Seven Ideas for Naming Your Church

I had a conversation a few days ago with a church planter who was asking advice about what to name his church and how that would work in a branding situation. Naming your church can be a very exciting process but it can also cause analysis paralysis. Planters all want the “perfect” name and something that will capture the essence of who they are. So how do you come up with a great church name and how do you know it will be a keeper?

There really is no true secret formula for developing a name that rocks (ok, there is but I can’t tell you all the secrets). Sometimes you find the needle in the haystack, sometimes it takes a while for your branding to ignite, and unfortunately there are times where the name just falls flat and fails to invoke any excitement or meaning. But make no mistake – your brand and name is very important – so I am going to give you a seven suggestions on how to develop a great name for your new or “re-purposed” church.

1. Pray about it…and then pray some more. Jesus is the CEO and we need to take our requests to Him. When I decided on Element 3 Church for my church name it became clear through prayer and a vision. There was a lot of meaning behind it and I knew this was the one. Maybe it won’t happen that way for you but I do believe that prayer is essential for discovering your church name.

2. Play with words and ideas. Start writing down all the ideas that come to mind. Don’t hold back any possibilities even if you think it’s stupid. Use a Thesaurus or a website like Nameboy.com to kick around word alternatives and see what piques your interest. Explore and play around.

3. Ask yourself if the idea or name fits. Does the name flow with your vision? Is it too conservative, too edgy, or too abstract for your church’s vision? It’s important for the name to fit your style, belief, and image or it will never grow roots. You gotta be passionate about it as a leader or it will die on the vine.

4. Avoid generic names. Choosing a name like First Denomination Church of My Town is boring and lacks originality. Generic names usually just don’t create excitement and are harder to brand. Break out of the mold and think different.

5. Avoid difficult names. Names taken from Hebrew or other languages are not always the best choice either. They might be cool to seminary grads and artistic types but if it’s hard to understand or pronounce people may feel stupid trying to say it. Please don’t make people feel stupid…you’ll only get negative buzz or press.

6. Don’t go with public opinion. If you ask 10 people you will usually get 10 different answers. Some people will think you are nuts and others will think you are a genius. Go with your gut feeling first and then the advice of no more than three people. Focus groups thought Amazon was a dumb name…you draw the conclusion here.

7. Own it and promote it. Once you have decided on a name move forward and don’t second guess it. If you think it rocks then it will rock! Your passion will be contagious and you can brand and promote it. You will be criticized by some, no doubt - but move on and keep promoting it and your vision.

If you want to know my personal list of rockin’ church names here are a few that I think are absolute winners!

Rockin’ Church Names:

The Dialogue Church, Mars Hill, Radiant Church, Red Sea, Hot Rod Church for Sinners, Guts Church, Flood Church, Scum of the Earth Church, The Point, Fusion, Church without Limits, Our Lady of Perpetual Motion (I made this one up).

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James Dalman is the owner/chief brand genius at the Branding Shed, a church planter, and a contributing editor to Church Communications Pro.

April 2, 2007 · Filed Under Church Branding, Church Marketing, Church Planting

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One Response to “Seven Ideas for Naming Your Church”

  1. » Seven Ideas for Naming Your Church on April 2nd, 2007 12:26 pm

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