The Steam Tunnel Pilot

In our inaugural SideBar feature, ST looks at the Southern Baptist Convention’s recent nominal angst.   

A blue ribbon  panel for the denomination finally made its recommendation Monday.  And after all that hand-wringing, “Great Commission Baptists” is what we get.  And it’s not even a legal name change.   It’s an “add-on.” Perhaps next time we’ll get a plug-in. 

Monday’s tepid recommendation ends months of speculation that America’s largest single protestant denomination would at long last jettison “southern” from its handle and come up with something cool.

According to an AP report, the panel “rejected a complete name change, citing the legal costs and difficulties like the thousands of will and trusts naming the SBC.”

Apparently, though, it wasn’t from lack of trying. “Convention President Bryant Wright and other church leaders are concerned that the Southern Baptist name is too regional and impedes the evangelistic faith’s efforts to spread the Gospel worldwide.”

Sources close to SBC insiders tell ST that a handful of other “ad-ons” narrowly missed the cut, mainly because they were too long and unwieldy.    But does a denominational moniker really need to be wieldy? 

Probably an argument for future denominational name-changers to sort out.  However, we thought the runners-up were at the very least compelling, and a few, with some tweaking, may have better hit the spot.   Here are six we thought worthy.  Have a look below.

 Today's SBC:

This is not your great-great-great-great grandfather's convention. 

Whether you’re Calvinist or Arminian, we’ve got an app for that.

The Southern Baptist Convention:

We are no longer responsible for Rick Warren

We’re not particular.

The Southern Baptist Convention.


You know we're missional now, right?

We’re really not that Southern (come to think of it, we’re really not all that Baptist, either).