Lately our youth ministry has been trying to really define "who we are" so therefore we have to come up with a name for the jr. high, high school, and college ministries. I'm not sure how I feel about it. What is the purpose of a name, what are the pros and cons to having one? How do you even go about determining what the name will be? This is a big deal considering this would most likely be the name for years and years to come. After little research, here are some of the names that I have found. Some good, some hilarious.
180
2nd Wind
4real youth ministries
Awake student ministries
Elevate
Encounter
The Fire House
The Krush
MegaMorph Youth
Wired
Extreme
Fusion
Fuse
Fuel
Seven
On Fire
Studio 78 jr. high in Bel Air
Teen Blast
What do you think?
3 comments:
I actually like "Studio 78". It's not very spiritual, almost commerical, however I dig it.
I don't know what the implications of having and not having a name are, but I would guess that a name is going to give the program an identity. It will make things easier in the way of marketing and outreach. I assume that a program name should encourage excitement as well as say what the program is. Lately, as you have seen, the trend is one word titles.
I'm waiting for the ministry that goes for a grand, bold name.
Something like the following:
- The Greatest Gathering of Junior High Students on Behalf of Jesus Ever! [You can call it TGGoJHSoBoJE for short]
or
- Our Junior High Ministry can beat up your Junior High Ministry.
or
- When the World Ignores or Avoid Junior Highers We Embrace Them and Challenge Them to a Life with Jesus Christ.
Personally I detest so many of the names out there.
Admittedly I used EPICLife for a long time and still enjoy it. It hints to a story and to something bigger in life. (I started using it before Eldridge's book. I stole the idea from another book called "Four Souls").
However I wouldn't put to much effort in the name. Rather I would quickly pick the name and invest time, money and energy in the logo. The visual can be much more appealing and have the greater impact in the way of branding.
Think McDonald's golden arches, Target's targets, Nike's swoosh, or even Best Buys logo. The symbol speaks without words.
Just some quick thoughts.
While having a name for a youth ministry is completely out of my frame of reference, I would suggest this:
What is the ultimate design for your ministry?
Is it evangelism?
Is it spiritual formation?
Is it service?
Is it prayer?
Is it worship?
Is it Bible study?
Determine what the ultimate goal of the ministry is and pick an appropriate name.
Thanks for the advice on the name.
Both of these comments help a lot and I will use them to help decide.
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