"How did

that church get that name?" I often wonder.

Oh, most names

are pretty standard. Every town has a First Baptist, a First Methodist,

and a First Presbyterian church. The large cities might even have a Second

Baptist or whatever.

Sometimes,

a church will choose a name on the basis of location so that people will

know where to look. Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church of Lynchburg,

VA comes to mind.

Locally, there

are a number of congregations that have chosen this identification, including,

Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church, Line Creek Baptist Church, Braelinn

Baptist Church, Forest Park Assembly of God, and Turin United Methodist

Church, to name a few. Then there are those who wish to convey a theological

message in their name. Hence, there is Covenant Presbyterian, New Hope

Baptist, Trinity Fellowship, Holy Trinity Catholic, Grace Baptist, Resurrection

Lutheran, Redemption Episcopal, and-well, you get the idea.

Some churches

are named after more modern people, such as Wesley Methodist Church, Asbury

Methodist Church, N. G. Taylor Memorial Methodist (named after a guy that

donated the land the church sits on), and Glenn Memorial Methodist (Methodists

seem to name a lot of churches after less ancient people).

Some, especially

in the liturgical tradition, chose a name that will reflect the contribution

of biblical or early church figures such as St. Andrew's Episcopal Church,

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, St. George Catholic Church, the

Cathedral of St. Michael and All Angels, Church of the Apostles, St. Peter's

African Methodist Episcopal, St. David's, and many others.

Still others

focus on the person of Jesus Christ: Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran, Christ

the King Charismatic Episcopal, Christ Our Hope Lutheran, Christ Church,

Prince of Peace Lutheran, Christ the Redeemer, Christ our Peace, Christ

Our Savior, and so on. In Atlanta, there is a Holy Spirit Catholic Church

and a Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, both named after the most neglected

member of the Trinity.

Then there

are those that are named in "code." By this, I mean that biblically

literate Christians will (maybe) understand the meaning of the name but

no one else will. Names like: ZoÎ Fellowship, Maranatha Christian

Church, Rhema Community Church, Evangel Assembly, Shekinah Church, and

Koinonia Fellowship. I know what those names mean, but I'd bet a steak

dinner that few others, even those active in church, have the slightest

clue. Others choose names that convey a concept: New Life, Victory, Open

Door, Friendship, Faith, Glad Tidings, New Beginnings, etc.

Some have names

that defy an attempt to explain the origin of the name. In Tennessee,

there is a Stone Dam Methodist Church that is neither built of stones,

these are no stones on the grounds, and there isn't a dam anywhere around.

Then there is Lakeside Christian Church that is twenty miles from the

nearest pond. In Bristol, Tennessee, State Street United Methodist Church

is miles away from State Street. Go figure.

Did you know

that there IS such a thing as "The Perfect Church"? I kid you

not. Several years ago, I was lost in Atlanta. As I pulled up to a stop

sign, there, across the street, was a quaint little church building with

a sign outside that proclaimed its name: "The Perfect Church."

And they said there was no such thing!

On the way

to Thomaston, from where I live, there is a church built in the shape

of a lighthouse. And, across the country, hundreds of churches are called

Lighthouse Baptist, or carry other denominational moniker, even though,

for the most part, lighthouses are no longer functional, serve no current

purpose, and are relics of a long ago past. Kinda like Cotton Gin Presbyterian

or Stage Coach Episcopal (I made those names up).

My favorite

odd name for a church is found in Rome, Ga., where "The Rapture Preparation

Center - You too can go!" sits on a major highway. Some will take

issue with me but, in spite of Tim LaHaye's "Left Behind" book

series, the "rapture" doctrine, as commonly understood in many

evangelical circles, did not exist in church history until sometime in

the 19th century. Even if a valid doctrine, it seems odd to build a church

around one single teaching. But it happens all the time.

The award for

the most restrictive church name goes to a church in the Appalachian Mountains.

In North Carolina,

I once saw a church sign that read something like: "First Freewill

Baptist Pentecostal Seventh-Day Holiness Church - Full Gospel, Pre-millennial,

pre-tribulation, fundamentalist, King James only." It was a Sunday

morning and there were only about six cars in the parking lot.

What's in a

name? A great deal, evidently. A number of years ago, I served as the

pastor of a congregation that went through a name change. There were 219

nominations for the new name and the process took over a year. There were

hurt feelings and at least a third of the people didn't initially like

the name the majority chose.

We church folks

are serious about our church names. Now if we could just get as serious

about living the Christian life and about sharing our faith with others.

[The Reverend

Father David Eppsis Rector of Christ the KingCharismatic Episcopal Churchin

the Coweta/Fayette County area of South Metro AtlantaHe may

be contacted at [email protected] or at www.ctkcec.org.]