This past Sunday evening our elders unanimously recommended the new name “Christ Fellowship Church” to our congregation. The theme of the evening was prayer. Our elders challenged the church to pray, shared stories of their prayer about the name, and led the church to pray at the altar of our worship center.
If you were unable to attend, you can watch the video presentation here.
If you were unable to attend, you can watch the video presentation here.
In addition to prayer, we also took time to respond to potential questions people may have about this new name. I’ve included those here and in a few places even expanded the answers based on questions we have received. As you read these, I hope they will help you better pray about this new proposed name.
Why Christ Fellowship? We wanted a timeless name that would not need to be changed any time in the near future. The name roots us in two theological realities: the supremacy of Jesus and the communion of the saints. In research for new names, we talked to many churches who’d chosen a “trendier” name who later regretted not picking something more timeless. Our hope is that this new name not only reflects who we are but does so in an enduring way.
What’s the significance of the crown and color? The crown and the orange color was selected to convey the boldness and depth of the congregation. The crown itself emphasizes the supremacy of Jesus and the line underneath emphasizes the fellowship of the body. The marketing firm also analyzed the use of these colors and the crown in this region, believing that ours would stand out.
Why Christ Fellowship? We wanted a timeless name that would not need to be changed any time in the near future. The name roots us in two theological realities: the supremacy of Jesus and the communion of the saints. In research for new names, we talked to many churches who’d chosen a “trendier” name who later regretted not picking something more timeless. Our hope is that this new name not only reflects who we are but does so in an enduring way.
What’s the significance of the crown and color? The crown and the orange color was selected to convey the boldness and depth of the congregation. The crown itself emphasizes the supremacy of Jesus and the line underneath emphasizes the fellowship of the body. The marketing firm also analyzed the use of these colors and the crown in this region, believing that ours would stand out.
Why did we use a marketing firm? While our elders feel strongly about the need for a new name, we all agreed that we are not equipped to research and design a new name. As the video mentioned, Cratebind Marketing is a firm experienced in working with church rebrands. The design team assigned to us all have decades of experience in church graphic design, providing critical insight and wisdom.
Are there other churches named Christ Fellowship Church? Yes, there is a large multi-site church in Florida and an evangelical church both in Mckinney and Euless named Christ Fellowship. The marketing firm's geographical consideration of a new name was focused on I-30 as a northern border, I-35E and I-35W as east and western borders and Waxahachie as a Southern border. They believe this name not only represents who we are but also would not be confusing given these other “Christ Fellowships” are outside our region.
Will we remain Baptist if we vote to adopt this name? Yes! We are committed to remaining a cooperating member of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention through our affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and generous giving to the Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. We will communicate this affiliation on our website, in worship services, and membership classes.
Are we still pursuing relocation of our campus? On 11/17/24, the elders presented the idea of a name change and relocation. The elders believe additional research and investigation are needed regarding our campus. To address this, we’ve contracted with a design-build firm to continue work on the master plan, secured a commercial real estate agent to continue exploration of our options with our land, and formed a team to vet different options. We believe the name change is a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed first, giving more time to the question of our campus.
What’s the cost of renaming? The marketing firm, website, signage, and updated give-aways will come roughly to $80,000. We had already planned a rebranding of the church for 2025 before the rename was raised, so our team budgeted for this project. We are not legally changing the name of the church from “First Baptist Church of Mansfield, TX,” but have recommended a “Doing Business As.” The cost to do a “DBA” as Christ Fellowship Church of Mansfield, TX costs $25.00.
Are we becoming “of the world” instead of “in the world” with this change? Our elders are committed to vigilantly guard the message and the nature of the church. We will continue to preach and teach the good news of Christ crucified and risen and we will continue to only admit into membership baptized believers who affirm our statement of faith and our church covenant. But vigilance is not just for our elders but also a responsibility each of us have as a congregational church. Elders cannot change the statement of faith or the church covenant. Only the members of this church can make those changes. You are empowered to hold us accountable.
If we do not vote to approve the new name, what happens? We want each member to prayerfully seek the Lord's will and vote. Yes, we do want the church to prayerfully consider the elder's leadership in this matter but we believe each of you have the Spirit, so please pray. If the church does not vote the 2/3rds required to change the name, then we will trust the Lord with the result. If the church does vote for the name change, we will trust the Lord with the results. We long to stay unified and loving regardless of what happens.
If the church does approve the new name, how quickly will the new name be implemented? August 10th, 2025 is our target date for unveiling the new name to the community. This special day will include the launch of our new website, banners, signage on the road, and free giveaways. To communicate this to the community, we will ramp up online, social media and most likely physical marketing to communicate this new day in our church. We will also produce a video re-introducing ourselves to the community.
Does a new name mean we will automatically grow? A church name should represent who you are to those who aren't here yet. Churches who change their name to keep from dying do not grow. Normally, churches who are healthy who change their name do enter into a season of growth. FBC Euless, FBC Humble and Rush Creek Baptist Church all saw significant growth as they walked through a renaming process. While this is not the primary motive for the change, we do believe a name that better communicates who we are will encourage a culture of invitation from our members to the community.
We have changed and our elders believe it's time for our name to better reflect who we are to the community. Some churches change their name and hope that it changes them. We've already changed and our elders believe now is the time for our name to reflect that. Please pray about Christ Fellowship Church as our new name as a church family.
Are there other churches named Christ Fellowship Church? Yes, there is a large multi-site church in Florida and an evangelical church both in Mckinney and Euless named Christ Fellowship. The marketing firm's geographical consideration of a new name was focused on I-30 as a northern border, I-35E and I-35W as east and western borders and Waxahachie as a Southern border. They believe this name not only represents who we are but also would not be confusing given these other “Christ Fellowships” are outside our region.
Will we remain Baptist if we vote to adopt this name? Yes! We are committed to remaining a cooperating member of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention through our affirmation of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and generous giving to the Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. We will communicate this affiliation on our website, in worship services, and membership classes.
Are we still pursuing relocation of our campus? On 11/17/24, the elders presented the idea of a name change and relocation. The elders believe additional research and investigation are needed regarding our campus. To address this, we’ve contracted with a design-build firm to continue work on the master plan, secured a commercial real estate agent to continue exploration of our options with our land, and formed a team to vet different options. We believe the name change is a more pressing issue that needs to be addressed first, giving more time to the question of our campus.
What’s the cost of renaming? The marketing firm, website, signage, and updated give-aways will come roughly to $80,000. We had already planned a rebranding of the church for 2025 before the rename was raised, so our team budgeted for this project. We are not legally changing the name of the church from “First Baptist Church of Mansfield, TX,” but have recommended a “Doing Business As.” The cost to do a “DBA” as Christ Fellowship Church of Mansfield, TX costs $25.00.
Are we becoming “of the world” instead of “in the world” with this change? Our elders are committed to vigilantly guard the message and the nature of the church. We will continue to preach and teach the good news of Christ crucified and risen and we will continue to only admit into membership baptized believers who affirm our statement of faith and our church covenant. But vigilance is not just for our elders but also a responsibility each of us have as a congregational church. Elders cannot change the statement of faith or the church covenant. Only the members of this church can make those changes. You are empowered to hold us accountable.
If we do not vote to approve the new name, what happens? We want each member to prayerfully seek the Lord's will and vote. Yes, we do want the church to prayerfully consider the elder's leadership in this matter but we believe each of you have the Spirit, so please pray. If the church does not vote the 2/3rds required to change the name, then we will trust the Lord with the result. If the church does vote for the name change, we will trust the Lord with the results. We long to stay unified and loving regardless of what happens.
If the church does approve the new name, how quickly will the new name be implemented? August 10th, 2025 is our target date for unveiling the new name to the community. This special day will include the launch of our new website, banners, signage on the road, and free giveaways. To communicate this to the community, we will ramp up online, social media and most likely physical marketing to communicate this new day in our church. We will also produce a video re-introducing ourselves to the community.
Does a new name mean we will automatically grow? A church name should represent who you are to those who aren't here yet. Churches who change their name to keep from dying do not grow. Normally, churches who are healthy who change their name do enter into a season of growth. FBC Euless, FBC Humble and Rush Creek Baptist Church all saw significant growth as they walked through a renaming process. While this is not the primary motive for the change, we do believe a name that better communicates who we are will encourage a culture of invitation from our members to the community.
We have changed and our elders believe it's time for our name to better reflect who we are to the community. Some churches change their name and hope that it changes them. We've already changed and our elders believe now is the time for our name to reflect that. Please pray about Christ Fellowship Church as our new name as a church family.
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I love. I love everything about it. The name Christ in it and the new crown logo. Wonderful