I have been reading all the articles concerning a name change for our denomination, and it may be a good thing to do. However, I am reminded of the old quote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” and I believe that a denomination by any other name would still be the same. I don’t believe a name change in itself would do the job.
We need to look back in the Scriptures and find the mission Jesus gave to the church in Matthew 28:18-20. Also, we need to study the book of Acts to know what the job of the pastor entails and why deacons were chosen in Acts 6:1-8. As God’s ambassadors, we are to win the lost, feed the poor, and take care of widows who have no relatives. If you examine church budgets, it looks as if we are to hire professionals to give us beautiful music and teach our children to perform musically, take our seniors on trips and feed our members physical food – all good things, but not the best.
Truth is hard, because it sounds judgmental, but I’m asking our people to be accountable to what we have accomplished. How many converts have we baptized a year (not counting children from Christian homes), and how many lost and needy people do we have in our community?
Jesus says in John 12:32: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Are we lifting Christ up in our homes and communities and doing what Acts 6:1-8 says we are to do? We are accountable only to Jesus, and he will be our judge the next time he comes.
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