SpokaneFāVS
By Adelle M. Banks Religion News Service
As the Southern Baptist Convention recently weighed changing its name, denominational leaders were bombarded with suggestions. Hundreds of them. Most suggestions avoided the word “Southern” but one hinted at the denomination’s regional flavor: Baptist Ultimate Bible Believing Alliance, or BUBBA. In the end, leaders recommended the unofficial moniker “Great Commission Baptists.” Here’s a sampling of some of the more intriguing rejected names: — Association of Thriving Baptist Churches — Baptist Southern Convention — Christian Synergy Convention — Ends of the Earth Baptists — Eternal Baptist Convention — Friendly Family Church of America — Global Association of Immersing Christians — Global Association of Immersing Evangelicals — Jesus Christ is Lord Baptist Convention — League of Baptist Messengers
Tracy Simmons is an award-winning journalist specializing in religion reporting and digital entrepreneurship. In her approximate 20 years on the religion beat, Simmons has tucked a notepad in her pocket and found some of her favorite stories aboard cargo ships in New Jersey, on a police chase in Albuquerque, in dusty Texas church bell towers, on the streets of New York and in tent cities in Haiti. Simmons has worked as a multimedia journalist for newspapers across New Mexico, Texas, Connecticut and Washington. She is the executive director of SpokaneFāVS.com, a digital journalism start-up covering religion news and commentary in Spokane, Washington. She also writes for The Spokesman-Review and national publications. She is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Journalism at Washington State University.
I’m cringing.