Southern Baptists Decide Against Name Change, Make 'Great Commission Baptists' Optional

By Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service

(RNS) A task force is recommending that the Southern Baptist Convention maintain its official name but give members of the nation's largest Protestant denomination the option of calling themselves "Great Commission Baptists."

The recommendation on Monday (Feb. 20) determined that changing the Southern Baptist Convention name was fraught with legal and logistical problems.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President Paige Patterson, a traditionalist and a member of the task force, had long favored a name change but said it is likely too difficult to pull off.

Patterson, a former SBC president, cited the "enormous legal fees" involved in changing congregational and state convention names as well as trusts and other documents. He hopes the compromise will satisfy those who wanted a name change.

"I think that, if anything, it's a case of our having our cake and getting to eat it, too," he said.

Pastor Micah Fries of St. Joseph, Mo., another member of the task force, agreed that the unanimous recommendation was the best option, despite a desire by many to move away from a name that has its origins in a Civil War-era defense of slavery.

"From a legal perspective, an actual name change was probably an impossibility," Fries said. "This is probably the best-case scenario."

The term "Great Commission" comes from Jesus' call for his followers to spread his message worldwide, a hallmark of Southern Baptist identity.

If the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee accepts the recommendation, the proposal could come to a vote at the SBC's annual meeting in June in New Orleans.

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Comments

[jeyges]

08:07 AM on 02/27/2012

"A task force is recommending that the Southern Baptist Convention maintain its official name but give members of the nation's largest Protestant denomination the option of calling themselves 'Great Commission Baptists.' "

Better idea - let them keep the name, and let's just get rid of the South.

[mssoonermagic]

10:10 PM on 02/23/2012

The bigots are the one's on this blog posting, not the Southern Baptist.

[Grada3784]

03:47 AM on 02/22/2012

Without the Great Commandments, the Great Commission is a joke. You can't give away what you don't have.

[Air Vice Marshal Park]

01:16 AM on 02/22/2012

Why change the name? They still support the Confederacy.

[verylargehat]

01:01 AM on 02/22/2012

Gag me.

[geezernerd]

12:11 AM on 02/22/2012

In my Southern Baptist upbringing, I was taught most fervently that the Baptists are NOT PROTESTANT! To call them such must be bringing their wrath down on the heads of the blogger.

The Baptists claim to have always existed as a Christian church, and they never "protested" to break away from any other. Protestant properly refers to those who "protested" and separated from the Roman Catholic Church.

And no, I do not claim any affiliation with the Baptist Church today, thank goodness!

[CMR64]

10:56 PM on 02/21/2012

SBC is the most hateful bigoted organization clothed in "love" ...

[xUSAT]

10:40 PM on 02/21/2012

Patterson is worried about the "enormous legal fees" involved. I guess that would cut into the atrocious amounts being spent on "Super Pacs".

[AbrahamMcLemore]

11:17 AM on 02/22/2012

How much have they spent on "Super Pacs"?

[xUSAT]

12:13 AM on 02/23/2012

1¢ is too much.

[JDH1950]

09:55 PM on 02/21/2012

"The Great Commission Church"? More accurate would be the "No Wimmun or Gays Allowed Church." Part of Jesus' "great commandment" included that pesky bit about treating all equally and loving all humanity. Those are two things sadly lacking in the SBC.