Report from CBF General Assembly

In June, I attended the annual gathering Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  It was held this year in Greensboro, NC. 

As is often the case, CBF’s gathering came the week after another Baptist entity held their annual gathering.  This other Baptist entity made headlines at their gathering with two very public votes.  With one vote they declared invitro fertilization (IVF) incompatible with Christianity- an effort to establish personhood at conception (NOT a biblically or historically Christian perspective). The other vote concerned changing their constitution to bar women from serving as pastors.  This second vote failed- but not because many present were in favor of women in ministry but because it would be unthinkable that any member congregation would allow women to pastor.  The vote failed because ‘women pastors’ was considered an oxymoron.

 The CBF gathering couldn’t be more different.  No votes were taken, no headlines were made- only the joy of fellowship and the spirit of welcoming.  Paul Baxley, the Executive Coordinator of CBF, shared that as life in America gets more and more polarized (politically, socially and religiously), CBF is actually growing more and more diverse.  The highlights of my time at CBF make this clear:

 I gathered with CBF’s Pan-African Koinonia for the presentation of the Emmanual McCall Racial Justice Trailblazers Award.  We celebrated creative churches who were making a difference in racial justice and reconciliation.  It was a beautiful celebration- with a sermon that brought us to our feet!

 I gathered with Baptist Women in Ministry as we celebrated the uncompromising stance of CBF to champion and support women called into ministry.  We recognized that even though many churches have committed to this as a faith position, the road of women in ministry is still fraught with unique challenges.  The effort to practice what we preach must go on.

I gathered with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB), Northside Drive’s newest ministry partner.  AWAB is newly associated with CBF, having had more of a presence among American Baptist Churches.  AWAB’s celebration was a wonderful time.  It was a packed room- full of progressive young church leaders (and a few of us old-timers).  It was truly the future of CBF and the future of the church. 

 I am so proud to be part of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  It is our church family- like-minded Baptists seeking to extend grace and love, not judgment and restriction, far and wide.  I look forward to many more ways that we as a church can invest and receive from our wider Baptist family.