naming a church

We were asked to come up with potential names for the church plant in East Harlem. I thought about it and my experience with churches there in my former neigbhorhood(i live in East harlem for 38 years) The churches there you will find fall in some of these categories:



1. Biblical

2.liberal

3.cult

4. health wealth gospel

5. salvation by works

6.legalistic

7. monastry-meaning the church does not reach out to the community and the people that worship there are not part of the community either by culture,nationality or physically live there.



8. club only welcoming those they are comfortable with and not those that Christ the Lord of the church ushers in....



so in light of this i came up with the name the church of the open door -and came up with a article defending it. How in light of these above factors i mentioned the churches in east harlem are close doors-while Christ refers to Himself as The door-and thus we,the church should be reflective to that...





John 10:6-8 (English Standard Version)

6This figure of speech Jesus(A) used with them, but they(B) did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you,(C) I am the door of the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.