A name change for First Baptist

PRINCETON — The church may have a new name, but its mission remains the same, according to Rev. Brian Strom, pastor of the Christ Community Church, formerly the First Baptist Church of Princeton.

That mission is to follow Jesus and His word and to help others in their spiritual journey, Strom said. The name change is the result of the church’s decision to join the Evangelical Free denomination.

The search for a new denomination started in April 2007 after the then-First Baptist Church left the American Baptist denomination, to which it had belonged for 172 years. The decision to leave the denomination was based on concerns over doctrinal issues and standards which the Princeton church believed was being compromised by the denomination, Strom said. The Princeton church was in dialogue with denomination leaders for a good amount of time before the decision was made to leave, he said.

For the next couple years, the Princeton church functioned as an independent Baptist church while the leadership and congregation researched other denominations. After meeting with the district superintendent of the Evangelical Free denomination, the Princeton church decided last spring to enter into a formal “dating process” period with the denomination, Strom said.

On Sunday, the transition period was completed, and the Princeton church officially became a member of the Evangelical Free denomination.

About the only change the congregation or the public will see will be the name change, Strom said.

“We haven’t changed who we are, just our name. We’ve changed our name so we can join the Evangelical Free Church of America because we believe that’s the family, the church denomination for us,” Strom said. “In terms of our ministries, our beliefs, and our passion for the Lord and for people, that’s not changed at all.”

The church’s new name of Christ Community Church is a good choice, the pastor said.

“Christ Community Church describes beautifully who we are,” Strom said. “Christ in our title aptly describes our mission and whom we want to be like. We are all about Jesus, wanting to be a people like Jesus and reaching people for Jesus. Community describes our method of how we want to do that. We want to share life together, to be a church devoted to functioning as a family.”