Ewa Beach Baptist Church

What Happened to the name, "The Gospel Lighthouse"

On August 24, 2008, the members of the Gospel Lighthouse voted to amend its constitution and bylaws to change the name to Ewa Beach Baptist Church. The decision was borne out of a proposal a deacon motioned at a monthly council meeting. After discussion, with all members of the council present, the decision was met with unanimous approval. Furthermore the council recommended that the pastor call a special business meeting as soon as constitutionally possible. Two weeks later, after presenting the proposal in writing to members in the church service, the matter was brought formally to the church body at large for discussion and deliberation.

Ultimately, there were two issues which gave rise the proposal: 1) What the former name did not communicate and 2) What the name might miscommunicate.

What the Former Name Did Not Communicate
No one wanted to return to the cumbersome, "First Southern Baptist Church of Ewa Beach." In Ewa Beach, indeed in modern America Evangelicalism there is no shortage of churches that seek to engage the world without communicating anything about their beliefs. An ambiguity too easily tempted a fellowship, it was thought, to base its public identity around personality, generational and esoteric edginess, or worship style. The church leadership became increasingly uneasy with a doctrinal shyness so often found alongside a noble passion to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The question was asked "Why keep our beliefs a secret?" We are Baptist - we believe in believer's baptism by immersion, we believe in the autonomy of the local church, and we cooperate to see the Great Commission realized. We are a church - a gathering of the those who have been called out by Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. Rather than seeking to hide the distinctives, as offensive or stereotyped as they may be, the body instead would challenge itself to mitigate the apprehension of the lost, unchurched, and misinformed, with an unmatched love and hospitality.

What the Name Might Miscommunicate
Everyone found the name "Gospel Lighthouse" clever and endearing. We are fundamentally about the gospel, and given that our location is a yards away from the ocean it captured a picture of what we wanted to be - a guiding and protecting beacon for the community and for the world. Yet in the endeavor to remind our own body of our mission, some felt that the name created obstacles to fulfilling that enterprise. Unfortunately, the term "gospel," as it has served in the name of some churches, has come to characterize churches which are pentecostal in nature and to even to some extent, churches that embraced a word of faith perspective - that a person can have wealth and health by claiming it. To a smaller extent, the worry that "lighthouse" also conjured up similar concepts in the minds of others, rested on the minds of council members. While members love their pentecostal brethren deeply, we wanted to be abundantly clear about who we are. This urgency seemed heightened as testimonies surfaced of Baptists who were unable to find our fellowship while residing in Ewa Beach and surrounding areas.

Other Reasons
Other issues weighed on the minds of the council, which alone would not warrant a name change, but did work to underscore the urgency of the proposal:

Name Recognition: Even other Southern Baptist churches had difficulty reciting our name at events. Attempts included: "Gospel Light Church" "Gospel Light Baptist" "Lighthouse Baptist Church" and "Gospel Love Church."
Longevity: It was felt strongly that there would an Ewa Beach Baptist Church eventually in the community and that if our church did not pick up the name someone else would.
Affirmation: Various church leaders and consultants expressed their support for the proposed name change.