For over fifty years, we have been called Desert Hills Evangelical Free Church. This past Sunday at our congregational meeting, the members voted unanimously to change the name to Desert Hills Bible Church.

We voted to change the name of the church for significant reasons. One reason for the change is to make the name of the church more accessible to the community. The phrase “Evangelical Free” was often confusing to people, especially people unaware of the Evangelical Free Church movement. We have had more than one person ask if “Evangelical Free” should be understood like “sugar free,” thinking evangelicals were not allowed at the church! A church name that confuses people into not attending or thinking they might not be welcome as Christians is problematic.

A second reason for the name change aligns with the theme of our 50th anniversary celebration from last October: we desire to be a church that is relentlessly biblical in all that we do. The Bible is the authority over our faith and practice. The name Desert Hills Bible Church reminds us and the community that this church is a Bible-centered church, and ultimately, since the Bible is Christ-centered, a Christ-centered church.

We have one other reason for the name change, which we’ll share in a future update. In the meantime, if you are looking for Desert Hills Evangelical Free Church, you’ll now find us as Desert Hills Bible Church. And if you pull into the parking lot and see signs for Desert Hills Evangelical Free Church, you’ve arrived at Desert Hills Bible Church. We just haven’t had a chance to update the signs yet.