-
Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Southern Baptists Propose Changing Name...
- Thread starter preachinjesus
- Start date
How about the largest baptist Convention, formally known as the First Church of jerusalem?
Well, at least they have not 'lib out", and gone way of waqtering down Gospel to being a social agenda, NOT a saving one!
I think it would because change tends to give the opinionated a reason to voice their opinion.
Why not change their name and the location of the headquarters to an area of America where there are many fewer Christians? They need to take a serious look at what is going on among them in the Pacific NW among the church planters there. That is much more like typical America.
Michael Wrenn
New Member
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Michael Wrenn
New Member
What I was told when I was in seminary is that they have reached beyond the south in their ministry and so southern does not apply any more.
glfredrick
New Member
As a Southern Baptist, who just happens to minister primarily in the north, I am actually pleased that they are considering a change in name.
I've read all the posts in this thread and so far no one has really suggested the real reason(s) for the name change nor the process that is going on behind the scenes.
1. The first attempt to change the name of the SBC happened in 1903. It has been brought before the Convention multiple times since then.
2. The part that doesn't really work is "Southern" especially now that the Convention is no longer "regional" in nature, but rather worldwide.
3. There was a "Northern Baptist Convention" directly after the split in 1845. The formerly "Northern Baptist" is now "American Baptist Churches USA" and they have unfortunately drifted leftward along with some other mainline American denominations such as the United Methodists, Presbyterian (USA), and others. They have also declined to the point of becoming somewhat inconsequential (5659 congregations in 2006) compared to the SBC (44,000 congregations).
4. The word "Southern" no longer is an apt descriptor for the Convention and it does not play out well at all in the northern tier of states, nor internationally where "Southern" may or may not be a draw or an advantage. In the words of Patterson (from a press release of his address to the committee just this week):
5. The "Great Commission" is in fact biblical and stems from the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
I want -- no, I PRAY -- that the SBC might in fact be a GREAT COMMISSION CONVENTION! Doesn't everyone wish the same? Or would you have the single LARGEST gathering of congregations on American soil stand for something else? Some of those posting in this thread must obviously think so. What other would you have them be (except gone... that is obviously not going to happen and all the blustering in the world will not make it so!)?
Back to my first issue, ministry in the north. When I tell people I am a SOUTHERN Baptist, they start to figure that I'm all weird and stuff -- just like some ignorant ones on this board do. They envision slicked-back hair with lots of possum oil, hell-fire and damnation sermons with "blackies," eyes wide-open in fright standing and screaming about the message. They get that idea -- the same as many here on the board -- from an ignorance of true SBC work that is happening virtually everywhere, and at double the rate of its next closest sister sect, denomination, gathering, non-denomination, etc. As goes the SBC, so goes much of the Baptist world in America, for in large part, the SBC is providing the scholarship, the schools and colleges, and the resources to fund much of evangelical work in America and around the world today. That is not to fail to account for the work that other Baptist groups do -- that is considerable and vital -- but none other has the structure and capability to stand for the Bible in such a large scale. That is precisely why I remain a Southern Baptist instead of jumping ship to some other group.
Here is a chart (dated about 2004) of membership from adherents.com (not the most accurate, but close for this use):
I've read all the posts in this thread and so far no one has really suggested the real reason(s) for the name change nor the process that is going on behind the scenes.
1. The first attempt to change the name of the SBC happened in 1903. It has been brought before the Convention multiple times since then.
2. The part that doesn't really work is "Southern" especially now that the Convention is no longer "regional" in nature, but rather worldwide.
3. There was a "Northern Baptist Convention" directly after the split in 1845. The formerly "Northern Baptist" is now "American Baptist Churches USA" and they have unfortunately drifted leftward along with some other mainline American denominations such as the United Methodists, Presbyterian (USA), and others. They have also declined to the point of becoming somewhat inconsequential (5659 congregations in 2006) compared to the SBC (44,000 congregations).
4. The word "Southern" no longer is an apt descriptor for the Convention and it does not play out well at all in the northern tier of states, nor internationally where "Southern" may or may not be a draw or an advantage. In the words of Patterson (from a press release of his address to the committee just this week):
5. The "Great Commission" is in fact biblical and stems from the words of Jesus in Matthew 28:
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)
I want -- no, I PRAY -- that the SBC might in fact be a GREAT COMMISSION CONVENTION! Doesn't everyone wish the same? Or would you have the single LARGEST gathering of congregations on American soil stand for something else? Some of those posting in this thread must obviously think so. What other would you have them be (except gone... that is obviously not going to happen and all the blustering in the world will not make it so!)?
Back to my first issue, ministry in the north. When I tell people I am a SOUTHERN Baptist, they start to figure that I'm all weird and stuff -- just like some ignorant ones on this board do. They envision slicked-back hair with lots of possum oil, hell-fire and damnation sermons with "blackies," eyes wide-open in fright standing and screaming about the message. They get that idea -- the same as many here on the board -- from an ignorance of true SBC work that is happening virtually everywhere, and at double the rate of its next closest sister sect, denomination, gathering, non-denomination, etc. As goes the SBC, so goes much of the Baptist world in America, for in large part, the SBC is providing the scholarship, the schools and colleges, and the resources to fund much of evangelical work in America and around the world today. That is not to fail to account for the work that other Baptist groups do -- that is considerable and vital -- but none other has the structure and capability to stand for the Bible in such a large scale. That is precisely why I remain a Southern Baptist instead of jumping ship to some other group.
Here is a chart (dated about 2004) of membership from adherents.com (not the most accurate, but close for this use):
Last edited by a moderator:
govteach51
New Member
Sorry, the new name makes it sound like we have a the monopoly on preaching the gospel. We Southern Baptists don't....
glfredrick
New Member
Over 500 potential (good) names and 300+ (bad) names were submitted to the committee for consideration.
The decision was made to not change the name, but to let people also or either use the tag line "Great Commission Baptists."
If one does not understand the words "Great Commission" then I can understand the reason for being upset. Otherwise, like I asked above, WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE THE LARGEST BAPTIST CONVENTION IN AMERICA BE ABOUT?
govteach51
New Member
You don't understand my point, after being in another Baptist denomination and Cumberland Presbyterian for a while, they too believed in the "Great Commission."
I don't think we are the only Baptists who spread the word. ( I know we are not.) The term invokes others are not preaching the word.
I think we need to remember that here are some excellent American Baptist Churches on the west coast that are pastored by some very good conservative pastors. A number of them graduated from DTS. I have been a member of some and found them to be right on target. While the denomination may have declined or moved there is the battle among the conservative and liberal pastors that exists.
In the city where I live now is an 81 year old Presbyterian pastor along with others I have met elsewhere who have gone to seminaries such as Gordon-Conwell who evangelize and are very conservative. Another Presbyterian pastor leads the way in reaching the city in a united effort among churches. He told a group of us that when he came his denomination felt that if there was a not a church in a city of their denomination then they needed to plant one and the people that are there just do not have it together. He found out quite different and that he was in along chain of pastors reaching the city. So now he seeks to works with other churches. It is uniting churches and efforts to reach the city. Some have chosen not to participate. I saw that in another city and those who chose not to participatre then are almost extinct today. All of them are a part of typically conservative denominations. They were once 150-300 and are now about 25.
So I do not think we are going to see completely conservative denominations any more. I do not think any can be excluded unless they are very small.
When I look at the politics among some leaders in some denominations I have to question if they believe God or if they trust in their own ways more. If one is not a doer of the word where does that leave him? James says, "deluded."
So I think we need to be careful about how we speak about various denominations.
Last edited by a moderator:
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
Of course, the point is that if you oppose the name change, you must also oppose the great commission.
Just a question that occurred to me: If God effectually calls people because of His sovereign choice, what does it matter what the name is?
Just a question that occurred to me: If God effectually calls people because of His sovereign choice, what does it matter what the name is?
Last edited by a moderator:
Michael Wrenn
New Member
They should change it to: "The Baptist Convention of the Americas"
That would take care of two continents. Now someone tell them I said this.
That would take care of two continents. Now someone tell them I said this.