Southern Baptists considering name change after poll finds lack of support

The Southern Baptist Convention may be closer to a name change after an online poll indicated that 44 percent of respondents had an unfavorable view of the nation's largest Protestant denomination.

Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright said a change would help the denomination of about 16 million plant new churches at a time of declining membership, according to The Republic.

Southern Baptist figures have indicated that baptisms are down almost 5 percent in 2010 over 2009, while membership have declined for the fourth-straight year, the paper reported.

"The big question for us is 'Would [a name change] enhance our mission of starting churches across North America?'" Wright reportedly said.

Wright, the senior pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Ga., said in September that the church's name might be too "regional," NBC News reported.

But he also said that "the name might be limiting the church's ability to 'maximize our effectiveness in reaching North America for Jesus Christ in the 21st century.'"

Wright had formed a task force, which in turn commissioned the denomination's LifeWay Research to seek public opinion about the name.

Forty-four percent of respondents to the online poll of 2,000 Americans said that knowing a church was Southern Baptist would negatively impact their decision to visit or join the church, while only 10 percent of those polled said it would positively impact their decision.

The survey found, meantime, that 62 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Methodists compared to 59 percent for Catholics, 53 percent for Southern Baptists, 37 percent for Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), and 28 percent for Muslims.

Worryingly for Southern Baptists, 35 percent "strongly assume" the church isn't for them.

And, NBC reported:

Negativity ratings were highest among the so-called unchurched — a serious problem for a denomination that places a premium on renewing its membership through proselytization (that is, recruiting new members) and missionary work.

However, LifeWay President Ed Stetzer reportedly said Wednesday that a majority of Americans (53 percent) still viewed the Southern Baptists favorably.