GCI - branding churches

GCI is encouraging (requiring?) its larger "charter churches" to rebrand with the name Grace Communion. There also seems to be a renewed push for those churches that still hold Saturday services to move to Sunday. These excerpts from the March issue of Equipper, produced by CAD.

If you don’t own your building, then rent one in a neutral location where signage identifying your congregation can be prominently displayed at all times. Don’t lose your identity by meeting in a non-GCI church building.

If your meeting time for worship services (or other meetings) is out of step with your target community, change it to align with their schedules and cultural expectations (in most places in the U.S. that means moving worship services from Saturday to Sunday).

Consider using “Grace Communion” in your congregation’s name. Not doing so limits the visibility of the denomination and thus your congregation in the world around us. As we go forward, newly chartered churches will be asked to name themselves “Grace Communion” followed by their city or town. Our denominational name speaks to our distinctive values of God’s extravagant grace experienced in loving community.

Some of the many names currently in use include Christian Fellowship Church International (LA), Abundant Grace Church (Rochester), Hands for Christ Community Church (Staten Is.) and Heartland Christian Fellowship (Chicago).