What would cause a church to change its name, change its brand, renovate its facilities, and relaunch? There is only one reason for Mission Community Church, formerly Bermuda Baptist Church in Chester, VA—for the spread of the Gospel.
When they looked at the definition of branding as a form of communication and the promotion of an organization’s product or service, they came to realize that the name Bermuda Baptist Church defined them by their geographical location, not who they were as a church. They had so much more to offer—Jesus, most importantly, and ministries to help believers grow and be the hands and feet of Jesus in Chester and throughout the world.
Pastor Pete Hypes shares, “While we celebrate what God has done here and through Bermuda Baptist Church in the past, we also have to face current realities and be a church of vision. We had to ask ourselves two important questions: 1) Who are we? and 2) Who are we trying to reach?”
Associate Pastor Shaun Hypes requested a demographic study from the SBC of Virginia to help them better understand the composition of their community. Through the study, the leaders discovered that within a 5-mile radius of the church, there are 2,100 households total—1,500 households have some college education, 415 have children under age 15, and 62% of the population is married.
“We also enlisted the aid of local agencies to determine the projection for our community, and we discovered that it is going to change and grow whether we like it or not,” Shaun adds. “A developer has plans to build 45 homes within walking distance of the church site, 385 apartments are projected nearby, and there is an anticipation of one mega manufacturer bringing hundreds of jobs to the area.”
With the current realities and the potential for future growth, the church leadership polled the congregation about a name and branding change that would better reflect the church’s identity. Two words kept appearing in the survey—community and missions. These priorities are “just part of our DNA,” says Pastor Hypes. Needless to say, the name Mission Community Church was adopted unanimously.
“We believe the Great Commission of making disciples is for everyone. In our community, there is a diversity of people who do not look like us, dress like us, talk like us—some of whom have never heard of Jesus and some of whom have never gone to church,” explains Pastor Hypes.
The new website reads: We love people and think we grow best when we grow in community with one another as we are focused on the Great Commission. For Mission Community Church, this means we are intentionally missional in all we do and our approach is shaped by these core values:
Mission: Taking the Gospel to Chester and around
the world
Community: Creating an environment of love, encouragement, unity, and accountability as we
exalt Jesus
Church: Making disciples who live the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission
Diversity in Discipleship: Desiring all followers of Jesus from every age and background to be welcomed and fully accepted into the family of God
Sound Doctrine: Affirming the Baptist Faith
and Message and the Apostle’s Creed and remaining faithful to the truth of Scripture in all that we live,
teach, and preach
Creativity in Worship: Celebrating all forms of genuine worship as reflections of the image of God being displayed through the church
Biblical Humility: Lowering ourselves to serve others as Jesus served us
Kingdom Collaboration: Recognizing our mission must fit within the greater purposes of God as we work alongside other believers in the faith
Wisdom in Ministry: Exercising good judgment by preparing and strategizing to be an effective sending church
Spirit-filled: Depending on the power of God to help us fulfill our mission
So why the new look, new name, new brand, renovated facilities, and a relaunch on Easter Sunday 2018? One reason—to build the Kingdom through mission in the community.