Huntsville, AL -- What's in a name? For Southern Baptists, it's more than 165 years of tradition. The Southern Baptist Convention formed in 1845, after splitting with Northern Baptists. However, with around 45,000 churches and 16 million members now spread all over the U.S., it's obvious the SBC has grown far beyond the Mason-Dixon line. Now, some say the regional name is a barrier to further growth. Dr. Ron Madison is pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Madison and a member of the SBC Executive Committee. He says, "I personally have served as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mississippi and Alabama. So, clearly we have transcended a geographical location. Some think that that geographical identity is limiting."
That belief is the motivation behind SBC President Bryant Wright's creation of a presidential task force to investigate a possible name change for Southern Baptists. Wright appointed the task force in September, asking the group to consider four questions: Is a name change a good idea? If so, what would be a good name? What would be the potential legal consequences of a name change? And, what would be the possible financial implications? The answer to the first question is a matter of debate. There are those members of the SBC who believe a new name would make the denomination more attractive to outsiders, and there is some research to back that up. A 2011 poll of around 2,000 respondents by LifeWay Research found 40% have an unfavorable view of Southern Baptists, while 44% said knowing a church was Southern Baptist would keep them from visiting. To read more, click here.
However, supporters of the Southern Baptist name say changing it would accomplish little, if anything. Both Dr. Madison and Dr. Jimmy Jackson, senior pastor at Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, point out there is no requirement for Southern Baptist churches to advertise their affiliation. In fact, many choose not to. Dr. Jackson, who has held numerous leadership positions with the SBC, says, "they're going out and establishing churches, but they're not putting the name Southern Baptist on them. They'll call it Community Church... or let's say, the community is Walnut Grove, they'll call it Walnut Grove Community Church." He adds, "many of those people are the ones who are pushing for a name change because they feel like they could be more accepted, or accepted in a better way in that community, but the truth is they've already solved the problem by taking the name off the church."
As to the question of what the name might be changed to, there, too, Dr. Madison sees potential problems. "If we're going to change our name, does that mean we not only get rid of the geography, but we also get rid of the name Baptist? It's highly unlikely that the majority of messengers at any national convention would consider that a good idea," he says.
While no one has been able to say how much a name change might cost, there would undoubtedly be financial, as well as legal, ramifications. Dr. Madison explains, "if there were to be a change to take place and in essence, the Southern Baptist Convention no longer existed, then we would have to change our guiding documents, which does cost money."
The presidential task force will report its findings to President Bryant Wright at the February 20-21 Executive Committee meeting in Nashville. The results are expected to be made public at that time. Wright has said he hopes a final report will be ready for the SBC's annual meeting in June in New Orleans. If a name change is recommended, it would require a majority vote at two annual meetings for it to take effect.
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