Use of the Church Name

[seangoh]

Recently i was browsing the GC website and came to this page which i copied and paste below. It says we shouldn't use the abbreviation "SDA" in an official or public way. So my interpretation of public is when relating to non-adventists or when there are non-adventists present. If we were to use the term "SDA" casually, it would be within our adventist brothers and sisters.


==================================

The name Seventh-day Adventist represents the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its institutions and organizations, its local churches and its members. The name and the logo are trademarked and registered identities.

As with all proper names, there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to spell, pronounce, abbreviate and otherwise use this name.

Spelling: Seventh-day Adventist, including the hyphen and a lower-case “d” for “day”.

The pronunciation: Seventh-day Ad’-ven-tist with the accent on the first syllable.

The abbreviation: Adventist. Not “SDA”. As with most longer names, abbreviations grow out of their common use and often reflect an air of “those in the know”, much like contemporary slang is used. This is the manner in which “SDA” has come to be used in place of “Seventh-day Adventist”. However this usage runs counter to the purposes of a church, which is to reach out and be inclusive to all. The term “SDA”, out of context and without prior knowledge, can represent any number of organizations around the world, many with functions and purposes very different from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is why the initials “SDA” should never be used in any official or public way to represent the Adventist Church. The Church’s identity should always be clear and accessible.

 

[smooze]

And.......................................your point is?.......................hmm thanks anyways

 

[tall73]

Yeah, I got that message too by email, mail, etc.

And I try not to in official communications, partly for the reason listed (confusing for non- members) but really, they are just stressing over people confusing us with LDS, etc.

 

[seangoh]

And.......................................your point is?.......................hmm thanks anyways

Just something i didn't know before until recently. I feel if we are Adventists, we should know more about it and what it does and don't do, the guidelines and all that included. We want to minimize as much misunderstanding as possible and as you know, the Adventist denomination seems to have a great knack at attracting misunderstandings simply because members are not well-informed enough be it doctrinal issues or church stand.

 

[tall73]

I don't see any problem with him posting it. It is just informational.

The only problem in my local church was that it inspired a group of name etiquette watchers to chastise someone who mispelled the church name on a slide during worship!

 

[SassySDA]

Well, to be perfectly honest, even though I am guilty of using "SDA" at times, every time I do, I don't feel good about it.

But at least I DO spell it right. I always spell it Seventh-day Adventist. Most everyone else I notice uses a capital D.

One out of two isn't bad, lol.

 

[seangoh]

The only problem in my local church was that it inspired a group of name etiquette watchers to chastise someone who mispelled the church name on a slide during worship!

Unfortunately there seems to exist this kind of people in almost every adventist church. I'm very mystified at why this is so. But we'll just have to accept that some people can't think in a balanced perspective and that the others who can just have to keep the see-saw in a horizontal position as much as possible. But i digress..hmm..maybe a thread should be started to discuss this..lol..

 

[seangoh]

Well, to be perfectly honest, even though I am guilty of using "SDA" at times, every time I do, I don't feel good about it.

But at least I DO spell it right. I always spell it Seventh-day Adventist. Most everyone else I notice uses a capital D.

One out of two isn't bad, lol.

Oh man i know i am guilty of that countless times..now i know..lol. Oh and i justnoticed the forum is labelled with a capital d...AHHHHHHHHHHHH...moderators pls do something!!!!

 

[HoneyDew]

Oh man i know i am guilty of that countless times..now i know..lol. Oh and i justnoticed the forum is labelled with a capital d...AHHHHHHHHHHHH...moderators pls do something!!!!

ROFL

We are not what we thought we were.

 

[TrustAndObey]

I had a conversation with someone once, I won't mention any names, and when I told her I was "SDA" she said "Oh how nice. I have never cared for the Mormon faith, sorry."

Speaking of Sassy....(hehe).....

I have to agree that the letters tend to make some people think of "LDS."

 

[PaleHorse]

Maybe its just my military experience coming out, but I like to use acronyms. "SDA" isn't an abbreviation, its an acronym. I use acronyms all the time (HTML = hyper-text markup language, LAN = local area network, KJV = King James Version, etc = et cetera).

While I agree that there could be confusion between us and LDS (due to the use of the acronym instead of the official abbreviation) I don't see the big deal, but thats just my opinion.

Now here's the thing though, if our local churches and members feel strongly about this then that means MUCH has to change; for instance, just look at the number of Internet websites that use "SDA" as part of their name or URL. For example:
http://www.sdanet.org/
http://www.knox1sda.org/
http://www.sda.austin.tx.us/
http://www.sdatexas.org/
http://www.midlandsda.org/
http://www.eleutherasda.org/
http://blacksda.com/
http://www.zanesvillesda.org/
http://www.xprt.net/~rcrowley/SDAOregon/sda-or.htm
http://www.tagnet.org/edmontonsda/

The list goes on and on.

What do you think? Should these (and numerous others) change their websites to match the GC's stance on the use of "SDA"?

 

[HoneyDew]

Maybe its just my military experience coming out, but I like to use acronyms. "SDA" isn't an abbreviation, its an acronym. I use acronyms all the time (HTML = hyper-text markup language, LAN = local area network, KJV = King James Version, etc = et cetera).

I thought "SDA" was an abbreviation because acronyms tend to be words formed from the initial letters. So I checked the online dictionary I use and it says this:

Main Entry: ac·ro·nym
Pronunciation: 'a-kr&-"nim
Function: noun
Etymology: acr- + -onym
: a word (as NATO, radar, or snafu) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term; also : an abbreviation (as FBI) formed from initial letters : [size=-1]INITIALISM[/size]


The times, they are a-changin'.

 

[StormyOne]

Maybe its just my military experience coming out, but I like to use acronyms. "SDA" isn't an abbreviation, its an acronym. I use acronyms all the time (HTML = hyper-text markup language, LAN = local area network, KJV = King James Version, etc = et cetera).

While I agree that there could be confusion between us and LDS (due to the use of the acronym instead of the official abbreviation) I don't see the big deal, but thats just my opinion.

Now here's the thing though, if our local churches and members feel strongly about this then that means MUCH has to change; for instance, just look at the number of Internet websites that use "SDA" as part of their name or URL. For example:
http://www.sdanet.org/
http://www.knox1sda.org/
http://www.sda.austin.tx.us/
http://www.sdatexas.org/
http://www.midlandsda.org/
http://www.eleutherasda.org/
http://blacksda.com/
http://www.zanesvillesda.org/
http://www.xprt.net/~rcrowley/SDAOregon/sda-or.htm
http://www.tagnet.org/edmontonsda/

The list goes on and on.

What do you think? Should these (and numerous others) change their websites to match the GC's stance on the use of "SDA"?

I suspect that the changes will occur over time... it may be an issue, but it is not a critical one at this time.... additionally there are websites that are not "official" arms of the GC though they are run by or frequented by adventists, so they may choose not to adhere by the guidelines set by the .org regarding the name thing....

 

[Seraph1m]

Hi Seangoh: I have highlighted a portion of the GC statement.

While attending the Clerks & Communications training earlier this year, it was explained that one of the reasons for the change was due to the issue of other groups using SDA, which include splinter Adventist groups that no longer fall under the umbrella of the official church. Their primary purpose for using SDA is in an attempt to bring credibility to the splinter organizations. As noted in the statement below, the function and purposes of those organizations are not the same as ours.

Which says to me that it would be wise not to use SDA in order to avoid giving the appearance of misrepresenting the church I am a part of.

Recently i was browsing the GC website and came to this which i copied and paste below. It says we shouldn't use the abbreviation "SDA" in an official or public way. So my interpretation of public is when relating to non-adventists or when there are non-adventists present. If we were to use the term "SDA" casually, it would be within our adventist brothers and sisters.


==================================

The name Seventh-day Adventist represents the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its institutions and organizations, its local churches and its members. The name and the logo are trademarked and registered identities.

As with all proper names, there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to spell, pronounce, abbreviate and otherwise use this name.

Spelling: Seventh-day Adventist, including the hyphen and a lower-case “d” for “day”.

The pronunciation: Seventh-day Ad’-ven-tist with the accent on the first syllable.

The abbreviation: Adventist. Not “SDA”. As with most longer names, abbreviations grow out of their common use and often reflect an air of “those in the know”, much like contemporary slang is used. This is the manner in which “SDA” has come to be used in place of “Seventh-day Adventist”. However this usage runs counter to the purposes of a church, which is to reach out and be inclusive to all. The term “SDA”, out of context and without prior knowledge, can represent any number of organizations around the world, many with functions and purposes very different from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This is why the initials “SDA” should never be used in any official or public way to represent the Adventist Church. The Church’s identity should always be clear and accessible.

 

[NinadeDios777]

oh man, i had NO idea that adventists were THAT picky... so someone doesn't pronounce the name right. BIG DEAL.

 

[SassySDA]

oh man, i had NO idea that adventists were THAT picky... so someone doesn't pronounce the name right. BIG DEAL.

No one said anything about "pronunciation", the reason the GC Seventh-day Adventist Church doesn't want it used was specifically spelled out above.

It's a very valid reason. It causes confusion, God wants no part of confusion.

 

[HoneyDew]

No one said anything about "pronunciation", the reason the GC Seventh-day Adventist Church doesn't want it used was specifically spelled out above.

It's a very valid reason. It causes confusion, God wants no part of confusion.

I think she meant this:

Spelling: Seventh-day Adventist, including the hyphen and a lower-case “d” for “day”.

The pronunciation: Seventh-day Ad’-ven-tist with the accent on the first syllable.

 

[amiel]

Just because there is a description of how to properly pronounce it... that doesn't mean that adventists are picky about it.

 

[amiel]

I think our church site is one of those domains that will have to change

 

[HoneyDew]

Just because there is a description of how to properly pronounce it... that doesn't mean that adventists are picky about it.

That is true. In some other countries the emphasis is on the second syllable.