When people ask me where I attend church and I say “Isaac’s Keep” the typical response is “Huh?” It isn’t your run of the mill church name, in fact it doesn’t even have the word “church” in it, which sounds a bit outlandish, especially to the ears of folks raised in the south. But trust me, there’s a reason for that. There’s a reason for pretty much everything we do, and don’t do, at Isaac’s Keep. So let me tell you about this one.
The name “Isaac” comes from the promised son of Abraham, and denotes that we are people of the promise, just as Isaac was a son of the promise, a covenant people, Romans 9 stuff if you will. But you can read more about the Isaac part here and here. What I want to focus on is the latter part, “Keep”. Why do I call my church a “keep”?
First, we have to look at what the word “keep” means (the noun, not the verb). One definition is “the innermost and strongest structure or central tower of a castle”. So a keep is strong, it is fortified, it is a place where the people can go and be safe. Wikipedia notes that, in medieval times, a keep was “often…the most defended area of a castle, and as such may form the main habitation area, or contain important stores such as the armory, food, and the main water well, which would ensure survival during a siege.”
The writers of the Psalms used a similar picture of a tower to describe God. “For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” (Psalm 61:3) “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” (Psalm 18: 10) Ultimately, God is the strong, fortified place we can run to, the only place we can go to “ensure survival during a siege.”
But, why use it in the name of a church? Simply because that is what we desire our church to be. A keep, a strong tower, a refuge from the onslaught and siege of the world around us. We want Isaac’s Keep to be a place where believers can and will come for relief, peace, encouragement, and rest. We want this body, this family of believers, to be a place of refuge, not another exhausting activity to add to your already enormous list of activities. We want this to be different.
It is our hope that the members of the body of IK are out facing the onslaught on a daily basis, living out the gospel in their community and world in a way that glorifies God. It is also our hope that IK is a place of refuge for them, it’s the Word of God in people that are a source of encouragement to them, and taking shelter within it’s walls, if even for a short time, refuels them and enables them to face the world once more. That is truly what IK is for me, and I am glad to call The Keep my home.
written by Paula Nix
18. May, 2009 
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What’s more important? Word or deed? How do we avoid the social gospel, which isn’t concerned with eternity, only the temporary context? View this 1st (out of 6) discussion between John Piper, D.A. Carson, and Tim Keller: 
