Leaving Baptist in Your Church Name Won't Scare People Away

[Revmitchell]

Yes, maybe even more relevant. But this may depend on where you live. In my area the churches that do not list their denominational affiliation are Baptist churches. I can think of no exception to this. But exactly what kind of Baptist is the mystery.

Is it different in your area?

It is not relevant. People who do not see on the sign that it is a denominational church will assume it is a non denom church. If we are concerned that people will not stop and visit because Baptist is in the name so we intentionally leave that out because of that reason we are working to fool those people into coming in and visiting. It is dishonest and a poor testimony.

If we have the perception that the name Baptist is perceived negatively then we need to be out in the community working to change that perception honestly rather than deceptively hiding who we are.

 

[JonC]

It is not relevant. People who do not see on the sign that it is a denominational church will assume it is a non denom church. If we are concerned that people will not stop and visit because Baptist is in the name so we intentionally leave that out because of that reason we are working to fool those people into coming in and visiting. It is dishonest and a poor testimony.

That's why I suggest that we tell people that we are Southern Baptists.

All of our nondenominational churches (in my area) hold to a baptist distinctiveness (they are Baptist). If this makes them denominational, then I am really not certain that there is such a thing as a truly nondenominational church. What separates First Baptist Church from Central Christian Church is that we are Southern Baptist...not that we are Baptist.

I guess what I am asking you is if by denomination you mean an affiliation to a specific association or convention, or do you mean holding Baptist beliefs? If the former, then shouldn't we let people know our denomination? If the latter, then wouldn't a true nondenominational church be extremely rare? And if the latter, then why would not advertising "baptist" be deceitful when it is inherent by default?

I could understand this argument if it were a century ago. Now I am not so sure.

 

[Revmitchell]

What separates those two is that when someone drives by and sees the sign they know one is baptist they do not know the other is.

 

[go2church]

The point is that being baptist but intentionally obscure the fact, that is a deceptive practice. If a church wanted to go an extra step and specifically say what type of baptist church they are, that is fine, but not necessary to avoid a deceptive practice.

Additionally, it would in many cases not be practical as many baptist churches have more than one affiliation either at the local, state or international level.

Add to this that affiliation with a particular baptist group doesn't mean full acceptance of everything that particular baptist group does and you could end up creating confusion in an attempt at clarity.

 

[SolaSaint]

There are heaven knows how many denominations with the word Baptist in the title. It almost makes the word meaningless. But because of some who call themselves Baptist, like the Westboro Baptist Church and some denominations I'll not mention the world has become for many in my area synonymous with:

1. Bigoted
2. Hate filled
3. Narrow minded
4. Ignorant

It is an unfair and erroneous view as it is not true of a large majority of Baptist churches. But the public paints with a wide brush in areas such as this and this is simply a fact where I live that we have to live with and live in such a way that people will see this view is not correct.

I agree Crabby, but I think the issue is much larger than you mentioned. I think Westboro has given not only Baptists a bad name but Christianity all together.

 

[annsni]

On vacation one year, there happened to be a Baptist church within a long walking distance from where we were staying and we decided to try it out. Harbor Baptist Church on Block Island was the church. We walked in to a couple of women greeters which was fine but then when the service started, we were introduced to the woman pastor by the woman deacon. There was literally not one man from the church leadership. We didn't realize that it was an ABC. I'm not sure if the church has a website now but it didn't back then so we just figured a Baptist church would be good. Now we don't even bother to try to go to church on vacation. Being on a boat makes it really difficult to get to church unless it's within walking distance and usually any church near the harbor isn't good. So since we have our own pastor, we do church by ourselves. Oftentimes it's while we are traveling (sailing or motoring, depending on the weather). This year we will be in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard for at least one Sunday.

 

[righteousdude2]

Last year, the National Association of Evangelicals asked its members if they included denominational affiliation in the name of their church. Well over half—63 percent—said they did not.
It’s a tricky line to walk. Naming your denomination may come across as more “rigid” or “old-fashioned,” but leaving the name out can appear sneaky or unstable, according to a 2013 Grey Matter Research study.
Either way, a church’s name isn’t going to drastically change the way the public perceives it, according to a new study from the Nashville-based LifeWay Research.
Among LifeWay's findings: About half of Americans view denominational names favorably, while the other half feel either negatively or indifferently.
“It would depend on who you’re trying to reach,” said Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research. “But some denominational groups have as much ‘brand equity’ as nondenominational churches, which have been growing the fastest.”
Churches began dropping denominations from their names in the 1980s, says Ed Stetzer, the executive director of LifeWay Research.
“I’ve started multiple churches, none of which had a denomination in the name,” he said. “It wasn’t even a conversation. It was just an assumption that we’re trying to reach unchurched people so we don’t want to have additional barriers.”

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gl...-your-church-name-wont-scare-people-away.html

It is my thought that many good Baptist churches, with darn good preachers have dropped the name Baptist, and still preach a mean, convicting Gospel! I see no problem in it, as long as the people attending know it is a Baptist church they have joined! :smilewinkgrin:

 

[righteousdude2]

I agree Crabby, but I think the issue is much larger than you mentioned. I think Westboro has given not only Baptists a bad name but Christianity all together.

Agreed. They are a bad seed for the name Baptist!