Episode #20 – How NOT to Change the Name of a Replant
(JimBo) As a Campus of Hibernia Baptist Church at Hyde Park, we were going autonomous and needed to change our name.
The process that was suggested to JimBo
-Announce a name change (you have 6 weeks)
-If you (JimBo) have an idea-share it with the church
-Gather suggested names from the entire congregation
-Hold a two votes: one to arrive at the top name and then to select the name from the top vote getters
Funny names that were submitted: MoTown Church, Good Friends Church
Mistakes I made along the way:
-Accepting names from everyone multiple times for six weeks (unlimited suggestions accepted)
-Failing to check to see if the suggested names were already being used by churches in our city
(After googling EACH of the SUGGESTED NAMES every single suggested name was being used by a church in our city, except one, Redemption Church)
-Giving too many options created conflict.
-We ended up having to do re-vote
Things I learned along the way
-Always google any suggested names to see if they are eligible.
-Never “wing” a business meeting always have a plan
-Limit the options to diminish conflict.
-It may be a good idea to have a detailed minded person to moderate your business meetings-especially potentially contentious ones.
-Visiting in the community helped me to see how people in our community responded to “Baptist” in our name.
-Be transparent and own your mistakes:I had to confess that I messed up the whole process in public and in private.
-When conflict is serious, pause: we chose not to vote after the two weeks of deliberation because the conflict was so serious.
Suggested Process from Kevin Handy in Replant Roadmap
- Celebrate the old name
- Look for sacred cows
- Pick a name that honors the legacy of the name of the church (Bob threw a flag on this)
- Spell out clearly the reasons for the name change
Redemption Church in Jacksonville FL
Replant Road Map by Mark Hallock
Name Change Documents mentioned by Bob
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business meeting, name change, Roberts Rule of Order