Ministry

3 Golden Rules of Naming

By jgiroux ⋅ November 5, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Every ministry goes through a period where they have to decide on a name. In Junior High Ministry this can happen as frequently as every pastoral change. These are some great tips to help you come up with a ministry name that can stand the test of time. Remember that every time you change the name of a ministry you change the way people feel about that particular ministry. In the corporate world name changes are about branding and it would be wise to think about that when naming a ministry or deciding to change a ministry name. Just keep in mind how often Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s have changed their names over the years.

Don’t lean under someone else’s umbrella, you’ll still get wet.
Don’t be a copycat. It is very bad to copy or borrow from an established identity. A look-alike, sound-alike name, resembling the personality of a powerful, established, legendary name will be fruitless in the long run.
Stay clear of legendary names.

Creativity is a spark of genius.
Over-creativity can cause fire and damage.
Don’t get too creative. Do not twist, bend, stretch, exaggerate, corrupt or modify alpha-structures to their extremes in naming. It may result in difficult,confusing, unpronounceable and only silly names.
Avoid overly creative solutions

Work locally, think globally & name universally.
Do not short-change. No matter how small or local the project, think of the future and think of this small planet. A name is only good when it is free and clear to travel around the globe, without encountering translation problems or trademark conflicts.
Name for the universe.

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