Kansas Church Heads in New Direction

LEBANON, KAN.—Compass, a Christian church in Lebanon, Kansas, has changed its name to The Second Independent Christian Church of Lebanon. (“First Christian Church” was already being used.) 

The name change came after lengthy consideration by a “new” group of elders who rotated back onto the board after 15 years.

“The novelty just wore off,” explained elder Gerald Girrard. “And anyway, many of our members got tired of trying to explain the name to our non-Christian friends.”

“I was wearing my Compass T-shirt one day in Walmart,” said Girrard, “and a guy I’d never met before asked me where the Compass campus is. I just said, ‘What?’”

“Some people in town don’t even realize we’re a church,” said Emma Smith. “[The name] is so disorienting for so many. They don’t know who we are or what we’re all about. I mean . . . what’s the point of that?”

Lead servant Joel Tinkers—who was recently asked by the elders to change his title to “senior minister”—said people kept ending up on the wrong websites, too. “They’d search for us and end up on real-estate or food-service sites,” he said.

“The name simply lacked direction,” said Clarence Smithfield.

“You know, I think this is at least the 10^th name we’ve had since I became a member of this church in 1953,” Smithfield continued. “Let’s see. We were West Main Street Church of Christ; then we moved to the northern outskirts and were the County Road 833 Church of Christ; then the County Road 833 Christian Church; and then we moved to the southeast part of town and became Sweet Home Christian Church; and then . . . oh, I can’t keep track anymore.”

Girrard says the congregation seems to like the new name. “It really speaks to our hearts,” he said, tearing up, “and I think it’s much more inclusive.”

For more information and directions to the church campus, go to the church’s new website at www.thesecondindependentchristianchurchoflebanonkansas.org.

The Christian Standard staff is just kidding.