Southern Baptist Panel Recommends Add-on To Name

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — A panel for the Southern Baptist Convention has recommended that its leadership approve a new, add-on description for the denomination, though it wouldn’t be a legal name change.

It would be “Great Commission Baptists.”

Officials described it as a way to give an official, sanctioned identity to affiliated churches and believers who don’t want to use the term “Southern.”

SBC President Bryant Wright, has said he is concerned that the “Southern” name is too regional and hinders the faith’s effort to expand.

The panel rejected a complete name change, citing the legal costs and difficulties. They also noted the positive associations many hold with the Southern Baptist name, such as its disaster relief organization.