Name that ministry

Not to be too critical of folks who may be doing a good work; some of them seem to be accomplishing much more than I.[i] BUT what is up with the modern impulse of needing a “cool” name in order to serve the Lord? Like cattle, churches and parachurch ministries need branding (but apparently not for the same reason).[ii] “Tame That Wave Surfing Ministry,” “Fire It Up Revival Ministry,” “Deep Down Scuba Ministry,” “High As a Kite Medical Marijuana Ministry,” “This Ministry,” “That Ministry,” on and on, ad nauseum.[iii]

Did Peter & Andrew, James & John start “Fishers of Men Not Fish Ministry”? Seems not. Paul did not have “Preach the Synagogue Ministry,” “Get Stoned and Live Ministry,” “Down by the Riverside Ministry,” “Singing Praises in Jail Ministry,” “One Tyrannus School Ministry,” “Broken Boards Shipwreck Ministry,” or such like (Acts 9:20; 14:19-20; 16:13; 16:25; 19:9; 27:44). Rather, these called men of God just did ministry as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Are these official cool ministry names now necessary in our society today in order for ministries to be able to collect enough money to do the ministry? Are they in some way needed to satisfy the taxman when he comes calling? Or maybe there is something else going on?

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[i] Disclaimer: No missionaries or ministries were harmed in the making of this post.
[ii] One website claims, “In today’s world, building a strong brand is crucial for churches to effectively communicate their message and reach more people for Christ.” Another states, “…we help you define your brand’s personality. What it looks like, smells like, feels like, and sounds like.”
[iii] Disclaimer: Any ministry names depicted in this post are fictitious, made up by the author. Any similarity to real names is entirely coincidental. However, these names are now copyrighted, just so you can’t use them.