This historic Myers Park church says ‘Baptist’ was a ‘barrier’ for its congregation
Myers Park Baptist Church last week announced it adopted a new name and further shed its ties with the Baptist denomination.
The change better reflects the church’s broader mission of being “open to all, closed to none” for those seeking a spiritual community, said Nancy Hudson, chair of the board of deacons. It comes nearly two decades after being expelled from the state Baptist congregation. The church said in announcing its new name that the Baptist affiliation became a “barrier.”
“Our church has always held true with being a community of faith and being a community of faith on a journey, and being open to all and closed to none,” Hudson told The Charlotte Observer. “This does not change.”
The Myers Park church, which has more than 800 members, was founded in 1943 in Charlotte and has historically embraced a progressive view of Christianity — supporting desegregation, anti-war stances and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
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It was expelled from the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in 2007 after affirming LGBTQ+ members and allowing them to serve in church leadership positions. That never stopped the congregation from holding onto its belief in an open door to all.
“Jesus was not a respecter of persons. He loved a person regardless, whether they were LGBTQ, whether they were trans, whether they were black or white or brown ... We’re all God’s children,” Hudson said.
The church has also supported providing an inclusive space for people of different faiths and traditions, positioning itself as a community for anyone in Charlotte, regardless of race, gender or religious background.
The congregation hopes the new name will remove barriers and any negative connotations with the word “Baptist” for those seeking a spiritual home.
“We felt like the word Baptist probably was, in a way, hijacked by Southern Baptist, with some of the things that they were doing, and many people wouldn’t look at us because of that,” Hudson said. “That was not the only reason. We felt like we had grown, and we needed to be more open, even with our name, and that’s the reason we voted to change it.”
The name change won’t affect how it conducts its services, Hudson said. The church plans to continue upholding core Baptist principles, including congregational autonomy free from a hierarchy, a free pulpit and religious freedom, Hudson said.
“I hope our vision of being open to all and closed to none will help bring more peace into our community,” Hudson said. “We’re not divided by our denominations or our history or our color or our sexuality. We’re all children of God.”
