The Logo of TCC

After a long process, and much help and work, we have finished the logo for Trinity City Church (see last image in post).   First, Jen DiQuattro, who made the Between Two Cities logo, had the first conversations with us to get TCC thinking about this logo, and made some initial rough drafts.

Next, Ceallaigh Anderson, the Director of Administration at Hope Community Church, put together the foundational drafts of the logo based on a simple vision for the plant.  From the words of this vision, she put together the following:

From this foundation, Nick Wiesneski, who owns Vantage Point Design and is part of the Launch Team, added some detail to the logo and finalized it.  Some of this detail included adding the colors of the Wabasha Street Bridge in Saint Paul, and making a vector image of the triquetra (Trinity symbol).  Here is the final draft:

This logo would be impossible without the help of those mentioned above, and in light of that fact, I want to give you all a huge thank you!

- Bryan

Meet TCC’s Ministry Intern

Our mission at Trinity City Church is to glorify Jesus by igniting a movement of the gospel for the joy of our city and all nations.  Part of applying this vision is to raise up future leaders who have a passionate love for God,  have a compassionate love for all people, are on mission to spread the gospel, and follow Jesus Christ with devotion.  It is a joy to see this vision (what we call our ethos) being applied in our first Intern of Pastoral Ministry.  Here is a little info on Charles DeZiel:

Charlie is the Intern for Pastoral Ministry at TCC. He works part-time as a software engineering contractor, and is a Master of Divinity student at Bethlehem Seminary in downtown Minneapolis.

After growing up in Michigan’s glorious Upper Peninsula, Charlie then moved to the wilderness of New Hampshire, where he graduated from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in computer science. Since college, Charlie has acquired a mix of ministry and computer science experience. He has served on staff with the Navigators Christian Fellowhip at the University of Minnesota, and currently volunteers as a Shepherd for the Navigators’ nationwide college ministry staff training program. He has also worked as a software engineer for Accenture, and as a computational biology researcher for Microsoft and Dartmouth College.

In addition to ministry and the nerdiest of computer research, Charlie enjoys the outdoors, food, people, controlled fires, sweet books, and Batman.

The Ethos of TCC

The community of Trinity City Church exists to glorify Jesus by igniting a movement of the gospel for the joy of our city and all nations. Just what does that look like? Consider the ethos of TCC.

The ethos of TCC is the values that are distinctive to our community as we seek to live out our mission.  We want to value what Jesus considers most important, and he is clear about what he values in the great commandments and great commission(s).  Here are the four values that make up our ethos:

Our passion is to love God.  Jesus commands: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38, ESV).  Jesus is quoting the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:8) in order to say that God is most important.  God created the universe and all humanity to show himself off, and we primarily glorify God by joyfully loving him with our entire lives.  Our passion is centered on loving God through Jesus Christ, and through his Son God gets the most glory.

Our compassion is to love all people. Jesus commands that in addition to the first commandment, there is a second that is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 33:39).  Jesus is quoting the Torah again (Leviticus 19:18) in order to say that the vertical command to love God cannot be separated from the horizontal command to love all people.  The love of God motivates his church to love every person regardless of their religion, economic status, race and gender.  It is a love so radical that it even empowers us to love our enemies.  Our focus is on “our city” and “all nations” because all people in both the Twin Cities and around the world matter to God.

Our mission is to spread the gospel.   Jesus said: “it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:46-48).  After Jesus rose from the dead, he commissioned his church to spread the gospel message that God has fully accomplished the forgiveness of sins through the person and work of Jesus Christ.  In Jesus, God rescued us from judgment for sin into fellowship with him, and he not only forgives those who turn away from their sins but also restores the entire universe so that we can enjoy our new life with God forever.  That is why we are dedicated to starting churches locally, nationally, and globally.

Our devotion is to follow Jesus Christ.  Jesus also commissions: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).  Following Jesus is not only seen by a confession with our lips but also by the transformation of our lives.  If we love Jesus then we will be devoted to all his commands, and obeying thesecommands is a great source of joy.  We want to be known as a community that lets love be genuine, abhors injustice and holds fast to what is good, takes delight in honoring one another, is patient in suffering, is constant in prayer, contributes to the needy, and seeks to show hospitality, a community that blesses those who persecute us, rejoices with those who rejoice, and weeps with those who weep, a people that lives in harmony with one another, is not conceited or haughty but associates with the lowly (see Romans 12:9-21).  These are some of the marks of those who are devoted to Jesus.

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Image above from wikimedia.org

Mission statement above inspired by Antioch Community Church in NE Minneapolis

The Name of the Church Plant is …

After a REALLY long process, and looking at about 100 good and bad names, we have decided on a name.  The name of this church plant will be TRINITY CITY CHURCH.

We are in the process of developing a logo and website for the church (www.trinitycitychurch.org).  The above graphic is merely an example.  For now, Between Two Cities will function as the blog for Trinity so that you can keep updated on the latest information.  We will keep you posted on when this blog will merge with trinitycitychurch.org.

Why did we pick this name?  It communicates our vision and identiy as a church.  Here is how:

Trinity - we are a church with historic convictions about Jesus.  The Trinity is the central belief of all Christian churches, and it is what separates Christianity from cults and other world religions.  It is a belief that stats there is only one eternal God, who exists as the persons of the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God.  This is the theology of the Nicene Creed, and it is historical theology that fundamentally declares Jesus is God.  This church plant affirms historic convictions about Jesus.

City – we are a church with holistic compassion for the city.  This church is an urban church that is located between the downtowns of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and located in Saint Paul proper.  The middle name of the church shows not only our location as a church, but also our commitment and love for this city.  This church wants to bear witness to Jesus in both what we say and what we do.  We want to not only share the message of God’s grace to all people, but also to love the city through social compassion and cultural engagement.  

Church – we are a Christian community.  The word “church” is still significant for our culture, and it refers to a community of Christians who gather to worship Jesus.  We are a community of people who love Jesus.

In summary, Trinity City Church is Christian community with historic convictions about Jesus and holistic compassion for the city.  We hope you like it!

Choosing a Church Name

One of the biggest decisions in the life of a church plant is picking a name for the local church.  We are in that process right now and our goal is to have an official name by the summer of 2009.

There are four types of church names a plant can go with:

 

Theological

Benefits: These names are tired to Scripture and provides meaningful theology.

Drawbacks: Theological terms may not translate well to those who are unchurched.  They may not understand the term or may have a negative view of the term.

Example: Missio Dei in south Minneapolis, MN  (Missio Dei is Latin for “mission of God”)

Locational

Benefits: These names show others your location and that you are committed to the neighborhood, community, etc.

Drawbacks: The names may not communicate well a vision, unless the vision is tied exclusively to that area, and may hinder your ability to do ministry elsewhere or even move.  For example, if a church has the name Grand Avenue Church and moves to a different street than Grand, then the name of the church loses some meaning.

Example: Payne Avenue Evangelical Free Church in Saint Paul, MN

Traditional

Benefits: These names convey an image of stability, longevity and importance.  They show people that the church is part of a tradition, network or denomination and not a cult.

Drawbacks:  Some of those who are unchurched either do not care about traditions or denominations, or they have a negative view of them.  In addition, these names typically do nothing to reveal unique vision and they can be overused.

Example: Bethlehem Baptist Church in downtown Minneapolis

Contemporary Names

Benefits: These names portray a church’s unique vision, and connect with the surrounding culture.

Drawbacks: Can be so hip and trendy today that they become outdated tomorrow.

Example: The Salvage Yard in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis.

 

Of course, many church take a hybrid approach that blends some of the categories together such as my home church Evanston Bible Fellowship (locational and theological).

In the future we hope to offer an on-line survey of possible names of the church plant in order to get some feedback.  In the meantime, are there any suggestions or church names that you have run across that you particularly like?

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Name tag picture above from ironicsans.com

For more on church names see George Thomasson, “Choosing a New Name for the New Church.”

Vision Casting Outlook

The church planting team is starting to meet twice a month to cast a vision for the church plant.  I wanted to share with you an overview of what will be talked about in the coming months.

The discussion will be driven by Dr. Philip Sell, “A Map for Ministry: Constructing a Philosophy and Strategy of Ministry,” Christian Education Journal, 7NS (2003), 67-85.  In the article, Dr. Sell explains the essentials of casting a vision for ministry:

1. Worldview – What are the theological convictions of the church plant that will shape the contours of the ministry?
2. Mission – What is the ultimate purpose of the church plant expressed in one clear, concise and memorable sentence?
3. Profile – What are the characteristics of a person who embodies the mission of the plant?  What are the marks of a healthy member?
4. Methods- What are the guiding principles, which are trans-cultural, that will bring about the characteristics in the profile?  What are the marks of a healthy church?
5. Strategy – How will the worldview, mission, profile and methods be implemented in the culture, city and neighborhood we are reaching out to?

I am excited to share this vision with you as it unfolds in the coming months!

B2C Logo

Between Two Cities (B2C) now has a new logo.  B2C, as you may or may not know, is the name we are giving for this church plant effort in order to cast the vision for the plant.  The name of the actual church will come later.

The logo hopes to convey the vision of this plant.  A cross, which is also the “t” of the word “two,” is located between downtown Minneapolis (left) and St. Paul (right).  This part of the logo communicates our location for the plant, which is right in between the two downtowns.

Also, the color around the skylines and the cross are similar to the color that streetlights give a city, which is called an “urban glow.”  This part of the logo conveys our desire to see the light of the gospel not only where we are planting between the two downtowns, but also in the whole city.  The light of this gospel will be pointing to the everlasting city to come that “has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).

I want to give a big thank you to Jen DiQuattro, who is a co-worker of mine, for spending so much time and effort making this logo for the plant.  She is a talented graphic designer who did this logo without asking for anything in return.  Thank you so much for all your hard and gracious work!

- Posted by Bryan