ALL PILGRIMS LUCKY STOP FIRST UNITED CHURCH OF THE ROCK AND BURNING BUSH OF SOULS HARBOR
The Meaning of Congregational Names

Donald E. Kraybill

Is the name of your church invitational, exclusive, aversive, or perhaps just benign?

I pass legions of church signs during my travels—and I’ve noticed that many places beckon me to worship. I’m extraordinarily curious about where and how other people practice their faith, and I have noticed that some churches appear much more welcoming than others.

I continue to wonder about a possible correlation between the names of churches and other variables. If perception is related to reality, what might be an outsider’s perception of the name of your place of worship?

If I think of life as a pilgrimage, then the name All Pilgrims Christian Church seems a reasonable fit. If on the other hand, I think about being rooted, I am drawn to a small church in the mountains of Kentucky named Church of the Rock. The metaphor is solid, and the church building was appropriately situated on a rocky bluff.

The Freedom of Worship Church and the Freedom Community Church are engaging church names. For me they immediately conjure up images of people worshiping in a free and open manner. I am particularly aware of how important this concept is, given the lack of freedom in so many parts of the world at this time in history.

The End Times Tabernacle almost persuaded me to swerve into the parking lot, because indeed I was driving too fast for the tight curves in the road. This church name is truly "in my face" as a reality check. But having to focus on a theology of "end times" each Sunday seemed a bit much. Then again, perhaps this church name conveys a certain relevant existential urgency about how we ought to live in the present.

As my travel itinerary expanded, I found the Lucky Stop Pentecostal Church along one of my routes. Although I didn’t stop, I’ve since wondered about the concept of luck. Is this partly what our religious persuasion is about? What if I had grown up Muslim, Pentecostal, or in a Catholic family—would I have converted to the Mennonite faith? Is it mostly luck that I’ve had my religious training and experience within the Anabaptist tradition?

Mennonite Meeting House at first sounds simple and quaint. For me though, it conveys a place to get together for connection, and for an opportunity to be accompanied within a faith community.

The Basilica in Yamoussoukro, West Africa, has some of the most unique stained-glass windows I have ever seen. The architectural design of the Chartres Cathedral in the south of France is also majestic, and evokes a sense of awe. Both of these churches demonstrate the aura of a powerful God.

In contrast, I was particularly enamored of the Souls Harbor Church. It sounds so safe and nurturing. It is within this image that I imagine God to be present and waiting for our sometimes weary souls. As a possible place of rest, indeed it sounds welcoming.

There are so many church names—Bible this; First Church of that, and so forth. Additionally, I witnessed innumerable versions of Baptists: Primitive Baptist, Pleasant Home Baptist, The Word Baptist, New Birth Baptist, Free Will Baptist, many of which offer a distinct theological flavor from different regions of the country.

For an emphasis on prophecy, the Church of God Prophecy would seem to be the place to attend. I’ve noticed that some church names infer a possible insight about our future destiny. If in need of a miracle, one might be enticed to attend the Means Community Miracle Church in Kentucky.

I don’t know what to think about churches with names like Congregation Burning Bush, Yahweh’s Assembly in Messiah Church or Cutting Edge Community Church. These names seem ambiguous. Perhaps, however, these are churches I should visit, so I don’t stay confused.

The relative importance of the imagery contained in so many church names remains quite unclear to me. I assume there is special meaning that provides some context for a larger public awareness. How about worshiping at the Sixteenth Tabernacle? I would like to know, where are the other fifteen? Perhaps it would be easier to keep track of the faithful by numbering all churches.

For the possibility of atypical ideology, I might want to visit Catch the Spirit United Methodist Church, The Happy Church in Atlantic City, or either the Three Tree Church or Church of Divine Man in Seattle. The Power House-God’s House is yet another example of the uniqueness of a church name.

University of Washington sociologist Pepper Schwartz writes, "We believe more in the church of ‘my way’, a shift in the sense of the ultimate authority from God and church elders, to our own soul searches" (from American Couples, quoted in USA Today, Oct. 06, 2003). Perhaps efforts to define our religious identity by naming church institutions are not even relevant. Each person can instead ascribe unique meaning to a belief system according to her or his own needs, whims, and individual experience.

The Horizon Church seems off in the distance. Of course it may be psychologically healthy to recognize the dawning of a new day, or the end of another. It causes me to envision the edge of the vastness of this universe, and how much we don’t understand. Whatever the intended religious symbolism, it puts me on the edge of discovery and of wanting to continue the search for the meaning of church, as depicted by the variety of names.

Traveling by way of current literature, in The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd, Viking Books, 2002), I read about The House Of Prayer Full Gospel Holiness Church. Although this church may not exist in reality, the name conveys an important context for the storyline. Whatever one’s faith journey, I see the optimism in the Hope International Bible Fellowship name, not just for myself, but for us all. My quest is to locate churches whose names most clearly depict the central message of the Jesus story.

Ekatontapyliani (Church of One Hundred Gates) Paroikia, Greece is so apropos to the region. Many of the churches have gates—behind which are some ornate graveyards. I am intrigued by the myriad of symbols of life/death. Also in Greece, the Church of Metamorphosis in Athens isn’t well marked, but I suspect it would be a place where change continues to occur. Church history is most incredible from this vantage point.

If the opportunity arose, I would visit the Spirit and Truth Worship Center, the Impact International Church in Bristol Virginia or the Better Way Bible Church. These names seem so authentic.

I recently passed a congregation that displayed a small sign but with a large worldview. It simply read All Nations Christian Center. If this church has a Saturday evening service, I would attend. The church name beckons all of us.

Other church names:

Harvest Vision

New United Holy Church of God Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church

All Saints Episcopal

Christian Victory Fellowship

Dove Christian Fellowship

Healing Springs Community Church Holy Trinity Charismatic

The Praise Center

Tender Touch

—Donald E. Kraybill, North Wales, Pennsylvania, is a psychologist, frequent traveler, a holder of interests in child behavior, and involved in accreditation of Graduate Medical Education programs across the United States.