A Church by Any Other Name

A couple of months ago I registered the domain www.thewaycommunity.com for our church plant. I felt that calling ourselves a church is going to bring too much baggage for today’s post modern spiritual seekers. A few weeks ago I ran across some research done by an associate pastor (probably not called a pastor by those inside his church), named Rod Chisholm. I thought it was truly insightful. Take a look at names/references of the church in the first century. This is amazing!

Biblical Names for the ChurchPrepared by Rod Chisholm
Summary:
1. God's household -1
2. God's elect -1
3. This sect (Nazarene) -2
4. The Way -6
5. The body (of Christ) -8
6. The believers -10
7. The saints -13
8. Disciples -18
9. The brothers -23
10. The church -101
a. Descriptors
• Whole
• Of God
• Of the Gentiles
• Of Christ
• Radiant
• Of the living God
• Of the Firstborn
b. Location
1. The home
2. City
• Jerusalem
• Damascus
• Antioch
• Corinth
• Galatia
• Laodicea
• Thessalonica
• Ephesus
• Smyrna
• Pergamum
• Thyatira
• Sardis
• Philadelphia

3. Region/Province
• Judea
• Galilee
• Samaria
• Macedonia
• Asia
Biblical References
Matthew
• 16:18 My church
• 18.17 the church
Acts
• 1.15 the believers
• 2.44 the believers
• 4.32 the believers
• 5.11 the whole church
• 5.12 the believers
• 6.7 disciples
• 6.7 the faith
• 8.1 the church at Jerusalem
• 8.2 the church
• 9.1 the Lord's disciples
• 9.2 the Way
• 9.13 your saints in Jerusalem
• 9.19 the disciples in Damascus
• 9.26 the disciples
• 9.30 the brothers
• 9.31 the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria
• 9.32 the saints in Lydda
• 9.38 the disciples
• 9.41 the believers
• 10.23 the brothers from Joppa
• 11.1 the brothers throughout Judea
• 11.22 the church at Jerusalem
• 11.26 the church
• 11.26 the disciples were called Christians
• 11.29 the disciples…the brothers living in Judea
• 12.1 the church
• 12.5 the church
• 12.17 the brothers
• 13.1 the church at Antioch
• 13.52 the disciples
• 14.2 the brothers
• 14.20 the disciples
• 14.22 the disciples
• 14.23 each church
• 14.27 the church
• 14.28 the disciples
• 15.1 the brothers
• 15.3 the church
• 15.3 the brothers
• 15.4 the church
• 15.10 the disciples
• 15.22 the whole church…the brothers
• 15.23 the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
• 15.30 the church
• 15.32 the brothers
• 15.33 the brothers
• 15.36 the brothers
• 15.40 the brothers
• 15.41 the churches
• 16.2 the brothers at Lystra and Iconium
• 16.5 the churches
• 17.10 the brothers
• 17.14 the brothers
• 18:18 the brothers
• 18.22 the church
• 18.23 the disciples
• 18.27 the disciples
• 19.9 the Way
• 19.23 the Way
• 20.1 the disciples
• 20.17 the church
• 20.28 the church of God
• 21.4 the disciples
• 21.5 the disciples
• 21.7 the brothers
• 21.16 the disciples from Caesarea
• 21.17 the brothers
• 22.4 followers of this Way
• 24.5 the Nazarene sect
• 24.14 the Way
• 24.22 the Way
• 28.14 some brothers
• 28.15 the brothers
• 28.22 this sect
Romans
• 15.26 the saints in Jerusalem
• 15.31 the saints
• 16.1 the church in Cenchrea
• 16.2 the saints
• 16.4 the churches of the Gentiles
• 16.5 the church
• 16.14 the brothers
• 16.15 the saints
• 16.16 the churches of Christ
• 16.23 the whole church
1 Corinthians
• 1.2 the church of God in Corinth
• 4.17 in every church
• 5.12 those outside the church
• 6.1 the saints
• 6.2 the saints
• 6.4 the church
• 7.17 the churches
• 10.32 the church of God
• 11.16 the churches of God
• 11.18 as a church
• 11.22 the church of God
• 11.27 the body...of the Lord
• 12.28 the church
• 14.4 the church
• 14.12 the church
• 14.19 the church
• 14.23 the whole church
• 14.26 the church
• 14.33 the congregations of the saints
• 14.34 the churches
• 15.9 the church of God
• 16.1 the Galatian churches
• 16.15 the saints
• 16.19 the churches in the province of Asia…the church.
2 Corinthians
• 1.1 the church of God in Corinth
• 1.1 all the saints throughout Achaia
• 8.1 the Macedonian churches
• 8.18 by all the churches
• 8.23 representatives of the churches
• 8.24 the churches
• 9.1 the saints
• 11.8 other churches
• 12.13 to the other churches
Galatians
• 1.2 to the churches in Galatia
• 1.22 the churches of Judea
• 6.10 the family of believers
Ephesians
• 1.1 to the saints in Ephesus
• 1.22 the church
• 3.10 the church
• 3.21 in the church
• 4.12 the body of Christ
• 4.16 the whole body
• 4.25 members of one body
• 5.23 the head of the church, his body
• 5.24 the church
• 5.25 the church
• 5.27 as a radiant church
• 5.29 the church
• 5.32 the church
Philippians
• 1.1 to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi
• 3.6 the church
• 4.15 not one church
Colossians
• 1.2 to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae
• 1.18 the head of the body, the church
• 1.24 of His body, which is the church
• 3.15 members of one body
• 4.15 the brothers at Laodicea...the church
• 4.16 the church of the Laodiceans
1 Thess.
• 1.1 to the church of the Thessalonians
• 1.7 of all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia
• 2.14 of God's churches in Judea...those churches
• 4.10 all the brothers throughout Macedonia
2 Thess.
• 1.1 to the church of the Thessalonians
• 1.4 God's churches
1 Timothy
• 3.5 God's church
• 3.15 in God's household, which is the church of the living God
• 5:16 the church…the church
• 5:17 the church
Philemon
• 1.2 to the church that meets in your home
Hebrews
• 12.23 to the church of the firstborn
1 Peter
• 1.1 to God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia
• 2.17 the brotherhood of believers
• 5.2 the shepherd's of God's flock
3 John
• 1.9 to the church
• 1.10 of the church
Revelation
• 1.4 to the seven churches in the province of Asia
• 1.11 to the seven churches
• 1.20 of the seven churches
• 2.1 to the angel of the church in Ephesus
• 2.7 to the churches
• 2.8 to the angel of the church in Smyrna
• 2.11 to the churches
• 2.12 to the angel of the churches in Pergamum • 2.17 to the churches
• 2.18 to the angel of the church in Thyatira
• 2.23 all the churches
• 2.29 to the churches
• 3.1 to the angel of the church in Sardis
• 3.6 to the churches
• 3.7 to the angel of the church in Philadelphia
• 3.13 to the churches
• 3.14 to the angel of the church in Laodicea
• 3.22 to the churches
• 22.16 for the churches