Leaving Baptist in Your Church Name Won’t Scare People Away
Americans favor Baptist, Catholic churches more than nondenominational congregations.
Last year, the National Association of Evangelicals asked its members if they included denominational affiliation in the name of their church. Well over half—63 percent—said they did not.
It’s a tricky line to walk. Naming your denomination may come across as more “rigid” or “old-fashioned,” but leaving the name out can appear sneaky or unstable, according to a 2013 Grey Matter Research study.
Either way, a church’s name isn’t going to drastically change the way the public perceives it, according to a new study from the Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
Among LifeWay’s findings: About half of Americans view denominational names favorably, while the other half feel either negatively or indifferently.
“It would depend on who you’re trying to reach,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. “But some denominational groups have as much ‘brand equity’ as nondenominational churches, which have been growing the fastest.”
Churches began dropping denominations from their names in the 1980s, says Ed Stetzer, the executive director of LifeWay Research.
“I’ve started multiple churches, none of which had a denomination in the name,” he said. “It wasn’t even a conversation. It was just an assumption that we’re trying to reach unchurched people so we don’t want to have additional barriers.”
Not all denominations are viewed equally.
Baptist (61%) scored the most favorably in LifeWay’s phone survey of 1,000 Americans, followed by Catholic (57%), nondenominational (53%), Methodist (52%), Southern Baptist (49%), Presbyterian (46%), Lutheran (46%), Assemblies …
Leaving Baptist in Your Church Name Won’t Scare People Away
Americans favor Baptist, Catholic churches more than nondenominational congregations.
Last year, the National Association of Evangelicals asked its members if they included denominational affiliation in the name of their church. Well over half—63 percent—said they did not.
It’s a tricky line to walk. Naming your denomination may come across as more “rigid” or “old-fashioned,” but leaving the name out can appear sneaky or unstable, according to a 2013 Grey Matter Research study.
Either way, a church’s name isn’t going to drastically change the way the public perceives it, according to a new study from the Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
Among LifeWay’s findings: About half of Americans view denominational names favorably, while the other half feel either negatively or indifferently.
“It would depend on who you’re trying to reach,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. “But some denominational groups have as much ‘brand equity’ as nondenominational churches, which have been growing the fastest.”
Churches began dropping denominations from their names in the 1980s, says Ed Stetzer, the executive director of LifeWay Research.
“I’ve started multiple churches, none of which had a denomination in the name,” he said. “It wasn’t even a conversation. It was just an assumption that we’re trying to reach unchurched people so we don’t want to have additional barriers.”
Not all denominations are viewed equally.
Baptist (61%) scored the most favorably in LifeWay’s phone survey of 1,000 Americans, followed by Catholic (57%), nondenominational (53%), Methodist (52%), Southern Baptist (49%), Presbyterian (46%), Lutheran (46%), Assemblies …
Former House Speaker Indicted, Resigns from Wheaton Advisory Board
Update: Wheaton drops Denny Hastert’s name from public policy center.
Update (June 1): Wheaton College has cut ties with former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, removing his name from the public policy center he founded at the evangelical school.
“In light of the charges and allegations that have emerged, the College has re-designated the Center as the Wheaton College Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy at this time,” the college said in a statement on Sunday.
Wheaton has no connection to the recent allegations against Hastert, according to the statement.
“We commit ourselves to pray for all involved, including Speaker Hastert, his family, and those who may have been harmed by any inappropriate behavior, and to continue the work and mission of the Wheaton College Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy,” the statement read.
Previously reported:
Former House Speaker and Wheaton College alumnus Dennis “Denny” Hastert paid $1.7 million in hush money before later lying about it to the FBI, federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday.
The hush money was meant to conceal alleged sexual misconduct from Hastert’s time as a coach and school teacher in Yorkville, Illinois, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It goes back a long way, back to then,” a law enforcement official told the Times. “It has nothing to do with public corruption or a corruption scandal. Or to his time in office.”
The New York Times also reported the alleged sexual misconduct involving a person known as “Individual A” in court documents.
“The man—who was not identified in court papers—told the FBI that he had been inappropriately touched by Mr. Hastert when Mr. Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling …
Former House Speaker Indicted, Resigns from Wheaton Advisory Board
Update: Wheaton drops Denny Hastert’s name from public policy center.
Update (June 1): Wheaton College has cut ties with former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, removing his name from the public policy center he founded at the evangelical school.
“In light of the charges and allegations that have emerged, the College has re-designated the Center as the Wheaton College Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy at this time,” the college said in a statement on Sunday.
Wheaton has no connection to the recent allegations against Hastert, according to the statement.
“We commit ourselves to pray for all involved, including Speaker Hastert, his family, and those who may have been harmed by any inappropriate behavior, and to continue the work and mission of the Wheaton College Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy,” the statement read.
Previously reported:
Former House Speaker and Wheaton College alumnus Dennis “Denny” Hastert paid $1.7 million in hush money before later lying about it to the FBI, federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday.
The hush money was meant to conceal alleged sexual misconduct from Hastert’s time as a coach and school teacher in Yorkville, Illinois, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“It goes back a long way, back to then,” a law enforcement official told the Times. “It has nothing to do with public corruption or a corruption scandal. Or to his time in office.”
The New York Times also reported the alleged sexual misconduct involving a person known as “Individual A” in court documents.
“The man—who was not identified in court papers—told the FBI that he had been inappropriately touched by Mr. Hastert when Mr. Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling …
Forgiving Her Sister’s Murderer, Face to Face
Attorney Jeanne Bishop has helped thousands of clients make amends for their crimes. Now she’s helping the man who killed her sister make amends for his.
On April 7, 1990, David Biro broke into the affluent suburban Chicago home of Nancy and Richard Langert armed with a glass cutter and a revolver. When the Langerts returned home that night, Biro, then 16, was waiting. He rejected the couple’s attempts to negotiate, which likely included money; police discovered $500 in cash abandoned at the scene. Biro shot Richard in the head and Nancy, who was pregnant, three times. He left her bleeding in the couple’s basement.
“It was Palm Sunday,” remembers Jeanne Bishop, Nancy’s sister. Bishop was at choir rehearsal at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. “The secretary came and said, ‘You have a phone call.’
“I said, ‘Can you take a message?’
“She said, ‘No, you need to come with me.’ ”
Bishop immediately thought of her elderly father. But it was his voice she heard over the phone: “Nancy and Richard have been killed.”
An image of a truck crushing the couple’s compact car on the expressway flashed through Bishop’s mind.
“What do you mean, killed?” she said.
“Somebody killed them.”
A week later, Bishop learned the details of her younger sister’s last moments. Nancy had remained alive for roughly 10 minutes after Biro shot her in the elbow, back, and abdomen. Before she died, she crawled over to her husband’s body and used her own blood to draw a heart and the letter U.
No Division
Six months after the murders, the police arrested Biro. An honors student at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois, Biro had once been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for trying to poison his family. He had bragged to his …
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