name change

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NAME CHANGE F R E Q U E N T LY

ASKED

QUESTIONS

Why do we need to change our name? The name Bible Fellowship Church has served us well for 35 years of ministry. However, Bible Fellowship also is the name of a denomination that has grown significantly in our area in recent years. Their denominational headquarters is in Whitehall, PA outside of Allentown and they have planted at least 64 churches in our region. Their statement of faith is solidly evangelical, but they do hold some different views in areas we consider “non essentials”. Our name Bible Fellowship Evangelical Free Church can now unintentionally convey that we are a part of that denomination. This has become a cause for some confusion among those in the body of Christ. This has been especially true for people moving into our area, potential staff when we are recruiting, and people within our own denomination, at conferences, etc. Our leadership believes it is important to have a name that removes this confusion, continues to support our mission, and clearly aligns with what we believe and stand for as part of the Evangelical Free Church of America. A new name helps both internally within the body of Christ and externally as we reach out to our community in the region to advance the gospel and make disciples. Although this issue has come up in the past, it has become more pronounced with the growth of the Bible Fellowship denomination.

Why are we proposing to do this now? Our leadership believes the timing is right for several reasons: •

Our Advancing the Gospel ministry expansion project (especially our upcoming facility expansion here in Yardley) provides us with an opportunity to generate curiosity about what we are doing to invite others in our community to hear the gospel and respond. Changing our name now removes potential confusion and provides improved clarity on who we are as a church.

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We were pursuing changing our state of incorporation from NJ to PA, but we have put this on hold temporarily while we decide on a name change to make these changes all at once.

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We need to create new signs anyway for the expansion – doing it for the expansion and a name change simultaneously saves money.

Why did leadership pick the name Riverstone Church? The name Riverstone Church helps us achieve our objectives in three ways. First, it helps communicate WHERE we are geographically as a regional church. •

Our current building is just over a mile from the Delaware River and the areas we are reaching with the gospel through urban ministry, and future church planting.

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Our congregation comes from both sides of the river and all along it – not just Yardley. We are increasingly a regional church.

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Our area is known for its stones from the ancient river bed – farmers had to remove them from their fields, made them into distinctive houses, walls, and other structures on both sides of the Delaware. This is a Bucks County distinctive. We can use this imagery in our logo, signage, etc.

Second, Riverstone Church leverages biblical imagery that aligns with our mission as a church to communicate WHO we are. •

River – evokes imagery of cleansing from sin, redemption, and source of eternal life



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River of life that flows from the throne of God in Rev 22:1



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River whose streams make glad the city of God in Psalm 46:4-5



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River of God’s delight in Psalm 36:8



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Rivers of living water that will flow out of believer’s heart in John 7:38

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Stone – refers to



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Christ, our head

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Is the “stone the builders rejected who has become the cornerstone” – Psalm 118:22, Acts 4:11, Mark 12:10, Mt 21:42-44

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Is a “stumbling stone” to some who hear the gospel – Romans 9:33



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Riverstones – the stones from the Jordan that God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to pile up on the banks of the river as a monument to His faithfulness in Joshua 4:6-9

Us, as believers, who are “living stones” being built into a spiritual house – 1 Peter 2:4-6

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Church – makes clear we are Christ’s body or people (as in Rom 12:5, Eph 2:19-21) – meeting in this place

Finally, the combination Riverstone Church is a beautiful image of the gospel, of us his people being monuments to his faithfulness setting us free from the bonds of slavery in the past, and a marker of his promised faithfulness in the future to all who call on his name. It fulfills our mission.

What process did the staff and leadership go through to pick the new name? An extended team of staff spent significant time working on the name and imagery for the name change after elder approval to proceed. This team met numerous times to review ideas and options, prayerfully considered them all, but kept coming back to Riverstone Church. Once the staff team was happy with its recommendation, it was presented to the elders. During their review of the team’s work, the elders found they needed to understand the process and “journey” the team had gone through to arrive at the name Riverstone Church. The elders embraced the team’s work and recommendation and voted unanimously to approve the name Riverstone Church for presentation to the congregation.

Why not something with a place name or Bible, or gospel or evangelical in it? The team felt that a name with Yardley or even Bucks County would be too limiting. We truly are a regional church now, serving people from both sides of the river and many local communities, and believe God is calling us to plant churches in our region. Using River allows us to describe who and where we are in a broader sense, but also allows us to draw in biblical imagery that represents our mission. To the unchurched person, religious words like gospel, evangelical or free can have a completely different meaning or connotation. Unfortunately, these words can be politicized or otherwise perceived negatively and be a cause of misunderstanding among those we are trying to reach. To the person with a church background, churches with these types of words in their names often have a particular identity or affiliation that may not be the best fit for who we are. For example, “Bible” churches are a specific type of nondenominational church. There are specific beliefs and practices associated with “Bible” churches. Although we align with most of these beliefs and practices, we are an Evangelical Free Church and adding the word “Bible” to our name would convey otherwise to some people.

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Does this name change mean we are changing who are? No. Our mission, statement of faith, biblical convictions and affiliation with the Evangelical Free Church of America remain unchanged. We celebrate the rich history of our past and commitment to advancing the gospel and making disciples for 35+ years as Bible Fellowship. Our commitment to these things is unwavering.

What are next steps? There will be an informational meeting open to anyone in the church family to ask questions and get more information on Sunday October 16 immediately following the 11:00 A.M. worship service The congregation will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed name change at a special congregational meeting on November 6 immediately following the 11:00 A.M. worship service.

How soon would we see the change? If the congregation approves the name change, we will start to see the new name on signage around the building when the expansion is complete.

How will we handle the transition? Church leadership will be involved to ensure all bases are covered in all channels of communication.

What if I have more questions or concerns? There are several ways to learn more. •

Pick up a copy of the Name Change Overview document in the church lobby. It provides additional detail not covered here.

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Attend the informational meeting on Sunday October 16.

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Speak with a pastor or elder. We want to hear from the church family.

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