New England Baptists drop 'Southern,' keep the faith - The Boston Globe

New England Baptists drop 'Southern,' keep the faith - The Boston Globe

A snarky take on Southern Baptist rebranding in the North, from 2014:

"Two years ago, messengers (that's Baptist-speak for delegates) voted to allow churches to call themselves Great Commission Baptists instead of Southern Baptists, to help counter any negativity born of regional prejudice....

"New England Baptists have long been prescient trend-setters perched on the bleeding edge. While baptisms decline precipitously in the South, Southern Baptists have been quietly planting churches in the heart of Yankee land. There are now 148 new Southern Baptist-affiliated churches that weren't here in 2002. Some are not only stealth Southern Baptists, but even dropping that hoary "church" thing.

"'We have a church in Putnam, Conn., that's called Green Valley Crossing, and a church in Amherst called Mercy House,' the Rev. Jim Wideman, director of the Baptist Convention of New England, told me. It's kind of like Kentucky Fried Chicken, he said. Everyone knows the chicken there is fried, but because 'fried' has become a bad word in our health-conscious society, the company changed its name to KFC. (A smart move that also lost the equally dubious 'Kentucky.')

'No one is ashamed that we are Southern Baptists,' Wideman told me, 'but there are a few people who would say, "Oh, it must be for people who are here from the South," and we want to remove any barriers to the opportunity to share the Gospel.'...

"[The Southern Baptist Convention] can learn a lesson from New England Southern Baptists -- who expect to add another 35 churches by the end of the year -- and the genius that is KFC: There is no marketing challenge that can't be overcome by a little obfuscation. Fried chicken is optional, but it helps."