Names of our churches
Why do we emphasis Martin Luther by using "Lutheran" as part of our church name when we learned in 1 Corinthians 3 that Christ is to be the focus not his disciples? Likewise, why do we name our churches St. Paul's, etc.? Shouldn't our church names instead emphasize "Christian" rather than "Lutheran" or "John, Peter, Paul..."? While all of these men are followers of Christ, there only is one Christ and only through Him are we saved. Isn't naming a church after a human taking the focus off of Jesus Christ our Savior?
Elsewhere on this website, you will read this: “Nearly 500 years ago, the Christian church was corrupted by many false teachings. A man named Martin Luther led people back to the teachings of the Bible. His work, and that of his friends, is called the Reformation. Through Luther God restored the church to purity of doctrine and a new life of faith in Christ.
“The doctrines of the Lutheran Church are not new. They are the teachings of the Bible. Thus the Lutheran Church is not a new church. It is not a sect or cult. It is a church whose teaching is based on the words written by the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament. The Bible tells us about Jesus Christ.
“The teachings of the Lutheran Church are those of the original, ancient church of the apostles and early Christians.”
During this 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation, many writers (myself included) have cited Luther’s words in which he stated his desire that a church not be named after him. However, people called those who taught what he taught from Scripture “Lutherans,” and the name has stuck.
It is not that we apologize for the name. The name is helpful. Yes, we are Christians first, but many people who deny truths of the Bible also call themselves Christian. The “Lutheran” title helps to differentiate churches in the Christian world.
When it comes to the names of individual Lutheran churches, we are in the realm of Christian freedom. Founding members will often determine the name of their new church. Can churches take on human names in their titles? Yes. Consider how the Bible speaks of the foundational nature of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20), in that God used them to deliver his word to us. Yet, the Church is built squarely on Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:20). He alone is Savior (John 14:6).
The problem in Corinth that you cited was that Christians were putting more emphasis on the messengers of the gospel than the gospel message. They were taking sides over God’s messengers who served them—past and present. Paul wanted them to focus on Christ.
There would be a similar problem today if a Lutheran church called itself “St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church” and then focused so much attention on the apostle John that Jesus and his gospel faded into the background. You do not find that happening in our churches. Even with names that include apostles, our churches focus on Jesus Christ. The symbol of a cross, along with the church name, helps keep the focus on Christ.
Your question illustrates that church names have value and can be helpful, but we really understand what a church is all about by its confession and preaching and teaching.