your church is named First Baptist Church, or [Your Community] Baptist Church, a name change wouldn\u2019t be necessary.<\/p>\n

However, if your church\u2019s name is based on a geographic location, it might be wise to change your name after a move. For instance, if your church is named Henderson Ave. Church, and your church relocates away from Henderson Ave., it could be more confusing to keep your church\u2019s name than to change it. These situations will obviously vary on a case-by-case basis, but it\u2019s important to consider the impact a relocation may have on your church\u2019s name.<\/p>\n

2. Confusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

In some instances, a community\u2019s name may have changed so that a church\u2019s name no longer makes sense. For instance, if there are several other churches with similar names (such as a First Baptist Church, a First Southern Baptist Church, and a First Independent Baptist Church), a name change could help distinguish your church from others.<\/p>\n

If your church is called Community Heights, but there is no longer a neighborhood named \u201cCommunity Heights\u201d anywhere nearby (or, in some cases, the neighborhood called \u201cCommunity Heights\u201d is now across town, a name change could clear up confusion. Again, while a name change might not always be appropriate in these situations, this is at least something to consider.<\/p>\n

3. Reputation<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are champions of seeking to reclaim a church\u2019s name, rather than abandoning it for a new one. However, in some cases, a church\u2019s name may have such a bad reputation that a name change can help move a replant or revitalization effort forward. If you and your church decide to go this route, remember that a name change is in no way a \u201csilver bullet\u201d for revitalization.<\/p>\n

If a church simply changes its name without addressing any of the other issues that harmed its reputation, it won\u2019t work. A fresh coat of paint may help a rotting beam look nice, but it won\u2019t stop the rot inside. It\u2019s important that a name change is a step in a larger revitalization or replanting strategy, not the only step.<\/p>\n

If the Replant Team can help you process as you wrestle with whether or not to change your church\u2019s name, please contact us at <\/em>replant@namb.net<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We hear this question often: Should our church change our name? My standard response to that …<\/p>\n

When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name?<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2106,"template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"channels":[],"topics":[53],"languages":[],"class_list":["post-2105","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-article","topics-replanting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Should a Church Replant Change Its Name? - Church Replanting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We hear this question often: Should our church change our name? My standard response to that … When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name? Read More »\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Church Replanting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-21T16:12:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1770\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1180\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/\",\"name\":\"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name? - Church Replanting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-21T09:00:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-21T16:12:06+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg\",\"width\":1770,\"height\":1180},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/\",\"name\":\"Church Replanting\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Church Replanting\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/NAMB-Logo_Full_White.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/NAMB-Logo_Full_White.png\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":523,\"caption\":\"Church Replanting\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name? - Church Replanting","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name?","og_description":"We hear this question often: Should our church change our name? My standard response to that … When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name? Read More »","og_url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/","og_site_name":"Church Replanting","article_modified_time":"2021-09-21T16:12:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1770,"height":1180,"url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/","url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/","name":"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name? - Church Replanting","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg","datePublished":"2021-09-21T09:00:11+00:00","dateModified":"2021-09-21T16:12:06+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/09\/photo-1477672680933-0287a151330e.jpeg","width":1770,"height":1180},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/when-should-a-church-replant-change-its-name\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When Should a Church Replant Change Its Name?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/","name":"Church Replanting","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#organization","name":"Church Replanting","url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/NAMB-Logo_Full_White.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/01\/NAMB-Logo_Full_White.png","width":2560,"height":523,"caption":"Church Replanting"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource\/2105"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resource"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2106"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2105"},{"taxonomy":"channels","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/channels?post=2105"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=2105"},{"taxonomy":"languages","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/languages?post=2105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}