Temple Baptist is now
The Church at Newtown Road
“After a long and fruitful ministry as Temple Baptist Church our leaders have decided to change the name of our church. This change is the result of many years of prayer, discussion, and research, and is driven first and foremost by our church’s mission to help people know and follow Jesus. Our new name, “The Church at Newtown Road,” was selected because it helped us remove unnecessary barriers and it is geographically based, much like the churches we read about in the New Testament. Our hope is that this step would pave the way for more of our friends and loved ones to know and follow Jesus. If you’re part of our church family, then help us get the word out by sharing our name change Facebook post and inviting friends to join you for a visit. If you’ve never been to our church, then I would invite you to come check us out. It would be an honor and a privilege to have you with us. We meet Sunday mornings at 10:00. We’d love to see you there! Blessings, friends.”
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why did we change our name?
All of our Elders listed our name as a potential barrier to people coming to faith and growing in faith here. Our mission is to help people know and follow Jesus and we want to remove any barriers preventing us from that. Additionally, we have a new and transitioning congregation and ministry plan. We’re moving away from our historical model of ministry and into a new ministry paradigm. A name change helps show that shift. Finally, our previous name (Temple Baptist) did not identify us well. It lacked a “marker”. We’re not a typical “Baptist” congregation and “temple” doesn’t connect with us in any real way.
2. WHat were we trying to accomplish with a new NAME?
We wanted a name that created a “marker” that identified us but also a simple name that makes sense to outsiders. Of course, our name would also have to be something that didn’t create unnecessary barriers to bringing people in.
3. WHy did we select "The Church at Newtown Road"?
The Church at Newtown Road was chosen for several reasons, the first of which is it’s Biblical precedence. The first congregations addressed in the Scriptures as referred to as “the church” at or in a certain location. For us, it highlights two tangible “markers”: we are actually a church and we actually meet on a Newtown Road. When guests and seekers are researching and visiting, our name makes perfect sense.The name also intentionally avoids denominational ties that create barriers (many people believe they would not be welcome in a “Baptist” church). It also avoids trendy, clever Christian cultural names that often fall out of favor and that unbelievers can’t identify with.
