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Got Questions about Movement Church? Check out the video and answers below!
What prompted the name change?
The short answer is that we believe the Holy Spirit prompted and led the board and staff to consider a name change for First Alliance! Beginning in the fall of 2021, we began to research, talk, and pray about this possibility. As we discussed it, we realized that over the past several years, we have seen the people who worship here grow in their personal relationships with Jesus, and rise up to live out their faith in ways that show love to the communities they live in and to the world beyond them. As we told stories and considered all that we had witnessed in the past few years, we were excited to realize that God was moving in our faith family!
Why now?
As we continued in the process described above, we felt a peace about pursuing a change in the name of our church to match what we were seeing God do through and in His people here! We were “wowed” by how God’s people were actively engaging in this mission here to know Jesus, love others, and live a changed life for God’s kingdom & glory. Every week, we see real examples of how you, His people, are compelled to share your faith with those around you, to love others, to serve selflessly in His church & in the community, and give generously in countless ways! We felt led to consider names that match what we see God doing here. If you want to know more about our mission & values, we encourage you to visit the “About Us” page on our website, or to sign up for one of our Discover classes! (put link there)
Why Movement Church?
As God showed us all He has done and continues to do here at our church, we were led to names that reflected the forward movement, the personal & active growth of so many in our faith family! At the same time, God reminded us of the beginnings of the Christian & Missionary Alliance. The founder, A.B. Simpson, didn't start by trying to form a new denomination. He simply wanted to mobilize Christ followers to rise up and work together in “an aggressive spiritual movement” to reach the unreached - there on the docks of New York City and all over the world! The word ‘movement’ also reminds us of how God moved towards us while we were still sinners, and how He calls us to now move forward into all the world to share the message of His salvation. We do this not in our own strength and not for our glory, but for Him in whom we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)!
Are we still a Christian & Missionary Alliance Church?
Yes! If you haven’t read the answer to “Why Movement Church?” please do so, as it shares part of the reason we think our new name roots us even more to the Alliance and their heart for reaching the unreached! We love being a church within the Christian & Missionary Alliance, and are excited to see our church family become more knowledgeable about the denomination and all it does throughout the world as we continue to be actively involved on district, national, and international levels. If you would like to learn more about the C&MA, we encourage you to visit the national website. A great place to start is here: https://cmalliance.org/who-we-are/