A New Church Name

HAND IN HAND

Volume 6 Issue # 7     November 2003

SPECIAL Edition – PASTORS PEN 

 

What Is In The DTBC Name? 

In 1884 a small band of Christians from Union Temple (now Tremont Temple) led by Deacon George W. Chapman, visited Dorchester (which was then changing from rural to a sub-urban area) for the purpose of ascertaining if a building on Norfolk Street, erected by Deacon Chipman, was a suitable place for worship. Such was found to be the case; and on March 8, 1885 the hall in this building (called Temple Hall) was dedicated to that purpose. 

A school was started here with services at 3:00 PM on Sunday afternoons. The first Superintendent was Richard B. Hasserr. It was believed that from a Sunday school a church is likely to follow. This was the case here. Scholars, parents and friends gathered, and in the following year a church was formed. 

Four names were under consideration as a title for the church as follows: 1)  Dorchester Baptist Church 2)  Dorchester Temple Baptist Church 3) Dorchester Temple Church  4)  Temple Hall Baptist Church  

On November 8, 1886 the church was organized, and incorporated, under the name of Dorchester Temple Baptist Church with a membership of 36. One of the stories is that the members wanted to start a Sunday school on Norfolk Street. With the blessed success of the Sunday school ministry came the planting of a church at 670 Washington Street. 

Another Story 

The other story told by an American Baptist Denominational Leader is that some members of Tremont Temple wanted to leave the church because of the sympathy that the church showed to the abolitionist movement sweeping America. Tremont Temple has a sign on the front of their church that states that is was the first integrated church in America.

I tend to believe the second story because during the 60′s, when the former all white Dorchester neighborhood changed to people of color some of the white members of Dorchester Temple began to leave the church. When Dan Buttry, the pastor at Dorchester Temple stated that he was going to open the church to the neighborhood, many of the remaining white Members fled the church and neighborhood.

20 Different Pastors

For many years, Dorchester Temple experienced the revolving door of pastors and church members. Over the past ten years a new history has been written. Two pastors came with a vision to stay and not abandon the city or leave the church, but to help the church to become spiritually strong and to spread the Word. This began the new and present chapter in the history of Dorchester Temple Baptist Church.

Now, one of the two pastors who made that initial commitment is still at the church, with a vision that will take 25 years to establish. Over the past 10 years the membership has changed, The church leaders have changed, The by-laws were replaced with Guiding Principles, the exterior and interior of the church has changed; a new vision and core values have charted a new direction for Dorchester Temple.

Names Change When Lives Change-

In the scriptures you read of God transforming a man or a woman and then giving them a new name to designate the call on their lives. Saul’s name was changed to Paul, Abram was changed to Abraham, Sari to Sara, Bethel from Luz.

Our Name Needs To Change- The final transformation that will turn Dorchester Temple in the right direction is to re-name the church. The name of the church fellowship should speak to the mission and purpose of the church fellowship. The name Dorchester Temple Baptist Church makes three statements that do not speak or point us in the right direction. First is Dorchester. Although our church is located in Dorchester our ministry must start in Dorchester but expand to the World. Jesus said in the Great Commission to start in your neighborhood and to expand into the world by making disciples. Second, Temple says that we have a connection to our mother church, Tremont Temple Baptist Church, in downtown Boston. Unfortunately, we do not have a relationship or partnership with the church out of which we sprang. Thirdly, The term Baptist says that we are Baptist church. Our call is to be a global church that reaches out to anyone regardless of their denominational experience. I do not want us to be exclusively Baptist. It is alright to be affiliated with a denomination for accountability and support but you do not have to advertise your denominational affiliation in the name of the church that in doing so may lose potential members. Suffice to say, God has placed the name of Global Ministries Christian Church into my heart and is leading me to call Dorchester Temple to be named a world-wide ministry. That’s right, we must mature spiritually and grow numerically into a church that will be able to support a world-wide ministry. The name that God gave me is Global Ministries Christian Church .

The Meaning of Global Ministries Christian Church:

Global: Adjective of relating to, or involving the entire world. (Matthew 28:19-20

Ministry: An agent, channel…we are ministers of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

Church:

1) The Body of Christ

The entire body of those who are saved by their relation to Christ

A building designated for Christian worship

4) The church is the mystical Body of Christ of which He is the head. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

We have changed as a church fellowship and ministry. Consistent with an internal change comes the re-packaging of the ministry. A new name will help us write a new history that we can be proud of and will serve as the catalyst for our children to take this ministry to the next generation. Join me and the elders as we pray for the final confirmation of the changing of the name of the church because along with a systemic change should come a new name. Some of you may want to continue to keep the cloak of Dorchester Temple Baptist Church but, in my spirit and mind, I will refer to our church as a Global Ministries Christian Church. The name of the church may change again in another twenty years.

Now is time to step into the promise of God. We have to change our name because it no longer fits where we are going …staying with DTBC holds us back. We will no longer be Saul of Tarsus, we will be a changed Paul. We will no longer be a church in decline. We will be a church with a new congregation, a new mission and vision for a future that will see us with a world-wide ministry complete with our own school to teach children. A social service center to meet the temporal needs of the people who are coming to Christ. We will be sending men and women to countries that are not even on the map.

It is time to turn the comer on our identity. Global Ministries Christian Church is a new church in Boston that is teaching a new message that is not being taught in churches in New England. God said in Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Pray with me as we step into this call on our ministry.

Pastor Bruce