Maurilio Amorim

Bad Church Names

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Maurilio Amorim

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All the great posts I had planned for this week didn’t happen, so I’m posting my Friday mindless post. As a branding professional, I’m often asked to help name new churches or help churches change their names. So here’s a collection of unusual church names 
I would not be so flippant with God’s name

But What Are You? 
If you’re tired of the exciting church, this is your option. 

If your blood pressure can’t handle this much excitement, then visit the Boring UMC

Everything worth doing is worth doing, well, half way. I guess that includes churches. 
What’s the most unusual church name you’ve visited or driven by? 

Comments

  1. Sally Epps Avatar
    Sally Epps

    Once I visited Beaver Lick Church of Christ.

    Reply
  2. Jeff Avatar
    Jeff

    My favorite is "Wayside Baptist"

    Reply
  3. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    Nice!

    Reply
  4. Michael Hyatt Avatar
    Michael Hyatt

    My favorite is Little Hope Baptist Church in Clarksville, TN

    Reply
  5. chuckazooloo Avatar
    chuckazooloo

    those are funny, but seem to all be actual "town" names. how about some crazy church names. i know a guy in Ft. Worth with a church called Eucatastrophe.

    Reply
  6. Blessedpanda Avatar
    Blessedpanda

    This is not a church, but a ministry that I saw downtown last 4th of July called, "Men touching men." I dont know…you think SOMEONE would have said something during the planning of that name.

    Reply
  7. joanna Avatar
    joanna

    I heard of one called Imagine Nations. I think it is probably meant to reference something about global missions but say it too fast and it sounds like imaginations which gives the impression their church is all about creatively making up stuff.

    Reply
  8. Jonathan Haskell Avatar
    Jonathan Haskell

    I always liked Jump Off Baptist on Signal Mountain, TN as well as Fite Memorial Baptist in Marion, OH.javascript:%20postComment(0);

    Reply
    1. Roger Avatar
      Roger

      I was married at Jumpff Baptist in Sewanee in 1978

      Reply
  9. Brenda Avatar
    Brenda

    My favorite is Little Hope Baptist Church.

    Reply
  10. Lane Corley Avatar
    Lane Corley

    Perfect Alternative Baptist Church in Bayou La Batre, AL.

    Reply
    1. James M. Leonard Avatar
      James M. Leonard

      Drove by there last night. Took  a picture.

      Reply
    2. Justina Hill64 Avatar
      Justina Hill64

      That’s my church l0l.

      Reply
  11. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    I wonder how the naming of the church meeting went down. "We don't want to over promise and under deliver."

    Reply
  12. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    That sounds like a communion service gone horribly wrong, as in "Eucharist + catastrophe"

    Reply
  13. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    I heard a guy make an appeal for a men's ministry during a church announcement once and he started with "I have a passion for men."

    Reply
  14. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    I wonder if they were a split from another Baptist church. Hmm.

    Reply
  15. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    Yep, either that or a ride at Disney.

    Reply
  16. chuckazooloo Avatar
    chuckazooloo

    it's actually a term coined by JRR Tolkien http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucatastrophe
    here is the churches website http://www.theeuc.com/

    Reply
  17. patriciazell Avatar
    patriciazell

    I can't think of any unusual church names, but I do want to say something about words with double meanings. I teach high school juniors and seniors, and I'm telling you sometimes it's hard to carry on a conversation with them because of all the words that have double meanings. And, you know what, my students catch them all. We laugh a lot as I try to explain things with words that are entirely G-rated!

    Reply
  18. Chris Unthank Avatar
    Chris Unthank

    My group regularly sings at an "Old New Hope Baptist Church"…

    Reply
  19. David May Avatar
    David May

    There was also a "Little Hope Baptist Church" in north Mississippi at one time.

    Reply
  20. maurilioamorim Avatar
    maurilioamorim

    I have teenage boys, say no more!

    Reply
  21. Brian Miller Avatar
    Brian Miller

    In Slapout, Alabama, there is a Cain's Chapel United Methodist Church. If I remember Genesis correctly, at least one of Cain's worship offerings wasn't up to par.

    Reply
  22. JohnsonStephenM Avatar
    JohnsonStephenM

    Christian World in Richardson, TX… I almost wrecked when I saw it because I was laughing so hard. I really hope they have a gift shop with tshirts!

    Reply
  23. AndrewComings Avatar
    AndrewComings

    Once I saw (in Florida, I think) an "Upper Room Baptist Church"–which wouldn't be such a big deal except that it was a one-story building.

    Reply
  24. Carl Avatar
    Carl

    I worked at a church that moved but kept their former city, Manassas, in their name. ..now Manassas Assembly of God in Bristow,, VA. Great branding for new people?

    Reply
  25. alan Avatar
    alan

    My favorite is "Overcoming Faith" in Arlington, TX. Personally, I think there are better things to overcome. But if it works for them, maybe I should change the name of the church I'm planting to "Sacrificing Love."

    Reply
  26. Phil Shepherd Avatar
    Phil Shepherd

    lol i like the name of our church! however, it is a mouthful @ times!

    Reply
  27. tragic_pizza Avatar
    tragic_pizza

    "True Divine Worship Center" comes to mind, if only because their logo is a bunch of grapes… Also, a friend is pastor of Loveless Park Baptist Church.

    Reply
  28. Marty Avatar
    Marty

    My fave is Batcave Baptist Church in Batcave, NC. I just love imagining the whole staff dressed up as Batman characters.

    Reply
  29. chuckazooloo Avatar
    chuckazooloo

    i like the name of your church too. just different and crazy. it's not bad. and yes it is a mouthful. the euc is much easier to say.

    Reply
  30. Jerome Coleman, Jr Avatar
    Jerome Coleman, Jr

    I drove by a church that said "Big Bottom Baptist Church". I can see it in the bulletin now: The Big Bottom Choir will be singing this morning. Funny. Not thought through.

    Reply
  31. RE: Massage Therapy Avatar
    RE: Massage Therapy

    I had to weigh in on this one:)
    Apistodookee United Methodist Fellowship, Heart Butte, MT
    Grassy Butte United Methodist Church, Dickinson, ND

    Reply
  32. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    That's classic!

    Reply
  33. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    As they say, you can take them out of Manassas, but you can't take . . . .

    Reply
  34. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    Holy Batcave, Batman!

    Reply
  35. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    Unfortunately, big bottom describes a lot of churches. Just sayin'

    Reply
  36. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    Any place with the word "dookee" or "butte" gets my vote!

    Reply
  37. Taylor Avatar
    Taylor

    As a college student I preached at several little towns in TX with funny names: Hicks Baptist Church; Cheeks Baptist Church; and my favorite, Blackjack Baptist Church.

    Reply
  38. Marc Humphries Avatar
    Marc Humphries

    I drove by Rocky Pass Church of the Nazarene once, but someone had taken the "P" off the sign. Nice!

    Reply
  39. Blessedpanda Avatar
    Blessedpanda

    Sadly…I say that too except mine sounds worse. I am a youth pastor so when I talk about God confirming my call to work with youth I often say that He gave me a passion for high school guys. I soon started saying that He gave me a passion to WORK with high school guys. Kind of stinks how perverted our minds are that all kinds of small things spark big thoughts.

    Reply
  40. Jim Leonard Avatar
    Jim Leonard

    I pastored the Baptist church in Looneyville, WV. Fortunately, it was named "Flat Fork."

    Not too far away was "Hell-for-Certain Branch. But no church is built there….

    Reply
  41. Mitch Ebie Avatar
    Mitch Ebie

    I wonder how big these churches are? Here are a few more "bad" church names that I found: Hell Hole Swamp Baptist Church in South Carolina; Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City; and, First United Separated Baptist Church in Indiana…

    Reply
  42. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
    MaurilioAmorim

    These are the best names yet! I wish we had pictures of their signs.

    Reply
  43. PaulSteinbrueck Avatar
    PaulSteinbrueck

    Hey Maurilio, have you seen this post? It's got lots of terrible church names
    http://cole-slaw.blogspot.com/2009/10/naming-your…

    Reply
  44. RussRankin Avatar
    RussRankin

    A church in Spring Hill is called "Gospel Light Baptist Church." I'm sure they intended it to reference illumination, but the only way I can see it is "we go light on the Gospel and heavy on the fluff."

    Reply
  45. Guest Avatar
    Guest

    Country Club Plaza is an important famous neighborhood in Kansas City.

    Reply
  46. David Avatar
    David

    Not a church name but a few months ago I was visiting another church in town and they had a mens ministry where they did Breakfasts, but as some men struggled to be up in time they did some 'breakfasts' later in the day, this particular week they had a leaflet about it ont he chairs and when the pastor stood up to give out some notices he made a reference to this leaflet.

    I looked at the leaflet then turned to the guy sat next to me and said 'you wont catch me there' he looked puzzled until I pointed out the title 'the Late Mens Breakfast' I said, I am still alive! He burst into fits of laughter to the extent that the pastor was stopped in his tracks, i was highly amusing!

    I havent been back there since!

    Reply
  47. Gman Avatar
    Gman

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjl/28904292/in/set-…

    Sure its a name of a town in Northern Ontario but sheesh …

    Reply
  48. Gman Avatar
    Gman

    Others I can think of are in PA. Think the towns Intercourse and of course this website: http://blueballbrethren.org/1.html

    Reply
    1. MaurilioAmorim Avatar
      MaurilioAmorim

      That's so funny!

      Reply
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    kitchen

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