... we have a name!...

ok, so we are doing a church plant in the dallas/acworth area of georgia.  and we've been thinking/dreaming/losing sleep about a church name for over a year. and because we now have one i thought it would be nice to let you know.. especially because i've begged you for ideas for quite some time!

here is the background and vision of the church first: (DONT read ahead!)

we are gonna be about real community. about AUTHENTIC relationships with one another- ones that go deep and don't just scratch the surface.  about living lives with one another. about helping meet each others needs.  about breaking away from what culture says (you're too busy to invest in that person- too busy to change your schedule or adjust your plans).  "church" won't be a place we go on sunday morning, but WHO WE ARE.  we will live counter culturally and will model that as best we can. 

the model of the early church is shown in a verse in scripture, Acts 2:42.  the new living translation's version of that verse is this:  

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

i love this! teaching, fellowship, meals, and prayer. a beautiful picture of life together in pursuit of understanding and learning more about the one who is love.  a verse we want to model and embrace.

so here is the name: Vintage 242.  

we are taking 242 from Acts 2:42, and chose vintage in reference to the early church. taking the old, classic, and quality from years gone by and marrying it with the new. vintage 242.

i was a bit surprised with the reactions i've gotten from the name. it seems that most long-going church attenders aren't crazy about it (especially older people),  but people who don't have a tie to a denomination and people who aren't churched really embrace and love it.  this is obviously a generalization, because i've had some older church folks love it, but i can almost guess the response someone will have based on their life experiences and their age.  

and this is the deal-- i don't really care so much if church people like the name. because they aren't our target market. we aren't about shuffling believers around from church to church, but we want to reach the unchurched. people who don't have a family of faith yet in life.  people who are looking for a place to grow and be embraced right where they are in their walk of life. and i believe that these folks are less hesitant to try out a place with a name like vintage 242 than they are a place called "first whatever (baptist, pres, methodist, etc.) of cedarcrest".

now we're working on  a logo and website. good stuff! we still need a location to meet in, so if you are a person that prays, will you pray for us to find the perfect location for us? 

thanks :)