Many members of the 5-A-Day Club are members of the RLDS church. Many are affiliated with other denominations. This is absolutely fine... we are all players on the same team!

The RLDS church is once again considering (at the 2000 World Conference, during the first week of April) a resolution to add a new legal name by which the RLDS church may be recognized.

It is true that the Latter Day Saints portion of our name causes us to be confused with the Utah Mormon church.

It is true that the name of our church is quite long.

It is true that in a statement read by Presiding Evangelist Everett S. Graffeo, April 2, 1998 during a business session at the 1998 World Conference, these words of counsel were given to the church:

"For many years you have sought to find a new name for the church. You have taken it upon yourselves to discover a name for God's people. You have been free to do this, but you have been unable to agree upon such a name. Do not be discouraged! Be assured my beloved friends, and brothers and sisters, there is a name for you. The Spirit of God rests among you and in you as you are transformed as God's people. A new name is even now emerging out of your midst."

(Click HERE for the full version of Presiding Evangelist Everett Graffeo's counsel entitled "IN SEARCH OF A NAME".)

While all of the above is true, it is also true the our name has beauty and history. Many believe a new name for the church would be a mistake.

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I am a delegate to the 2000 World Conference, and I will be casting a vote on this proposed resolution. I would like to know what you think. Won't you send me a note to let me know your thoughts on this issue?

The resolution, drafted by the Florida Mission Center is included below:

G-8 A NEW NAME "COMMUNITY OF CHRIST"
From the Florida Mission Center

Whereas, the name "Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" has been problematic in registering the church in certain parts of the world necessitating the church to be identified by different names in several of the countries wherein the church is legally recognized, and

Whereas, WCR 1144 Recognizes the difficulties in applying a new name for the church based on a "single decision based on English and on the North American history of the church to other languages, nations, and cultures," and further provides that "the church be identified locally by such terms as may be responsive to the time and place and circumstances," and

Whereas, the First Presidency and Joint Council in 1994 by consensus agreed upon the name "COMMUNITY of CHRIST" as being a name for the church that represented who and what we are and is "responsive to the time and place and circumstances" referred to in WCR 1144, and

Whereas, the name "COMMUNITY of CHRIST" is currently registered as a Missouri Not-For-Profit Church Corporation by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and

Whereas, this name honors who we have been and also creates an image of what we are called to be as God's people in the future, and

Whereas, this new name "COMMUNITY of CHRIST" will affirm our calling as the children of God and will unite us as a people from all the nations of the earth and call us to the kingdom task in our daily life as individuals, as families and as communities of God's joy, and

Whereas, the church has responded to the spirit of "Transformation" it is timely for a new name to solidify and direct our transforming image and ministry into a world entering a new millennium, be it

Resolved, that a new name for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints be "COMMUNITY OF CHRIST" to be used in states, provinces, countries and jurisdictions where it can legally and appropriately be used in that country and culture, and be it further

Resolved, that, concurrent with legal guidelines, the name Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints remain legally binding in all aspects of its present status and may be retained for legal purposes.

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NOTES:
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The name "COMMUNITY of CHRIST" is currently registered by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 49 of the 50 United States.

This resolution proposes a "new name" for the church vs. a "name change". This would legally leave the current name in effect without change as it involves property titles, incorporations, legal documents, deeds, etc. It would also preserve the current name and our ownership of it and keep it from being used by any other organization/s. Technically the current name could continue to be used for anything legally binding as well as the new name "Community of Christ". Where there might be a concern over having two legal names as being confusing, it allows the new name opportunity to arise on it's own merit into the forefront of identifying our denomination and movement.