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What’s in a name?

01 March 2013

A CHURCH that mentions its denomination in its name risks being seen as "rigid" or "old-fashioned" - but is more likely to be perceived as "honest", a new study suggests.

Grey Matter Research asked 773 adults in the United States about "the impact of including or excluding a denomination reference in [Protestant] church names", a statement said. People were "twice as likely" to think that the church was "honest" if its name mentioned its denomination.

The President of Grey Matter Research, Ron Sellers, said that this showed that "the belief that the unchurched run away from anything that says 'Baptist' or 'Lutheran'" was misplaced. "A church without the denomination in its name might use a catchy tagline to communicate something about its beliefs, to help overcome any uncertainty people may feel," he said.

www.greymatterresearch.com/index_files/Church_Names.htm

 

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