March 13th, 2025
by Dr. Spencer Plumlee
by Dr. Spencer Plumlee
Our Elders officially presented the name “Christ Fellowship Church” to our church family for your prayerful consideration as our new name this past Sunday night, March 2nd. Over the next few weeks I’d like to talk in depth about this name, giving more context about why it was chosen. As I do this, I hope this will help you as you continue to pray about this new name. This week I’d like to start by talking about the assumed cultural context for this proposed name.
Post-Christian World
I believe we are living in a “post-Christian” world. For many years, the default starting position for our country was basic Christian assumptions. That good and evil exist, gender is binary, and marriage is between a man and woman were all unquestioned, unchallenged beliefs the overwhelming majority of people affirmed. That is no longer the case. Yes, recently we’ve seen a return to “common sense” on things like the gender front. But still, for example, gay marriage is a point of significant and enduring confusion.
In 1996, Bill Clinton led the charge to pass the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). It was passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support, and defined marriage as only between one man and one woman, allowing states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. 2022 saw a massive reversal of this through the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), officially repealing DOMA and federally recognized same-sex marriages. This was led by Joe Biden and also enjoyed broad bi-partisan support.
Consider the shift here! In just under 30 years this country went from defining marriage as between a man and a woman to mandating that gay marriage be federally recognized. Both of these pieces of legislation were approved on a bi-partisan basis, meaning our legislators felt that it was a settled issue.
The problem with this position is that it undermines the very core of our societal structure: children have a mother and a father. Moreover, it erodes the reality that children not only have but they need a mother and father. This kind of moral confusion is just one example of the post-Christian world in which we live.
When we prayed over a new name, we assumed this cultural confusion is shaping the people we are trying to reach. I say this because if you don’t agree with this assumption, the conclusion we drew about the name may not make sense. Because we live in a post-Christian world, we felt strongly that our new name needed to be rooted in core beliefs. It is hoped that affirming our commitment to and trust in Jesus through the name “Christ Fellowship Church” will accomplish just that. But not only did the post-Christian landscape impact our decision, so did the post-denominational landscape.
Post-Denominational World
The name “First Baptist” served this church well for over 100 years in part because we were living in a world still influenced by Christian assumptions. It also served us well because these Christian assumptions were also reinforced by strong denominational affiliation. For many years, people were very committed to their respective denominations. People weren’t just Christians, they identified with movements like Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans or Anglicans. For many it was more than just theological agreement or denominational affiliation as it was often rooted into family structures as well.
My great-great grandmother was an Italian who was raised as a Catholic in Memphis, TN (Lorenzi was her maiden name). When she met and married Earl Nash who was a committed Baptist, she came to Christ and was baptized by immersion as a believer, joining his church. This was a scandal of epic proportions for his family, and it led them to essentially disown her. To be sure, this strong reaction came in part because she moved from Catholicism to Protestantism, but this mindset was the norm for decades in this country.
This kind of denominational loyalty is mostly a thing of the past. It is very normal for a child to be raised in one denomination but after they go to college or are married to quickly jump into another (or none at all via non-denominational churches). In part, this took off through the creation of suburban culture in the 60’s and 70’s. As families moved out of cities into these surrounding communities, everything became about optimization. People moved based on which communities had the best schools or nicest amenities like parks, shopping, or restaurants.
This mentality made its way to church as well. Which church has the best preaching? Which church has the best worship service? Which one has the best program for kids or students? These are the questions that dominated the mentality of most Americans from the 90’s forward. Fewer and fewer people looked for churches based on denominational affiliation and more and more looked for “the best” church just like they looked for the “best school.” This shift has led both to the rise of non-denominational churches and in many cases the erosion of awareness of theological distinctiveness among denominations.
Many of you have said to me, “Pastor, when I hear the word ‘Baptist’ I know exactly what they believe as a church.” Yes, you probably do, but increasingly our culture does not. Those looking for a church are normally less interested in the denomination as they are what the church has to offer. To be clear, I am in no way celebrating this erosion of denominational loyalty. But neither can we ignore it if we are to be serious about reaching new people.
What does all this have to do with a name change? When our leaders agreed that the name “First Baptist” was not a name that clearly communicated who we are, we began to wrestle with an important question: what name WOULD communicate who we are? More specifically, what name would communicate who we are to our community given this post-Christian, Post-denominational moment? One of the key ideas that shaped our decision was theological rootedness.
Theological Rootedness
Christ Fellowship Church is a name that attempts to root us in enduring, timeless truths about our faith. It emphasizes both the supremacy of Jesus in all things and also a loving, committed family of believers. I’ll talk more about these ideas in the next few weeks, but the heart behind this is simple: we want our church name to communicate the essential belief we hold in Jesus Christ.
A church name is for people who aren’t here yet. The question is, what do we assume about these people? Yes, as some of you have pointed out, there are people who after moving to a new community look for the “First Baptist Church.” But our assumption is that this group is shrinking by the day in this post-Christian, post-Denominational world, especially given the de-churching movement I discussed a few weeks back (READ HERE).
What are we assuming with the church name then? We are assuming the people who aren’t here yet need a more basic communication about who we are. We are assuming that the post-denominational moment has shaped a growing ignorance about the distinctives among denominations. Given the ignorance about both denominational distinctives and basic Christian beliefs, we believe a theologically rooted name is the way forward.
In different places, I’ve mentioned that we talked to a number of churches who regretted choosing “trendy” church names. Why? Because while they accounted for the post-denominational world with their name they did not account for the post-Christian dynamic. Trendy, cool, hip names can get lost in a sea of options in suburban culture. Our hope is that this name is responding both to the lack of denominational affiliation and the eroding Christian assumptions in our cultural moment.
As you pray, I hope this background helps you understand WHY we landed where we did with the name “Christ Fellowship Church” as a proposal for our church family. In the coming weeks, I’ll talk more about the actual name itself.
Post-Christian World
I believe we are living in a “post-Christian” world. For many years, the default starting position for our country was basic Christian assumptions. That good and evil exist, gender is binary, and marriage is between a man and woman were all unquestioned, unchallenged beliefs the overwhelming majority of people affirmed. That is no longer the case. Yes, recently we’ve seen a return to “common sense” on things like the gender front. But still, for example, gay marriage is a point of significant and enduring confusion.
In 1996, Bill Clinton led the charge to pass the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). It was passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support, and defined marriage as only between one man and one woman, allowing states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. 2022 saw a massive reversal of this through the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA), officially repealing DOMA and federally recognized same-sex marriages. This was led by Joe Biden and also enjoyed broad bi-partisan support.
Consider the shift here! In just under 30 years this country went from defining marriage as between a man and a woman to mandating that gay marriage be federally recognized. Both of these pieces of legislation were approved on a bi-partisan basis, meaning our legislators felt that it was a settled issue.
The problem with this position is that it undermines the very core of our societal structure: children have a mother and a father. Moreover, it erodes the reality that children not only have but they need a mother and father. This kind of moral confusion is just one example of the post-Christian world in which we live.
When we prayed over a new name, we assumed this cultural confusion is shaping the people we are trying to reach. I say this because if you don’t agree with this assumption, the conclusion we drew about the name may not make sense. Because we live in a post-Christian world, we felt strongly that our new name needed to be rooted in core beliefs. It is hoped that affirming our commitment to and trust in Jesus through the name “Christ Fellowship Church” will accomplish just that. But not only did the post-Christian landscape impact our decision, so did the post-denominational landscape.
Post-Denominational World
The name “First Baptist” served this church well for over 100 years in part because we were living in a world still influenced by Christian assumptions. It also served us well because these Christian assumptions were also reinforced by strong denominational affiliation. For many years, people were very committed to their respective denominations. People weren’t just Christians, they identified with movements like Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans or Anglicans. For many it was more than just theological agreement or denominational affiliation as it was often rooted into family structures as well.
My great-great grandmother was an Italian who was raised as a Catholic in Memphis, TN (Lorenzi was her maiden name). When she met and married Earl Nash who was a committed Baptist, she came to Christ and was baptized by immersion as a believer, joining his church. This was a scandal of epic proportions for his family, and it led them to essentially disown her. To be sure, this strong reaction came in part because she moved from Catholicism to Protestantism, but this mindset was the norm for decades in this country.
This kind of denominational loyalty is mostly a thing of the past. It is very normal for a child to be raised in one denomination but after they go to college or are married to quickly jump into another (or none at all via non-denominational churches). In part, this took off through the creation of suburban culture in the 60’s and 70’s. As families moved out of cities into these surrounding communities, everything became about optimization. People moved based on which communities had the best schools or nicest amenities like parks, shopping, or restaurants.
This mentality made its way to church as well. Which church has the best preaching? Which church has the best worship service? Which one has the best program for kids or students? These are the questions that dominated the mentality of most Americans from the 90’s forward. Fewer and fewer people looked for churches based on denominational affiliation and more and more looked for “the best” church just like they looked for the “best school.” This shift has led both to the rise of non-denominational churches and in many cases the erosion of awareness of theological distinctiveness among denominations.
Many of you have said to me, “Pastor, when I hear the word ‘Baptist’ I know exactly what they believe as a church.” Yes, you probably do, but increasingly our culture does not. Those looking for a church are normally less interested in the denomination as they are what the church has to offer. To be clear, I am in no way celebrating this erosion of denominational loyalty. But neither can we ignore it if we are to be serious about reaching new people.
What does all this have to do with a name change? When our leaders agreed that the name “First Baptist” was not a name that clearly communicated who we are, we began to wrestle with an important question: what name WOULD communicate who we are? More specifically, what name would communicate who we are to our community given this post-Christian, Post-denominational moment? One of the key ideas that shaped our decision was theological rootedness.
Theological Rootedness
Christ Fellowship Church is a name that attempts to root us in enduring, timeless truths about our faith. It emphasizes both the supremacy of Jesus in all things and also a loving, committed family of believers. I’ll talk more about these ideas in the next few weeks, but the heart behind this is simple: we want our church name to communicate the essential belief we hold in Jesus Christ.
A church name is for people who aren’t here yet. The question is, what do we assume about these people? Yes, as some of you have pointed out, there are people who after moving to a new community look for the “First Baptist Church.” But our assumption is that this group is shrinking by the day in this post-Christian, post-Denominational world, especially given the de-churching movement I discussed a few weeks back (READ HERE).
What are we assuming with the church name then? We are assuming the people who aren’t here yet need a more basic communication about who we are. We are assuming that the post-denominational moment has shaped a growing ignorance about the distinctives among denominations. Given the ignorance about both denominational distinctives and basic Christian beliefs, we believe a theologically rooted name is the way forward.
In different places, I’ve mentioned that we talked to a number of churches who regretted choosing “trendy” church names. Why? Because while they accounted for the post-denominational world with their name they did not account for the post-Christian dynamic. Trendy, cool, hip names can get lost in a sea of options in suburban culture. Our hope is that this name is responding both to the lack of denominational affiliation and the eroding Christian assumptions in our cultural moment.
As you pray, I hope this background helps you understand WHY we landed where we did with the name “Christ Fellowship Church” as a proposal for our church family. In the coming weeks, I’ll talk more about the actual name itself.
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