NAMB Survey

I was interested in a recent survey conducted by the North American Mission Board through Zogby that shows that 57% of adults viewed Southern Baptists favorably. Only 17% viewed us unfavorably, but 24% said they were unfamiliar with us. Even in the Western and Eastern parts of the country, half of the respondants viewed the SBC favorably. I think this is good news and shows that many churches are doing good things in their communities. Because nearly 1/4 of those who responded are unfamiliar with us, there is still much work to do to get our good news out.

I found something else interesting in this survey. Because the word "Baptist" may not always appear in a church's name, the research also looked at what the significance of knowing that a particular church is indeed Southern Baptist would have on someone's decision to visit or join that church. The survey found that 31% of respondants said this would positively affect their decision, 25% said it would have a negative impact, but 36% said it would have no effect at all.

We've been told for years by some that the name "Baptist" would have negative impact and should not be in the name of the church. This survey shows that is not necessarily true. I have always believed that church's should be as up-front as possible on what it believes. That starts with the name.