Imago Dei Anglican Church Adopts New Name

In February 2012, a small collection of worshippers was preparing for the launch of a new church in the Greater Bangor region of eastern/central Maine. That church would be known as Imago Dei Anglican Church. Now thirteen years later, it is receiving a new name.

Imago Dei is a latin term, which translates to “image of God.” It comes from the account of humanity’s creation in Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” As the church grew and evolved, this idea remained at the core of Imago Dei’s conviction and mission: that every person - no matter their sin and brokenness - is made in God’s own divine image, that image bestows inherent dignity and worth, and God is jealous to restore that image in each one of us.

Imago Dei’s worship leader, Kathryn Miller, reflected on how the name Imago Dei shaped the church’s vision and mission, saying, “We saw Jesus actively working in us and our extended family, taking the places of brokenness where the image of God had been distorted, and bringing healing and transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit. We began seeing and recognizing the Imago Dei in the people we prayed with and ministered to, calling them back to their true identity in Christ. Our mission to “join with Jesus in the restoration of all things” means that as we see the brokenness in us and around us, we also see that God is working to bring restoration and new creation, beginning with us!”

While Imago Dei members have largely held the name with great affection over the years, it has presented challenges, chiefly in its unfamiliarity and inaccessibility to its largely unchurched community. 

Fr. Steve Hoskins, rector of Imago Dei since 2020, sensed that after five years of transition and rebuilding it was the right time to redefine the parish’s mission and identity. He described the intention of this, saying, “we wanted to find a new name that would both reflect on the deposit of faith that we are building on as a church while removing some of the barriers for would-be visitors. Imago Dei can be considered 'insider language' that does not mean anything to the average resident of the Bangor area. In fact, over the years it has proved confusing.”

Scott DeLong, present from Imago Dei’s founding, described it like this: “When you’re talking to friends and neighbors - some of whom come from families in which parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents have zero church experience - and you say you go to Imago Dei Anglican Church, you’ve just handed them three completely foreign words with no context and 'church' being the only semi-recognizable word. Without an impromptu convincing theological lesson, it’s very hard for people to feel like that could be somewhere they might visit. Every few years there were talks of changing the name, but this is the first season when there was a real sense among leaders that yes, it’s time.”

The new parish vision was revealed in the fall of 2024: “Embracing God’s radical hospitality as we worship in Word, Sacrament and Spirit, extending Jesus’ welcoming grace to one another and the world." Following the release of the new vision and values, members and attendees were invited to prayerfully submit suggestions for new names over about a month. Out of 20 names submitted, only one name had multiple entries: Trinity Anglican Church. 

The Vestry took the submissions, discerned together, and voted on the change last month before it was presented to the parish on February 2. The official name transition from Imago Dei to Trinity Anglican Church is expected to occur in stages in early 2025, leading up to a full-scale celebration weekend towards the end of spring.

One newer member wrote of the name Trinity: “What I have appreciated most about worship during my time attending our church has been how the liturgy and our worship point us to the triune nature of our God. This fundamental truth of our faith is so compelling to me as it is a reminder to us all that our God is not distant from us, rather he knows our sufferings and leans into our experience by being ever present with us. I love our church’s use of the Celtic [Trinity] knot, a powerful visual reminder of the Trinity, as our church logo. This new name will help complement this symbol and will help introduce those who are new to the Christian faith and those who are familiar with Christianity but distant from the faith feel welcomed anew into a relationship with our triune God.”

Scott added, “Embracing God's radical hospitality at its core means accepting the invitation to relationship with that fundamental Community of Love and mutual honor - the Holy Trinity - and inviting others to have relationship with Him too. In this region where physical distance, cultural divides, and resistance to interdependency create divisions between people, the Church declares that not only are we saved from sin and death, but we are saved from the initial effects of sin - the breakdown of relationships. Trinity means that because of Jesus’ finished work to reconcile us to the Father and fill us with His Spirit, there’s a shame-free place at the Table for me and for you. Trinity means we join with God in his radical hospitality.” 

Fr. Steve also spoke to the clarity the name brings, pointing out that “Trinity Anglican Church says succinctly who we are and Whom we worship right there in our name. And as Mark Twain rightly observed, 'History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme'; we know that the new things the Lord is doing among us won’t look exactly like the past, but we trust that it is the same Lord who has given the same vision for who we were as Imago Dei, who we are, and who we are becoming as Trinity Anglican Church.”