CHICAGO, IL (July 18, 2007) \u2013 Cuyler Covenant Church recently changed its name to Resurrection Covenant Church both to reflect the new life being experienced by the congregation and to reintroduce itself to a changing community, says Adam Phillips, who co-pastors the congregation with Aaron Johnson.
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\nThe Central Conference and Evangelical Covenant Church staff have been working together to oversee a revitalization plan for the church that is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year. As a result, the small congregation is experiencing new growth and strengthening its mission, Phillips says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe redevelopment is to reclaim its mission in the city,\u201d says Phillips, adding that the congregation has had powerful ministries to the poor in the neighborhood, including gang members.<\/p>\n
The denomination had researched the surrounding community before Phillips and Johnson started last September. The study produced several findings that have led to changes in the name as well as the worship service.<\/p>\n
The previous name confused people as to where the church is located, Phillips says. \u201cWhen I told people I was the pastor of Cuyler Covenant, they would say, \u201cOh is that on Cuyler (Avenue)? I would have to go into a long explanation that it actually is three blocks south of Cuyler.\u201d<\/p>\n
The neighborhood used to be called Cuyler, but has since come to be known as Lakeview. \u201cI\u2019m sure the people who named it Cuyler were just trying to be missional in their neighborhood as we are in ours,\u201d Phillips says.<\/p>\n
Getting the church to consider a name change was easy. When the idea was proposed earlier this year, \u201cThe people thought the change had been needed for a long time. The debate was over direction.\u201d Members debated whether the name should relate to the church\u2019s location and be called Lakeview or Wrigleyville Covenant (the church is located near the neighborhood where the Cubs\u2019 Wrigley Field is located), or reflect a more theological idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe church had been dying,\u201d Phillips says. \u201cResurrection is certainly what we are experiencing,\u201d Phillips adds. The neighborhood also has been changing. \u201cFor better or worse, there has been a lot of gentrification. There is an influx of younger couples.\u201d<\/p>\n
The earlier demographic study also indicated that many people in the neighborhood who were interested in attending a church were looking for one that was rooted in traditional evangelical ideas about the need for personal salvation and also committed to justice issues.<\/p>\n
Johnson says he was only mildly surprised by the survey results. Studies increasingly indicate that people under the age of 35 are \u201cwanting to reclaim their tradition,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
The church also has changed its worship, transitioning to a blended form of worship as it includes more traditional elements. The pastors now wear albs, for example, Johnson says.<\/p>\n
The change has not come without struggle. Thirty-five people attended the church prior to Phillips\u2019 and Johnson\u2019s arrival. As many as 20 members soon left, which Phillips says has been painful. Attendance has grown to about 50 people, however.<\/p>\n