Soon after I was born, Paul and Esther—my mother and father—signed me up for an account at McPherson’s Pioneer Savings and Loan Association. When I was old enough to understand, the bank gave me a miniature leather and metal book—a kind of piggy bank—in which I could stash small change. Sonja got a blue one; I got green—heavy, elegant with gold and black raised lettering. Each came with a tiny key. Once we’d filled the little bank/book with change, we’d open it and deposit the “savings” into our grown-up account.
I “got” the solemnity and importance of saving. I also got that my precious, miniscule college fund was safe in the hands of such a longstanding and distinguished institution. After all, the small, Main Street storefront with its polished glass and dark wood counters came from PIONEERS. No modern frippery. All sober and serious business. The tellers might have worn green eyeshades.
Fast forward 70 years. Here in Helena, I’ve noticed that banks and churches are interchangeable—at least in name and maybe in purpose. You tell me which of the following is a bank and which a church: Echo, Bravera, Ascent, Lifepoint, The Well, Opportunity, The Bridge, Stockman, Narrate, Buffalo, Intrepid.
You see what I mean! Of course, we have old-fashioned examples of both: Wells Fargo, First Christian, Plymouth Congregational, First Interstate Bank. But it’s the new fad in naming that intrigues me. To begin with, whether for banks or houses of worship, the names don’t earn my confidence. What is the Echo Church echoing: God, the voice of a pastor, current values? And I associate bravera with bravado—a kind of puffed-up, phony hype. Spelled “bravura,” the dictionary defines it as a display of daring; a brilliant performance. Hmm, well, I’m more interested in a bank’s solid, trustworthy performance. Then, there’s that stockman bank and the buffalo church. I understand that we revere ranchers in Montana—hence stockman. Maybe a bit like “pioneer.” But I can’t make any sense of a buffalo church. Shaggy, solid, surviving, almost but not quite extinct??
Obviously, there’s a trend afoot here that eludes me. Churches and banks would not adopt such names if market research hadn’t suggested it. At least for Gen X , Y and Z folks. Do younger men and women crave a place that will grow their financial portfolios and their spiritual status quickly: ascent, brilliance, opportunity, intrepid, wellbeing? Are they done with slow growth and painful sacrifice? Do they seek the illusion or hope of personal service, of buddies, and of a faith that echoes and narrates their own stories? Do they want to bridge the distance between their lives and a god’s? Between modest incomes and wealth??
I’m reaching here. And may be way off the mark in terms of meaning. But the trends exist. And would swear that they come from impatient impulses—whether in faith or dollars. Quick! Painless! Now! ©
