Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, on Tuesday opted against changing a name that has proved problematic for some churches because of its connection to the South and slavery.
Approximately 80 members of the convention’s executive committee instead favored a task force’s recommendation to adopt the name “Great Commission Baptists” as an informal, alternative moniker that could be used by Southern Baptists who prefer something less region-specific.
The decision ended speculation about whether the 167-year-old organization with 45,000 affiliated churches would ditch its well-known name in light of declining membership.
In the past three years, membership has dropped by about 100,000 people to a total of 16.2 million current members, said Roger “Sing” Oldham, spokesman for the executive committee.
The proposal to give churches the option of calling themselves Great Commission Baptists will next be considered at the convention’s annual meeting in New Orleans in June.
Yeah…declining numbers because of the name. Yup. That's it.