The unofficial nickname of the SBC, “Great Commission Baptists,” was passed by the convention in annual session back in 2012 with a 53% vote. It has barely had a pulse for eight years.
Now, we have a small flurry of advocacy for the use of the name. Respected and astute Nathan A. Finn , professor at the SC Baptist state college, North Greenville University, offers a string of reasons why it’s time to embrace the nickname.
While state conventions should retain their regional names for contextual reasons, it is time for Southern Baptists to embrace a name that better reflects our actual identity.
Over the past eight years, I may have seen one or two actual SBC churches attempt to use the name. One might say that it’s acceptance by the SBC hinterlands and masses has been, well, subdued.
I can’t think of a reason why I would want to use it were I still an active pastor. I’ve heard of a few reasons not to put “SBC” forward in identifying one’s church. In such cases isn’t the usual solution to drop “SBC” or even “Baptist” from the church sign and/or name?
“Crossroads Baptist Church” becomes “Crossroads Church” or even “The Fabulous Crossroads” or some such.
While I’ve heard it proclaimed that we haven’t been exclusively southern for a couple of generations, we are heavily southern. Find a metric (giving, CP giving, membership, baptisms, etc.) where 14 southern states do not make up around 90 percent of totals.
My view has been slightly south of ambivalence towards “Great Commission Baptists” and that since we started discussing the thing years ago. It is a great insider phrase but not all that compelling otherwise. No objection from me, though, if churches want to use it.
We’ve got it all branded and logoed up:
But I figure if the SBC is serious about it, they would change all the legal names to it. Not much interest in that and a lot of expense.
