Some churches drop 'Baptist' from names to gain new members
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Rev. Dan Brown is one of several Baptist pastors leading his congregation to change the church's name in hopes of bringing more people through the doors.
apnews.com
The article discusses a Baptist church, but other denominations are doing the same thing. I'm not picking on or criticizing any faith, but I am curious as to how others feel about this.
I have two friends, one of them a youth pastor, whose churches have changed their names to conceal their denominational affiliations. The youth pastor was very upfront about concealing their denomination, it was to get people in the door (and consequently raise more money through donations) by passing themselves off as more of a nondenominational church. They believed many of those would stay after being made to feel welcome despite eventually revealing the denomination. So far this has worked for both churches.
What I find particularly amusing about this is the names these churches are taking. Many sound like the 1980s gimmick of FM radio stations naming themselves....the Light, the Hope, the Heart, the Message, etc.
Ok, it's none of our businesses what churches other than our own do, but what's your take on this practice? Would you object if your church wanted to do this?