What is Coram Deo?
And why do you name your church something difficult to understand?
Living Before the Face of God
I’ll cut to the chase, Coram Deo means: living before the face of God.
It’s Latin. Those who are close to me know I have a particular affinity for Latin, despite it being dead and all.
Let me share a quote that has proven true over and over again, and has been a guiding principle of mine since I heard it.
“We overestimate what people know and we underestimate what they are capable of.”
The Challenge
I hope this quote will make sense as you read on. I knew when I landed on Coram Deo that it would be inviting a hurdle, even an unnecessary one. Why not 2nd Baptist of Springfield, or The Church on 12th Street? Let me ask, why not name it Journey, or Sanctified Sanctuary, or Blast? Naming conventions have gotten weird these days.
Regardless, the adage rings in my ears that good things usually require hard work, and people are capable of that. Meaning that I think a cryptic name requires a little bit of education but that the payoff is worth it. People are capable of learning. God will draw whom He will draw. The name of a church has never held any bearing on any person I’ve ever talked to in a church. I’ve never heard:
“I just hate our church name.”
or
“Man, I’m so glad our church is named _______, it really attracts all the right people!”
However, I shouldn’t speak too soon, I could be the first! A church’s name could certainly be a factor, however then we have to decide which demographic do we want to attract?
Do we name it something young and hip to draw the younglings? Even then, as exampled above, those names required educating the people what they mean and why they were chosen. “The reason we’re named Calvary PBR Avocado Toast Church is to get all those millennials!” Is PBR and avo toast still relevant? Or we go the traditional route and keep it safe to appeal to the older generations. No matter what someone is targeted and someone is excluded. So I decided that I wasn’t interested in playing that game. I would much rather pick a name of substance than use the latest marketing trends. Otherwise I would’ve named it A1 Church (for those of you who remember phone books you know what I mean).
Substance
What seems to be the fundamental issue with humankind is that we have forgotten that we live before the face of God.
“If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” - Psalm 139:8
This goes both ways. Christians wane in their zeal for holiness and faithful obedience to Christ. Non-believers laugh at the thought of God and blaspheme Him. Yet, if we had an eye filling the sky (never mind that God is spirit), we might live a little differently. Now, I’m not advocating for an Orwellian surveillance paranoia, however this reality is true whether we think about it, or like, or not. God is watching over us.
For some this should be a thing of comfort because they are in Christ. They are reminded that they have a benevolent Father in Heaven who is tenderly concerned for them and has tasked them with a purpose and mission here on earth. For others, they must come to understand that they cannot escape the watchful eye of God. Wrath is heaped up for the blasphemer who hates God. Not thinking about Him doesn’t make Him go away. This too should motivate the Christian to share this reality with their friends, family, and neighbors.
When we think on our name, when we will gather someday to worship, or when we share the church with others, our attention will be drawn upward. We will be drawn to the holiness of God, the goodness of God, the justice of God, the mercifulness of God, the wrath of God.
History
Coram Deo Baptist Church is a confessional church. This means that we adhere to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. This, like its sister confession the Westminster Confession of Faith, has stood the test of time. It, according to our convictions, faithfully reflects, summarizes, and codifies the Truth found in God’s Word. It’s not the only good confession out there, but everyone has a confession (even if it doesn’t have a name or widespread appeal) and this is ours. Eventually I will write about our value of confessionalism, but this is not that time! Why is this relevant?
The name has a flavor of historicity to it. We believe that it communicates a measure, though varying in obviousness, of clarity in what we want folks to know about us. While we are a church plant we are one committed to the historical Truths of God’s Word, not just novel newfangled strategies.
Conclusion
For Christmas Eve I preached on the kingship of Christ. An odd choice for a Christmas sermon. However, we all have different visions of Christ at different times. At Christmas it’s often the baby in the manger. The issue is that Jesus is not in the manger. He’s not on the cross. He’s not in the grave. He is ascended at the right hand of the Father ruling and reigning, interceding for us, watching over us. In our times of fear, trouble, doubt, or confusion, we are always before God’s face and He has made His face to shine upon us in Christ.
We believe that those who come to our church will grow to love this little phrase of “coram deo” more than they were confused at first blush. We also believe that it provides a great conversation starter when we share what church we belong to and they inevitably as, “What does that mean?”.
Prayer Requests
Pray for the pastors of the Pacific Northwest as we gather soon for a shepherd to shepherd group for the next several months to support and encourage one another.
Pray for Pioneer Church in Corvallis as they continue to strive towards stability and work for the harvest in their city.
Pray for our church plant as we gather for our last interest meeting in only a few weeks, and that God will bring the right people to join us on this journey.
