What does "open" mean?

In another blog, I've been writing about my proposed Open English Translation of the Bible (OET). And then I've been thinking a lot recently about the possibility of using the word open in the context of the name of a church. But open can mean many things...

My first association with open, and it's a very favourable association for me, is open source software. I admire the people movement which has given high-quality but totally free computer software to the world. But the name here is not just open, it's open source, which means that it's possible for anyone with the skills to modify or adapt the source code of the software to meet their own needs. In other words, people can build on it and use it in ways that the original author(s) didn't even envisage. In a church context, I'm thinking of a church that has a focus on giving free resources to the wider community that can be changed and used, even improved by others (as distinct from copyrighting and selling Christian materials). But it seems that giving might be a better word than open for that.

My grandfather pastored a church a few decades ago called The Open Door Mission. I like the idea of a church where the doors are physically open (in the warmer weather at least). There's so many people in the community that find a mental or emotional barrier to stepping into a church building, so I keep thinking of how to lower or break that barrier. But maybe welcoming is a better description than open.

But another important aspect of open in a church context I think concerns both leadership and finances. I would love to see a church which doesn't make decisions behind closed doors and then announce them to the congregation but really encourages the congregation to become fully involved in the activities and direction of the fellowship. And then to have the finances of the group as open as legally possible, even to the extent of having them posted on the Internet. But I do wonder if transparent is a better word here rather than open.

And one thing I would not want a church open to, would be doctrines that come and go with the wind. Sadly, it seems some Christian denominations are so open to the pressures of society that they seem to have lost the true Christian message. So I'd steer away from open for doctrine.

Wow, this is a really rambling blog, but I guess I'm just telling myself that putting open in a church name has some disadvantages which might offset any benefits.