Name Change FAQs

When our new name Lumunos was announced, many of you wrote and called the Faith at Work staff and board of directors. Your thoughts were very helpful! And, since ours is a relational ministry, we tried to respond to all who raised questions or concerns. You might be wondering about the kinds of comments that we heard. Our Transition Team Lumunos reviewed each and every email and phone message. This group synthesized what was on your hearts as well as minds and put them in Question and Answer format below.

Q: How are people responding to the change?
A: Two thirds of the people who have responded have either been positive or neutral—meaning they see both opportunities and challenges. Many long time participants are excited and some are disappointed. The same is true of people newly engaged with Faith at Work. What seems most important to people is that Faith at Work remains open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in this transition.

Q: Is this new name a sign that Faith at Work is becoming less Christian?
A: Not at all. From the very beginning, Faith at Work has been shaped by the Christian tradition and the Jesus Way. That will continue. It is because we are so passionate about people hearing God’s call that we are making this change. So we will continue to be firmly grounded in ecumenical Christianity; we will continue to help people connect their story to the Biblical story; we will continue to help them walk in the way of Jesus.

Q: For a lot of us, leaving the name Faith at Work will be difficult. Will you continue to use Faith at Work for a while?
A: Yes, you will see it frequently in the magazine, on our website and in other materials. We also continue to be open to your ideas for how we might use the Faith at Work name in the future.

Q: The long O sign in Lumunos is hard to write and hard to work with. Would you consider dropping it?
A: Yes, a number of people commented on that and we have dropped it.

Q: Where does Lumunos come from? Is it a Spanish word?
A: Lumunos is a created word with its derivation from the Latin word, lumen (light, eye, opening). We felt that this name reflected our organizational roots of bringing God’s light into people’s lives. Although we did not change the name to attract any particular ethnic audience, we welcome more diversity in our organization.

Q: This feels like a big decision; I am assuming that the Board did not do this lightly.
A: You are certainly correct. The Board considered this at all of its meetings for over a year and a half. We formed a special task force to help select a new name. We gave it an extraordinary amount of careful and prayerful time.

Q: You said that a primary reason for changing the name was that it defined us too narrowly as a workplace ministry. I have always understood that it is about putting our faith to work in the world, not just the workplace.
A: We know that for some there has never been any confusion. That is especially true for those who read our magazine, or have attended a retreat. But we received consistent feedback, especially from people who didn’t know us, that our name did create confusion for people. We are trying to remove any barriers we can to beginning a relationship with new people.

Q: Is there a reason you did not try to find another name where you could retain “Faith”?
A: We considered that seriously, but there were virtually no other names with “Faith” in them that were not already taken by other organizations and which were also a fit for the ministry of Faith at Work.

Q: Lumunos doesn’t seem to say much by itself. Don’t you think it’s a little vague?
A: We started from the assumption that no name would adequately describe our organization. And we have come to believe that a non descriptive name can actually be an advantage. Like any new name, whether it develops richness and meaning will depend upon what we do with it. As we find new and different ways in our ministry to bring light for the journey, we believe that the name will take on meaning and have more substance.
 
Thanks for sharing so honestly and openly!

Transition Team Lumunos:

Steve Gehring (Elder Council Representative)
Dale Davis and Dwayne Odvody (Board Representatives)
Betsy Perry and Suzanne Schmidt (Staff Representatives)