Some Southern Baptists don’t like their name

Some Southern Baptist pastors aren’t thrilled with the regional description in their denomination’s name. A new LifeWay Research poll shows that 27 percent of Southern Baptist senior pastors strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, “Having the name ‘Southern’ in the ‘Southern Baptist Convention’ is a hindrance to the work of SBC churches.” Not everyone […]

Some Southern Baptist pastors aren’t thrilled with the regional description in their denomination’s name.

A new LifeWay Research poll shows that 27 percent of Southern Baptist senior pastors strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement, “Having the name ‘Southern’ in the ‘Southern Baptist Convention’ is a hindrance to the work of SBC churches.”

Not everyone felt that way: 41 percent strongly disagreed with the statement; 27 percent somewhat disagreed and 5 percent said they didn’t know.


The findings reflect some sentiments that flared in a debate at the denomination’s annual meeting in Indianapolis in 2004. At that time, Baptists rejected by a ballot vote – 55.4 percent to 44.6 percent – a proposal to create a study committee on a possible name change.

LifeWay Research is a division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.

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