Names are important. In them we find meaning, identity, and distinction. Some names are unique; others are common. Some names are inherently strong; others are superficially weak.  Some names can propel you forward and push you outward; others can hold you back and stunt your growth. All names serve as the introduction, the first impression, the process of setting the stage. A name immediately reveals something to the curious and serves as a monument to the familiar. To the curious, a name provides a glimpse of who or what you are and in some way distinguishes you from who or what you are not. For the familiar, a name provides a history; it retells a story, it serves as a reminder of why we are here.

The gospel is more than a possession to be had, it is glorious truth to be lived.

God has always placed a high value on names. God says that he has a name for every star (Ps. 147.4). Adam is given the authority to name every creature (Gen. 2.19). Throughout the Old Testament, different places, cities, and geographic areas were named to memorialize the events that happened there. Even children were often given names to proclaim something about God’s blessing or cursing. The Scriptures also speak of several important men whose very names help further reveal the story of God.   Men like Abram (Abraham), Jacob (Israel), and Cephas (Peter) experienced powerful callings and subsequent transformations. Their experiences began with a face-to-face encounter with God that climaxed in the bestowal of a new name—a reformed identity. Their new names not only embodied their distinctiveness, it allowed them to anticipate the mission that God would accomplish through them.

We chose the name Legacy Church because we want to preach something by our name. The gospel is more than a possession to be had, it is glorious truth to be lived. What has been entrusted to us is too great not to share. While our world is painfully broken, Jesus is making all things new. His legacy is the greatest story ever told! Jesus gives new life, shapes who we are, and is why we live. He redeems people, marriages, families, cities, cultures, and generations. Our desire is for Legacy Church to make much of Jesus as His legacy lives in us and through us.