Why we’re asking this question
This week in Substack Seminary, we’re wrestling with a simple question:
What’s in a name?
In most organizational development work, naming comes last. You focus on mission, purpose, and structure first—then worry about brand identity.
That’s usually good advice.
But I’ve started to wonder if, at least in ministry, that order might be incomplete.
Names as stories
In The Stories Congregations Tell: Flourishing in the Face of Transition and Change, the authors argue that congregations are guided by the stories they tell about themselves—both explicitly and implicitly.
That shift matters.
Because if ministries are shaped by their internal narratives, then names are not just labels.
They are identity-forming tools.
Names help a community “identify and clearly articulate who they are and are not, and how their organizational past, present, and future link together in their context.”
Why this matters now
We are in a moment of profound transition—especially within the church.
And in moments like this, clarity matters more than ever.
The authors note that “storyline consistency is an important hinge” for flourishing in times of change.
A name won’t solve everything.
But it can anchor a ministry’s identity when everything else feels unstable.
A good name holds the story together.
Reality and aspiration
There’s another tension the book names that’s worth holding onto.
The stories congregations tell “speak to both reality and aspiration.”
That’s the balance.
A name should:
reflect who you actually are
while also pointing toward who you are becoming
Dream—but stay grounded.
Don’t let aspiration outrun capacity.
And be honest about whether your structure can sustain the identity you’re claiming.
A simple framework
If you’re trying to name a ministry, this framework is helpful:
Descriptive-empirical: What is going on?
Interpretive: Why is this going on?
Normative: What ought to be going on?
Pragmatic: How might we respond?
If you can answer those questions clearly, you’re already close to a name.
The deeper point
The authors write that “stories are the currency of congregational flourishing.”
I’d push that just one step further:
Names are the currency of your flourishing.
Because a name doesn’t just describe what you do.
It tells people who you are—and who you’re becoming.
Why this matters for Substack Seminary
This is the kind of work we’re doing in Substack Seminary.
Not just building projects—but naming them.
Not just launching ideas—but clarifying identity.
Because in a time of transition, clarity about who you are—and who you are becoming—matters more than ever.
If you’re working on something new, or trying to name what God is calling you into next, this is the space to do that work.
Join us.
Ready to be all-in?
Upgrade to the Founder level (‘Enrollment’) and become a Substack Seminary Participant, and join the year-long development, networking, and training community for ministers.
We take on one theme per Quarter and admit new enrollees four times a year on rolling Quarters (so if you start at Q2, you’ll get Quarters 2, 3, 4, then 1, and so on…)
During the Quarters - we’ll have weekly topics, homework, check-in with your ministry partner(s), and chats.
When the year is through you’ll have built your own roadmap for your ‘Cage Free’ ministry - and be part of a community that’s building the Future of Church - together.
'Free Range Priest' was something that was bestowed on me by my bishop - and my husband!
And in this way it challenged me to live into what that might mean. It's been 10 years now, and I think I'm finally finding out.