What’s in a name? A lot, if you’re a hipster church. Last week it was announced that Ted Haggard was starting a new church in Colorado Springs that would meet at his family’s home and would welcome any and everyone: “Democrat, Republican, gay, straight, bi, addicts, tall, short.” The church’s name? Saint James. “Because faith without works is dead,” says Haggard. The church's slogan is "Doing our Faith."
These days, if you want to start a cool church, it must have a name that either a) has a “deep” meaning, b) has only the obscurest connection to Christianity, c) is shocking in its unorthodox originality, or d) could easily be the name of a Las Vegas nightclub.
It must also have a somewhat explanatory slogan or motto (i.e. Saint James… “Doing our Faith”). In the olden days (the 90s), a church might have had a name like “Riverside Baptist Church” with a motto like “A Place for Families to Grow in Christ.” These days, a church might have a gloriously esoteric name like “Saint Cyprian’s” with a motto like “Mysterium Fidei.”
If I were starting a hipster church, I might go with one of the following name/motto combos:
Phil … Love is the greatest commandment.
Blank … We don’t believe in labels.
Corpus … We are the Body of Christ.
Tres … In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Gamma … It’s another cool way to say three.
Parabola … Jesus also taught using math.
St. Nothing’s … No one is righteous. No not one.
The Morgue … For Sinners Dead in Their Trespasses
Leper Colony … A church for outcasts and sick people.
Viscous … Spirit-molded, malleable and not as nerdy as “Liquid.”
Bleu … It’s a primary color (and sounds cool).
Sehnsucht … It almost sounds like “sin-sick.”
If you had to come up with a “cool church” name and motto, what would it be? Post your ideas here, or on the book's Facebook page.