Canadian Baptists give convention new name

CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island — Messengers to the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists (CCSB) annual convention overwhelmingly voted to change the convention’s name to the Canadian National Baptist Convention (CNBC), culminating a process that began four years ago.

Messengers also approved a church-to-church covenant, which Convention President Jeff Christopherson said defines the “substance” of where Canadian Southern Baptists are heading.

A total of 136 messengers, along with 148 guests, registered for the June 30–July 2 convention at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. In balloting on the new name, 86 percent voted in favor of the change; 14 percent against.

The vote was the second and final vote on the convention’s new name. The Canadian convention’s constitution requires two votes for changes to the document. The convention’s new name in French — Canada’s official languages are English and French — will have the same CNBC acronym: Convention Nationale Baptiste Canadienne.

Gerry Taillon, CNBC national ministry leader, said implementation of the new name would be gradual. As a cost-saving effort, he said the convention will use CCSB letterhead, stationery and other materials as long as they last. However, one can already access the convention’s Web site at the new address, www.cnbc.ca, while staff e-mail addresses also will be changed. Also, some paperwork is yet to be filed for the name change to go into full effect, Taillon said.

Taillon also emphasized there would be no change to the convention’s commitment to Southern Baptist ministries. The Canadian convention, he said, has six partnerships with state conventions, while there are thousands of U.S. churches partnering with individual Canadian Southern Baptist churches.