St. Pauls Presbyterian becomes Quest Church

GOTHA/OCOEE St. Pauls Presbyterian Church is now Quest Church.

The name change reflects a desire to accurately describe the church, not a departure from the Presbyterian Church (USA) with which the church still strongly identifies. 

The change began when a consultant came to evaluate the church, and the name was the first thing he pointed out. 

The original name, selected in the 1960s, does not reflect the church present-day style. The church is contemporary: Saturday worship services are “café style,” where attendees sit at tables and enjoy drinks and snacks during the service. The church has a worship band rather than a choir, and uses drama and video in services. 

“It’s just not a traditional kind of Presbyterian church,” said Bryan Stamper, the pastor of Quest Church. “(The consultant) said, ‘The name implies something that you are not. So somebody who’s looking for what you do; they’ll never walk in the door. And somebody who sees your name and walks in the door will be surprised at what they encounter.’”

The church, which borders Gotha, is still affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), but Stamper said the church is doing what many area community churches already have done — move away from identifying a denomination in the name of the church. First Baptist Church of Oviedo now identifies as CrossLife Church, and First Baptist Church of Central Florida now goes by Church at the Cross. 

“Brand loyalty is just not an issue anymore,” said Stamper, who considers himself a fan of the Presbyterian church. 

“We found here that when you develop a person spiritually in the basics of the faith, they make a great Presbyterian,” Stamper said. “But when you develop somebody as a Presbyterian, that doesn’t necessarily make them a great believer.” 

Quest isn’t trying to reach the Presbyterian as much as it is geared toward those who don’t currently identify with a church, and Stamper feels the new name will appeal more to non-churchgoers. 

Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].