Jack Graham, senior pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and current president of the Southern Baptist Convetion (SBC) has formed a committee to study (again) the possibility of a name change for the most well-known Protestant denomination around the world. Anyone who has run a business or worked in marketing must be thinking “this is crazy!”
Graham is suggesting that the name “Southern” is a drawback in our efforts to be a witness in other areas of the United States, as well as in other areas across the globe. Might I, a lowly minister who has decided not to play the political game so many others have committed their lives to, make an observation?
Southwest Airlines flies into Birmingham, Orlando, Philadelphia and California, and they are extremely profitable, even with a regional name. Northwest Airlines has been able to expand their routes worldwide. Other companies have been able to develop worldwide markets and large market shares with the name “American” attached to their “brand.” So why is it so all-fired important to change the name of the SBC?
Phillip Swindall
Southside, Ala.
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