We call our church "Scum of the Earth." That's really our name.

Why would we use this name for our church? I always tell people, "It's not that we're doing church differently—we're just doing church with different people." And the members of our church thought this name would help us do that. Let me explain.

People ask me all the time why I would allow a church to be called Scum of the Earth. They assume that, like most young churches, we just tried to make our name as cool as possible. But Scum of the Earth is a name that is humble.

It's also biblical. When the apostle Paul was describing the way the world treated him and the other apostles who were doing their best to follow Christ, he used the name of our church: "we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world" (1 Cor 4:9-13).

Scum is an appropriate name for a church trying to connect with people who have been outcast by the rest of society or by churches. Many can identify with the name Scum because they've endured this type of treatment before. The name also serves as a reminder of our need for God and redemption. In addition, it's just plain funny.

I was not in favor of the name at first. But I have come to believe that it was one of the best things that could have happened to us. Amazing things began happening right away as the Lord brought people around our fledgling church.

Reaching Friday

One of the first women to come to Scum of the Earth went by the name Friday because she looked like Wednesday from The Addams Family. Normally she wore black nail polish, black clothes, whitish make-up and dyed-black hair with purple bangs. She was a waitress at an all-night restaurant our group would go to after Bible study on Monday nights. She didn't grow up with any religious background, but the way people at Scum loved her drew her relentlessly to Jesus.

One night, after watching a movie with a few others, she got a call at home from one of the girls from the church. Melanie was crying for Friday; she felt deeply that God wanted to touch her life. Friday thought Melanie was "being an emotional girl," but it got her thinking about the new friends she had made and their faith in Jesus.

A few days later, after thinking about it for some time, Friday decided to ask God to make Himself real to her, too. She didn't know whether to "wish it, or say it, or pray it," since she had never done anything like that before.

God was at work in our small, humble community, and I had the pleasure of watching.

What Do You Really Want to Do?

God is at work today, same as He has always been, preparing the hearts and minds of young people all over the world for the ride of their lives—if they will only give themselves to Jesus. Nothing could be more inspiring, invigorating and fulfilling. It is my hope that this article (taken from my book) not only encourages people to dive in but also prompts others to take care of those who have.