What’s in a Name…and a Logo?

Keith D. Stanglin

⁶ I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. ⁷ So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. ⁹ For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.  1 Corinthians 3:6–9

On September 1, 2021, the Center for Christian Studies was launched.  This year, 2026, we are celebrating the fifth anniversary of CCS.  As we look toward the future, our Expanding the Reach campaign, whose goal is to raise $150,000, will help us continue to build on what has been accomplished in these first five years.

This moment also affords an opportunity to look back and see where we’ve been as we count our many blessings. 

Todd Hall and I had long noticed that most of the people doing the bulk of the leading, shepherding, serving, and teaching in churches had little or no reliable resources for increasing their biblical literacy and theological understanding.  So, with the help of many dedicated supporters, we sought to create a church-facing ministry dedicated to equipping Christians for their various roles of leadership and ministry in the church, closing the wide gap “between Sunday school and seminary.”

How would we do this?  From the very beginning, we were committed to providing these resources across a variety of media.  In addition to offering live and in-person classes, seminars, and workshops in churches, we wanted to publish a journal and a new set of Bible study books, as well as video courses.  To do anything like that these days, we, of course, needed a website.  But before we published a website, we needed a name and a logo.

The name took a while.  From about 2016, when we taught at a seminary whose leadership wasn’t much interested in our idea, we called it “Plan B.”  During those years, we did more dreaming and talking than actual planning and executing.  But by early 2021, we were all in, so Plan B didn’t quite convey the priority and the energy we intended to devote to this new thing.  And “Plan A” isn’t very descriptive or catchy. 

Given the broad range of resources we intended to provide—and, frankly, in order to leave wiggle room for some variation in direction—we wanted to keep the name descriptive but somewhat generic.  We always liked the simple idea expressed by “Christian Studies,” and we even thought of the Institute for Christian Studies.  But that name still belonged to the seminary, and, honestly, I’m glad that it was not available for use.  We were doing something qualitatively different than the old school.

In March of 2021, we were still considering names like “Christian Studies Network” and “Christian Studies Association” in our meetings.  But, by early April of 2021, we landed on Center for Christian Studies (CCS).  This decision allowed us to move forward with incorporation and application as a 501(c)(3).

It also allowed us to proceed with the logo, which is a must-have for any business and website.

We reached out to our friend, Lauren Porter, with nothing but a name and an idea about “growing.”  She came back quickly—by mid-April—with the design that we have used ever since.  The letters, “CCS,” are stylized and situated sideways, acting as the ground from which the living growth springs.

The logo symbolizes the metaphor that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9.  Apollos planted the seed, Paul watered it, and God gave the increase.  We at the Center for Christian Studies seek to water and thus to do our part to contribute to the growth of God’s field, his church.  Watering is not a one-time activity; it is not “one and done.”  Water is an ongoing necessity, essential throughout the life of the growing plant.

To extend the metaphor slightly, our supporting partners may not be doing the actual watering, but they fund the watering and the maintenance of the irrigation system, the faucets, hoses, and sprinklers.  They provide the barrels to catch the water and the buckets that we use to carry it where it needs to go.  In a time of extreme drought such as this, we depend more than ever on the provision of this life-giving water.  Our financial supporters are co-workers with us in watering the seeds and growing plants.

We have been blessed, for God has given the growth.  Will you help us Expand the Reach and enlarge the blessing for years to come?

Support CCS' Expand the Reach Campaign