General Assembly 2005 fellowship!

Fellowship challenged, encouraged during 15th Annual General AssemblyMore than 3,200 attendees raise $45,000 for Carter Off ering

Th e Assembly was highlighted by thoughtful theme interpretations by Carolyn Yeldell Staley and stirring messages from Albert Reyes, Bob Setzer Jr. and Daniel Vestal. Th e Fellowship commissioned 19 new CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel and collected $45,000 for the fi rst-ever Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Off ering for Religious Liberty and Human Rights, to be shared by the Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance.

“Our General Assembly was an extravaganza of God’s grace as we worshiped, fellowshipped and learned together,” said CBF Moderator Bob Setzer Jr. “We left with our spirits renewed and our resolve deepened to ‘be the presence of Christ in all the world.’

Th e Assembly affi rmed the Coordinating Council’s adoption of the Partnership Study Committee report and approved a $16.47 million operating budget.

In more than 80 work-shops, attendees learned ways to move their churches toward a more missional approach to ministering in the com-munity, experienced a variety of worship styles and received reports on the tsunami relief eff orts and other ministries of CBF Global Missions.

Th e Assembly featured a track of workshops and auxiliary events for Hispanic church leaders.

Th ursday’s keynote speaker, Albert Reyes, president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Baptist Univer-sity of the Américas, preached

on the topic of “Loving the world next door.”

In Friday night’s service, CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal delivered an impassioned message on the scriptural mandate for addressing poverty.

Th e 2006 General As-sembly has been scheduled for June 22-23 at the Geor-gia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

“Participants left with fuller hearts and encouraged spirits,” said Bo Prosser, CBF coordinator for Congrega-tional Life and coordinator of

the General Assembly. “I think people are more equipped than ever to go out and be the presence of Christ.” f!

LEARN – Use the order form on p. 11 to purchase a video for $19.95, a $10 CD or $12 tape of the Thursday or Friday

evening general sessions.

By Lance Wallace, CBF Communications

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s

15th Annual General Assembly

drew more than 3,200 in a new,

two-day format under one roof at the Gaylord

Texan Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas.

CBFfellowship! COOPERATIVE BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP | WWW.THEFELLOWSHIP.INFO

NINETEEN NEW Global Missions fi eld personnel were commissioned at the closing session of the Gen-eral Assembly on Friday night, July 1.

Jack Snell, inter-im CBF Global Mis-sions coordinator, charged each of the new fi eld personnel and the 2,800 par-ticipants present.

“We must die to our comfortable life-styles. We must die to our selfi sh ambi-tions,” Snell said. “We must be willing to take the gospel to those who have never heard no matter where it may lead or how high the cost.”

Career personnel who were commissioned include Aaron and Stephanie Glenn, who will work with internationals in the Los Angeles area; *Diann and Philip, who will serve as English education coordinators in Asia; and one other who cannot be identifi ed

due to security reasons.Commissioned to Global

Service Corps assignments

were Christy and Jason Ed-wards who will work with in-ternationals in Bussy, France; Caroline and Joshua Smith, who will serve in partner-ship development in South Africa; *Jason, who will serve in Southeast Asia helping educate the children of fi eld personnel and one other who cannot be identifi ed due to security reasons.

Th ose commissioned as af-fi liates through AsYouGo were

Larry and Sarah Ballew, who will work as partnership advo-cates with Cantonese-speak-

ing people in Macau, China; Fran and Mike Graham, who will coordi-nate the work for Slavic ministries in Asheville, N.C.; Nancy and Steve James, who will serve

in Haiti working in holistic health ministry; and Ann and Nick Skipper, who will serve in Texas assisting the work of Partners in Hope, the Fellowship’s rural poverty initiative.

AsYouGo allows individu-als being sent to do missions work to affi liate with CBF Global Missions even if they are funded by churches, have full-time employment that takes them abroad or some

combination of both.Th ese 19 new fi eld person-

nel bring the total of CBF Global Missions fi eld person-nel to 162.

Following the commis-sioning service, Fellowship Coordinator Daniel Vestal preached on the topic of “Be-ing the presence of Christ in all the world.” (See p. 3 for excerpts from his message, or view a complete transcript at www.thefellowship.info.)

* Note: Due to global securi-ty concerns, names and specifi c locations of some of CBF’s fi eld personnel will not be publi-cized. f!

LEARN – CBF’s August missions education curriculum focuses on following a missions call. (Annual subscriptions: adult and youth: $20; children and preschool: $80. Shipping will be charged.) Order from The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223 or www.thefellowship.info.

By contributing writer Sue H. Poss, Greenville, S.C.

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New fi eld personnel commissioned in closing service

Julie Whidden of Macon, Ga., receives communion during the Friday morning session.

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Jack Snell, left, charges Larry and Sarah Ballew as they are commis-sioned to serve in Macau, China, as Anita Snell looks on.

Special General Assembly IssueAugust 2005

2 0 0 5 G E N E R A L A S S E M B L Y

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Th e annual off ering will be used for religious liberty and human rights min-istries of the Cooperative Baptist Fellow-ship and Baptist World Alliance.

“We are pleased to lend our names to this off ering which has the po-tential of aff ecting lives as together we advocate, educate and build friend-ships around the world,” Carter said in a video presenta-tion to a crowd of 3,200. “Rosalynn and I extend to you our deepest appre-ciation for the man-ner in which you continue to follow Christ’s example of walking alongside the oppressed and hurting.”

“As you know, religious liberty and hu-man rights issues are at the center of our hearts and work,” said Rosalynn Carter. “We continue to advocate for those who

do not have the right to vote, who cannot worship as they please or who dare not act as their conscience leads.”

Th e off ering will be called the “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Off ering for Reli-gious Liberty and Human Rights.” Two-thirds of the off ering will be designated for the Fellowship’s religious liberty and human rights ministries and one-third will go to the Baptist World Alli-ance for similar work. Naming the off ering in honor of the Cart-ers was approved by

the Coordinating Council in February.Th e sermon on Th ursday night focused

on the theme of neighbors. It was brought by Albert Reyes, the fi rst non-Anglo president of the Baptist General Conven-tion of Texas who is also president of

Baptist University of the Américas in San Antonio.

Speaking on the subject of “Loving

the world next door,” Reyes said that in a changing world, some of us “are frozen and don’t know what to do.”

“We haven’t changed neighborhoods but the neighborhood around us has changed,” he said. “How do we be the presence of Christ in the world that has come next door?”

Th e answer, he said, “is no more com-plex than the teaching of Jesus who told us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

“Whoever you encounter is your neighbor — the hopeless, the helpless, the one who doesn’t have anything to eat in the favelas of Brazil or the one dying of AIDS in Africa,” Reyes said.

Carolyn Yeldell Staley, minister of edu-cation/Christian development at Pulaski Heights Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., provided the theme interpretation. Th e Th ursday night focus was on the

United States, and she encour-aged participants to fi nd a way to be the presence of Christ through participation in Part-ners in Hope, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s rural pov-erty initiative.

“Where in the United States of America can you be the presence of Christ in all the world?” she asked. “It may be in your own backyard.” f!


Nearly $29,000 was given to the fi rst ever General Assembly off ering for religious liberty and

human rights ministries named in honor of former President Jimmy Carter and his wife,

Rosalynn, at the General Assembly Th ursday night, June 30. During the Friday night general session,

more than $16,000 was given for a total of $45,000.

A PICTURE is supposed to be worth a thousand words, but photos shown dur-ing a Fellowship workshop on tsunami relief in Southeast Asia left participants mostly speechless.

Twisted steel wreckage. Boats washed miles ashore. Bare coastal plains that had once been densely populated urban areas.

A panel of CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel used the photo presentation

Th ursday morning, June 30, to illustrate the breadth of destruction from the Dec. 26 tsu-nami that killed more than 100,000 people and left 150,000 others missing. But it also showed the renewal, rebuilding and hope given through CBF disaster relief eff orts in India and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Anita Snell, CBF Global Missions as-sociate coordinator for missions teams in Asia, told listeners that “CBF has respond-ed with personnel, funds and compassion to the tsunami victims.”

At the time of the workshop, $2.5 million in aid had been received with $1.6 million distributed primarily in fi ve areas, including two areas in India ($278,000 combined), Sri Lanka ($300,000), Th ailand ($144,000) and other areas of Southeast Asia ($950,000). “Th e requested amount from each of these areas was much more,” she said.

Craig, one of the responders in South-east Asia, said that the CBF response philosophy is to “facilitate the work face-to-face, connecting people to resources, people to people” in helping build or renovate water systems, provide medical aid or reconstruct homes.

“As a result of the tsunami, many people

are searching for Christ,” he said. “And the people have responded. In one area, a wom-an told us, ‘Th e Christians were the fi rst to arrive and they wiped away the tears.’”

Sam Bandela, who facilitated CBF re-lief eff orts in Sri Lanka, shared images of renewal, such as CBF-sponsored medical clinics and economic renewal through micro-enterprise development, including the rebuilding of local fi shing industries.

Jim Rich, who performed survey work in the aff ected areas, called for additional

volunteers to respond. “We need people who can work in construction, who can carry buckets. We especially need welders.”

Snell emphasized the need for continu-ing funds and volunteers for CBF relief eff orts in Southeast Asia.

Note: Due to global security concerns, names and specifi c locations of some of CBF’s fi eld personnel will not be publicized. f!

By contributing writer Russ Dilday, Mansfi eld, Texas

Tsunami response shifting to transformational development

Vol. 15, No. 4COORDINATOR • Daniel Vestal

COORDINATOR, COMMUNICATIONS & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT • Ben McDade

EDITOR • Lance Wallace

MANAGING EDITOR • Lisa M. Jones

PHONE • (770) 220-1600

FAX • (770) 220-1685

E-MAIL • [email protected]

WEB SITE • www.thefellowship.info

fellowship! is published bi-monthly by The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Inc., 3001 Mercer University Dr., Atlanta, GA 30341-4115. Periodicals postage paid at Atlanta, GA, and additional mailing offices. USPS #015-625

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to “fellowship!” Newsletter, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 450329, Atlanta, GA 31145-0329

Jones preaches excellence at Congregational Leadership Institute Greg Jones, dean of the Duke Divinity School, spoke about resurrecting excellence at the 2005 Congregational Leadership Institute. Jones wants churches to pay attention to the excellence around them, to see the positives more than the negatives, and above all, to be careful about how they quantify excellence. Jones said his goal in preaching “Resurrecting Excellence” is to help people gain a new appreciation for the beauty of excellent ministry and be able to practice it. About 200 people participated in this year’s Congregational Leadership Institute.

Fellowship collects funds for Carter Offering

Assembly CoverageTHE FOLLOWING contributors assisted with coverage of the 2005 General Assembly through articles and photography: Eric Chyn, Russ Dilday, Ashley Grizzle, Lisa M. Jones, Deanna Lowery, Ben McDade, Sheryl McDade, Bob Perkins, Sue H. Poss, Mark Sandlin, Susan Settle, April Shauf, Lance Wallace, Alison Wingfield and Carla Wynn.

Carolyn Yeldell Staley presents an interpre-tation of the theme “Being the Presence of Christ in All the World.”

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Albert Reyes told Assembly participants that in the 21st century, our neighbors are anyone we encounter in our daily life.

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C B F, B u c k n e r P a r t n e r s h i p | P a r t n e r s i n H o p e | Ve s t a l A d d r e s s w w w . t h e f e l l o w s h i p . i n f o G E N E R A L A S S E M B LY 2 0 0 5


CBF, Buckner debut holistic ministry to African AIDS orphans

CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal and Ken-neth L. Hall, president and CEO of Buckner, shared the plan with about 50 participants in the workshop, “Children in Africa.” They then presented the partnership in a dialogue during the Friday morning business session, July 1. In February, Vestal and Hall signed a renewal of the CBF-Buckner partnership in Kansas City, Mo. The original partner-ship agreement was signed in March 2003.

The new partnership, called KidsHeart Africa, ini-tially calls for the creation of five church-based child devel-opment centers in Kenya and the financial underwriting of a group home, foster care pro-gram and preschool program in South Africa. Funding for the first phase of implementa-tion is expected to cost ap-proximately $440,000.

The plan, said Hall, is in direct response to the needs of 12 million children in Africa, most of whom are orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epi-demic across the continent. “We don’t have 20 years to plan and implement this program. We need to respond to their needs now.”

Buckner is a 126-year-old Dallas-based ministry that provides services to U.S. chil-dren and families, children in international orphanages and older adults in Texas. The organization already has a well-established partnership with Partners in Hope, the Fel-

lowship’s rural poverty initiative through KidsHeart Rio Grande Valley, which pro-vides ministry in Texas.

CBF Global Missions field personnel Melody and Sam Harrell, and Ana Marie and Scott Houser are already working with local leaders to develop ministries in both

urban and rural settings. They have made children’s needs a priority in many of their projects, including Kids2Kids, an education and feeding program for children living in the Nairobi slums and school community development projects among the Masai as well as in South Africa.

The international ministry arm of Buck-ner, Buckner Orphan Care International, already has programs designed to meet the needs of Kenyan orphans support of the Baptist Center of Nairobi, which cares for

40 children, and through a foster care pro-gram that provides care for an additional 29 in Christian homes.

“The focus of the KidsHeart Africa proj-ect is to develop child development centers and to supplement already existing church child development centers which will also serve ... children orphaned by AIDS or at risk of being orphaned,” Vestal said.

“The program will be primarily focused on early childhood education but the cen-ters or churches will be the hub of a wide

array of services which the church community will devel-op (to) address physical needs such as food, clothing and medical needs,” he added.

Vestal emphasized that KidsHeart Africa receives di-rection from African Baptist Christians through the All Africa Baptist Fellowship, CBF Global Missions personnel based in Africa and Buckner ministry staff in Africa.

When formulating the ini-tiative, Hall said, "Daniel and I prayed together and wept together as we heard the need.

But I am convinced we can change the con-tinent of Africa." f!

LEARN – For more information or to become involved, contact Karen Gilbert, CBF Global Missions associate coordinator for volunteers and partnerships, at [email protected] or (800) 782-2451. See p. 11 to order a $10 CD or $12 tape of the “Children in Africa” workshop.

By Lance Wallace and Russ Dilday, CBF Communications

The executive officers of the Fellowship and Buckner Baptist Bene-

volences unveiled a plan to “change the face of Africa” through an

education-based initiative to reach the children of the continent.

Vestal sermon excerpts

Following are excerpts from the sermon by CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal during the General Assembly.

“Being the Presence of Christ in All the World” – John 20:19-23

“The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was an act of God that marks a new beginning for humanity.

“Resurrection is the great reversal. It stands everything on its head. It challenges and changes everything. And it definitely changes us.

“We are the body of Christ. Christ is in us. Do you really believe this? Because if you do, it will change how you view the church. No longer will you see the church primarily in organizational, institutional, denominational categories. Rather you will see the church as the living, breathing, mystical Body of Christ.

“This to me is the meaning of prayer. It is all about love, God’s love for us, our love to God, and our love to people.

“This seems to me to be one of the radical characteristics of Jesus and one reason he was so controversial: He ate with sinners and identified with outcasts. He didn’t see a hierarchical relationship between men and women, but treated them as equals.

“As Christ’s presence, we build bridges and break down barriers between people. Whenever and wherever possible, we nurture community and understanding. We are peacemakers who do not live in isolation and retreat from the world.

“Jesus, the very name means salvation. And so we celebrate Jesus when we eat the bread and drink the cup. We pray in His name, and serve in His name. And we speak his name, reverentially, lovingly, winsomely. Because there is salvation in that name.

The longer I live the less certain I become about a lot of things, but the more certain I become about a few things. One of those certainties is that the TRUTH and LOVE of Christ is for all people in the world. The truth is that God is in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.

This to me is the acid test of our faith. What will we do with suffering?

Statistics do not tell all the truth, but we simply can’t ignore the fact that one billion people in this world live on less than $1 a day. We can’t close our eyes to the fact that 8 million people around the world die each year simply because they are too poor to stay alive. That’s 20,000 a day.

“My brothers and sisters, we will partake of the suffering of poor people only when we are willing to make changes.”

LEARN – Visit www.thefellowship.info for the complete transcript of Vestal’s address.

INSPIRED BY THE WORK of Partners in Hope, the Fellowship’s rural poverty initia-tive, a new small business start up project will soon be launched with the aim of fa-cilitating small business development in 20 of the poorest counties in the United States.

Called Kingdom Enterprises, the new non-profit will serve as an umbrella or-ganization for small business incubation, according to PIH High Plains Coordinator Chris Thompson, who is steering the new initiative along with Ben Newell and Jim Rich, two of CBF’s Global Missions field personnel working with PIH.

“We’d like a business in every county,” Thompson told participants during a Gen-eral Assembly workshop.

Through Kingdom Enterprises, expe-rienced Christian business professionals would provide mentorship, management help and resources to small business start-

ers in Partners in Hope’s 20 focal counties, where one of the systemic causes of poverty is lack of jobs. Under the social entrepre-neurship model, small businesses will experience a double profit — economic development and community owner-ship.

Kingdom Enter-prises will enter its initial fundraising phase later this year, hoping to develop a training model and mentorship network within a year. By De-cember 2006, leaders hope for four func-tioning business projects.

Another PIH workshop reported on the four-year progress of the initiative. There

is now work in 16 of the 20 focal counties with plans to establish relationships in the

remaining counties this year, said PIH National Coordinator Tom Prevost.

PIH involvement has grown from about 1,500 volunteers in 2003 to more than 4,500 last year, Prevost said. “It’s grown, but we need con-centrated effort,” he said. “We need volunteers who keep coming back.

We need the kind of volunteerism that doesn’t go to do for but to do with.” f!

SERVE – For more information on Partners in Hope, visit www.thefellowship.info.

By Carla Wynn, CBF Communications

Partners in Hope spawns new non-profit

CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal, left, and Ken Hall, president of Buckner Baptist Benevolences, dialogue on the expanding partnership between CBF and Buckner to minister among children affected by the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

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Jorge Zapata of Buckner Baptist Benevolences’ Rio Grande Valley ministry talks with participants about Partners in Hope work in the Valley.

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Denominations losing ground in U.S.

BILL LEONARD said the rise of postmodern thought has led to more and more churches retracting their denominational affi liation, rely-ing more on networks of like-minded groups. Leonard, dean and profes-sor of church history at Wake Forest Divinity School in Winston-Salem, N.C., led a General Assembly work-shop called “Baptists and Generic Christianity: The Non-denominational-izing of American Churches.”

Denominations, an early ecumenical device of the Puritans, became a way to organize religious life, providing collective resources, education and identity. However, cultural shifts toward institutional suspicion have also created a reac-tion against denominations. “That’s not going to stop, it’s only going to increase,” Leonard said.

People are straying from denominations because of frustra-tion with different religious voices, denominational warfare and the lack of localism, Leonard said. Younger generations are less interested in or aware of denominational identity. “People think of themselves belong-ing to a local congregation rather than a denomination,” Leonard said.

In lieu of denominations, many churches have unifi ed over ethical issues or worship style. Some churches are also networking for resources and opportunities beyond denominational lines. “We still have denominational churches, but if you look below the surface, you fi nd them shopping around for new networks,” said Leonard, who cited Southern Baptist churches who bypass de-nominational missions opportunities for service with ecumenical groups like Habitat for Humanity.

Megachurches have become mini-denominations because they have resources to provide ministries that churches once had to bond together to offer. The recent emerging church movement is providing yet another option. Purposely smaller in size, these churches blend ancient and modern theology and worship, welcoming diversity in practice and thought. “These are churches saying we are unashamedly postmodern … in order to reach a society that is postmodern,” Leonard said.

The emerging church models some of what Baptists need to do in response to the movement toward generic Christianity. Baptists should return to rituals like communion and immersion baptism, Leonard said. Baptist churches must learn to accept and affi rm pluralism without losing some foundational elements. There should be a reemphasis on the individual and the community, as well as having strong ties to the non-church community.

LEARN – See p. 11 to order a $10 CD or $12 tape of Leonard’s workshop.


CBF General Assembly affirms Partnership Committee report

Th e Assembly also approved a revision of the Fellowship’s Constitution and By-laws, a $16.47 million operating budget for fi scal year 2005-2006, and nominees to serve on the boards for the CBF Foundation and Church Benefi ts Board.

Th e Assembly af-fi rmed the Partnership Study Committee report approved by the Coordinating Council on June 29. Concerns voiced on the fl oor of the Assembly centered on the Baptist studies programs at non-Baptist universities.

Another question was raised concerning which partners might be aff ected by limit-ing funding to 25 percent of a partner’s an-nual receipts. CBF Moderator Bob Setzer Jr. indicated the Baptist Center for Ethics and Associated Baptist Press would exceed the 25 percent funding cap, but not by much.

“Th e principles, guidelines and recom-mendations of the report will be imple-mented by the Council in direct consulta-tion with partners, Coordinating Council and Fellowship staff ,” Setzer said. “Th e re-port contains general policies and does not designate funding levels for any partner.”

Discussion was also generated around the revision of the CBF Constitution and Bylaws. Th e document’s purpose statement was changed to refl ect the Fellowship’s mis-sion statement — serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfi ll their

God-given mis-sion. Th is language replaced wording that specifi cally ref-erenced the spread-ing of the “Gospel of Jesus Christ” and “glad obedience to the Great Commis-sion.”

Aft er the meet-ing, Setzer said the Fellowship’s mission statement is intend-ed to capture the spirit of the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“I appreciate the thoughtful and spir-

ited discussion,” Setzer said. “It is good to know we’re in a genuine Baptist meeting.”

Donna Dill of Fairfax, Va. and Joe Har-rison of Washington, D.C., were elected to the board of trustees of the Church Benefi ts Board, and Ed Vick of Raleigh, N.C.; Steve Tondera of Huntsville, Ala.; Richard Tuten of Cincinnati, Ohio; Hal Bass of Arkadel-

phia, Ark.; Rebecca Wiggs of Jackson, Miss.; and Oswin Chrisman of Dallas were elected to the board of the CBF Foundation.

Th e Assembly approved several board representative nominations, including Elizabeth Barnes of Raleigh, N.C., as a Fellowship representative with the Baptist World Alliance and Kay Shurden of Macon, Ga., and Pamela Durso of Brentwood, Tenn., as CBF members of the board for the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty.

Th e business session also featured the keynote address by Setzer. In his address, he appealed to churches to be the presence of Christ in the world by focusing on their local communities and participating in the global missions enterprise.

Th e service concluded with commu-nion, led by Moderator-elect Joy Yee, pas-tor of New Covenant Baptist Church in San Francisco, Calif. f!

LEARN – Links to the CBF 2005-2006 budget, the CBF Constitution & Bylaws and the Partnership Study Committee report are available online at www.thefellowship.info/News/GAcoverage/GA05stories.icm.


The Fellowship General Assembly approved the Partnership Study

Committee report July 1, with minimal opposition, a day aft er a

thorough airing of concerns in a breakout session.

THE FELLOWSHIP’S Coordinating Coun-cil voted unanimously to adopt the prin-ciples, guidelines and recommendations of an updated Partnership Study Committee report on the eve of the General Assembly.

Charles Cantrell of Mountain View, Mo., chair of the Partnership Study Committee, reported on the feedback received on the report. Th e key changes in the report were raising the funding cap for partners from 20 percent of their annual receipts to 25 per-cent, increasing the number of theological schools eligible for identity partner status from “three to fi ve” to “up to six” and an ad-dition of a clarifying statement concerning CBF’s relationship to a free Baptist press.

Following the Council’s adoption of the report, the Council voted unanimously to send the report to the General Assembly for a vote of affi rmation.

In other business, the Council received a recommendation from Emmanuel McCall, head of the Council’s Building Community and Networking Initiative Team, that the Fellowship make a one-time contribution of $30,000 to the Baptist Center for Ethics.

McCall reported that Robert Parham, BCE’s executive director, has been diag-nosed with a serious form of cancer, and because of his illness, fundraising eff orts for BCE have been greatly curtailed.

Tim Brendle, chair of the search com-

mittee for the Global Missions coordinator, presented an update on the work of the newly-formed committee.

Finance Committee Chair Nelson Ro-driguez reported the Fellowship’s fi nances looked good, with total expenditures at $18.5 million and total revenues at $23 million.

Personnel Committee Chair Harriet Harral recommended approval of two items — adoption of a sabbatical policy for CBF coordinators and naming Jack Snell, acting coordinator of CBF Global Missions, in-terim coordinator of CBF Global Missions. Both items were unanimously approved. f!


New Coordinating Council membersAlabama: Robin Norsworthy; Arkansas: John Wickman (re-elected); Ethnic Network: Rick Ruano; Florida: Ron Crawford, Jean Kenlan Willingham; Georgia: Gwen Colwell; Kentucky: Robert Baker, Bill Ellis; Louisiana: Greg Hunt; Mid-Atlantic: Linda Salmon; Mississippi: Al Butler; Missouri: Doyle Sager; North Carolina: Bill Ireland, Sheri Adams (re-elected); Oklahoma/Kansas: Larry Stevens; South Carolina: Randy Gardner, Christie McMillin-Goodwin; Tennessee: Marshall Helm, Laura Tadlock; Texas: Gus Reyes, Suzii Paynter; Virginia: Brian Harfst, Sarah Fain; West Region: Deane Langdon, Sing Yue.

CBF Moderator Bob Setzer Jr. delivers the message at Friday’s business session and communion service.

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Coordinating Council update

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Officers for 2005-06 are, l-r: Susan Crumpler, recorder; Joy Yee, moderator; Bob Setzer Jr., past moderator; and Emmanuel McCall, moderator-elect.

DENNIS FOUST, pastor of Shades Crest Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., be-lieves it is the purpose of the church to equip members to be the presence of Christ wherever they are.

Foust was one of several people who led workshops on the topic of the missional church at the General Assembly.

Foust has guided Shades Crest over the past four years to become a missional church that focuses more on the health of the con-gregation than on growth and encourages members to adopt servant-centered lifestyles based on the model of Jesus Christ.

For example, the church has offered a free breakfast every day for a week to commuters passing near the church. The bag breakfast includes a note, telling recipients that they are being prayed for. Church members have also painted classrooms in an elementary school, trimmed shrubs, repaired porches and even left cold water for the mail carrier.

“These are not huge things,” Foust said, “but they are lifestyle changes that show that following Christ is not about coming to church but going into the world.”

David Hughes, pastor of First Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., found that CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal’s book titled “It’s Time: An Urgent Call to Christian Mis-

sion,” provided the right model to bring his congregation out of a “floundering” state in which it had found itself for the past 20 years.

“Churches like ours have been clearer about what we are against than what we are for,” he said. “I think the concept of the missional church is going to change this, to help us get a clear vision of the way we want to do ministry.”

Bruce Powers, associate dean at Camp-bell University Divinity School in Buies Creek, N.C., led a discussion on the mis-sional church, focusing on transformation-al leadership that changes a church and its members from the inside out.

Rick Davis, the director of the Center for Strategic Evangelism for the Baptist General Conven-tion of Texas, led a workshop on evangelism as part of the mission-al church. He said a traditional form of evangelism has been to present the gospel message, then ask a person to pray immediately to receive Jesus Christ.

“In the postmodern culture, decisions are not made on the spot,” he said. “So our evange-lism efforts need to move to-ward an emphasis on following

Christ rather than praying a specific prayer at one moment in time. Evangelism means helping a person develop a continuing fol-lowing of Christ throughout life.”

Gary Moore, owner of Gary Moore and Company in Sarasota, Fla., talked about stewardship in the missional church. He said churches and individuals need to take a holis-tic approach to economics and finances. f!

LEARN – To discover more about mission-al church resources, see p. 10 or visit www.thefellowship.info/CL/.


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Spiritual Formation Network update

CBF’S Spiritual Formation Network steering team convened for the first time June 28-29 during pre-General Assembly events.

After a network visioning and structuring summit in November, where the idea of a steering team originated, 12 members were selected for a three-year term to fur-ther shape the Network, which was born at last year’s General Assembly. “The relationship and foundation of a new ministry team has begun,” said Eric Spivey of Beaufort, S.C.

Over the next year, the Network will develop a spiritual forma-tion resource that will replace “Resources in Spirituality,” which the Fellowship published in 1998. The new resource will include an introduction of spiritual formation and its history. A section for the local church will outline implementa-tion and curriculum resources. A personal growth section will include guides to spiritual disciplines, as well as a directory of training and workshop opportunities, spiritual retreat centers and spiritual direc-tors. The resource will also have an annotated bibliography of relevant spiritual formation books.

“I want to offer our folks as many resources as there are,” said Rick Bennett, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for faith formation.

The Network also plans to host regional retreats for pastors.

Plans for next year’s General As-sembly event in Atlanta include a din-ner for spiritual formation faculty at the Fellowship’s partner theological schools. Also planned are spiritual formation workshops about defining spiritual formation, determining relevant resources and networking with others. “It may be that there is a huge need for those of us interested in spiritual formation to gather,” said Beth McConnell of Charlotte, N.C.

Representing nine states, the team members plan to offer spiritual forma-tion workshops during state and regional meetings of the Fellowship.

The Spiritual Formation Network steering team meets again Jan. 25-28, 2006 in Atlanta.


Denison asks self-help seekers to turn to Scripture, lead changed lives

In a postmodern society in which two-thirds do not know Jesus Christ and one-third have never heard the name of Jesus, a popular self-help approach to spirituality is encouraged, Denison acknowledged.

Denison led a four-part series of Bible studies titled, “Dr. Phil, Oprah and Jesus: How the Sermon on the Mount Feeds My Soul — It’s Not About Us” at the General Assembly.

Using the teachings of Christ from the Sermon on the Mount, Denison encouraged attendees to turn to Scripture in the midst of a postmodern culture that says absolutes are no longer absolute, and to heed Jesus Christ’s call to live transformed lives.

“We must show the world the relevance of the Sermon on the Mount in our lives,” Denison said. “If they see it has changed you, maybe it will change them.”

Denison stated that 91 percent of Americans believe that all religions

worship the same god and turn to popular-culture icons such as Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Phil McGraw for spiritual advice.

Denison feels that if Christians reveal to the world the Sermon’s relevance in their individual lives, others will notice the change in their daily actions and will want to experience that same hope, purpose and joy.

“The Sermon on the Mount will impact cul-ture when it impacts our soul,” Denison said.

Denison referred the group to the fourth chapter of John’s Gospel – Jesus set the example on how Christians should answer those in need when He gave “living water” to the woman at the well.

To be a “changed people,” Christians must adopt Christ-like attitudes, commitments, disciplines and examples, such as those identified in the Beatitudes.

Denison emphasized the most important purpose each believer has is to know Jesus Christ personally and for Him to be the reason for life.

Denison urged the audience to connect to God in prayer, so that the Lord is honored. He said, in the same way, “when you give,

volunteer time, make sacrifices and invest in missions, make sure God gets the glory, not you, and you will be rewarded by your Father in heaven.” f!

LEARN – See p. 11 to order a $10 CD or $12 tape of Denison’s workshops.

By Ashley Grizzle, CBF Communications

Jim Denison, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, believes

the oldest sermon in Christian history preaches “soul food” to a

world which no longer believes in objective authority of Scripture.

Workshops encourage churches to be missional

Jim Denison examines the self-help approach to spirituality in light of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount during a four-part Bible study series during the General Assembly.

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Lester honored at luncheonAndrew Lester, right, with his wife, Judy, receives a plaque from George Pickle, CBF associate coordinator for chaplaincy and pastoral counseling.

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Lotz calls for unity among Baptists at BWA banquet

CALLING FOR UNITY among Baptists during a banquet celebrating the Baptist World Alliance’s 100th anniversary, BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz told participants that Baptists must “hold it all together” to advance the cause of Christ.

The banquet, held on the eve of the General Assembly, attracted more than 500 participants. Lotz made his comments during his keynote address predicting “The Future of the Baptist Movement.”

“We live in a time where everything is being separated,” he said. “We need one another as Baptists. We need to hold it all together. That’s what the Baptist World Alliance tries to do.”

Speaking from Philippians 4:8, Lotz urged listeners to fi nd ways to relate by concentrating on the passage’s “true, just, pleasing and commendable” attributes of what other Baptist believers are doing worldwide. He highlighted stories of success among Baptists in Nigeria, Cuba, Bulgaria, Russia and Burma as examples.

Alluding to the withdrawal of funds to BWA by the Southern Baptist Convention, Lotz asked, “These (Baptists in other countries) are your brothers and sisters. Why would you want to withdraw from this group?”

He said he is often asked, “How are you making it after being de-funded?”

“We are making it,” he answered. “(BWA member organizations like) CBF, the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the Baptist General Convention of Texas and other Baptists have more than made up the difference.”

Commenting on the state of Baptists, Lotz pointed out “one of the problems with Baptists in North America and Europe is we’re ashamed to be Baptists. We have (believers from other countries) wanting to come to BWA in Birmingham, England, because they’re proud to be Baptists.”

Participants also heard from BWAid director Paul Montacute, who reported that the global aid arm of BWA has collected $20 million for aid to the victims of December’s tsunami in Southeast Asia.

Noting that tsunami aid “has moved from short-term aid to longer-term projects,” he added that attention must also be given to “the silent tsunamis” of persecution in places like Sudan, Uganda and the Congo, as well as to HIV/AIDS relief and food relief in North Korea.

“We need to help so many more,” he said. “Not just by putting hands in pockets to give, but by taking political action.”

By contributing writer Russ Dilday, Mansfield, Texas

Jimmy Allen, former president of the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission and a leader in ethical concerns and causes, is the recipient of the 2005 Whitsitt Courage Award given during the annual meeting of the Whitsitt Baptist Heritage Society.

Chaney Moore, a member of the Tallowood Players from Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, performs a song interpre-tation during the Thursday evening general session.

Micah James, left, and John Williams interact during the Children’s Assembly.

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New Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors

THE FOLLOWING 32 chaplains and pastoral counselors were recently endorsed bringing the total number to 484 endorsees:

BUSINESS/INDUSTRIAL/UNIVER-SITY — Larry Hardin, chaplain, Brewster Place Retirement Community, Topeka, Kan.

CORRECTIONS — Bernie Morris, chaplain, Powhatan Correctional Center, State Farm, Va.

HOSPICE — Ruth Demby, chaplain, Hospice of NE GA Medical Center, Gainesville, Ga.; Bill Hayes, chaplain, St. Mary's Health Care System, Athens, Ga.; Cherry Moore, chaplain, Hospice Brazos Valley, Bryan, Texas; Mickie Norman, chaplain, Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center, Wilm-ington, N.C.; Mark Parnell, chaplain, Portsbridge Hospice, Macon, Ga.; Mark Westebbe, chaplain, AMC Hospice of the Shenandoah, Fishersville, Va.

HOSPITAL — Vitaliy Bak, CPE resi-dent, Pastoral Care Services at MCHS, Greensboro, N.C.; Biju Chacko, su-pervisory resident CPE, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.; Barbara Dail, volunteer chaplain, CPE intern, Pitt County Memorial Hospital, Greenville, N.C.; Joe Gross, chaplain, Department of Veterans Affairs, Dallas, Texas; Bill Harrill, chaplain, Conway Medical Cen-ter, Conway, S.C.; Darryl Jefferson, CPE resident, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, Va.; Mary Lewis, CPE resident, Audie Murphy Veterans Memorial Hospital, San Antonio, Texas; Stephen Murphy, chap-lain, Pacific Health Ministry, Honolulu, Hawaii; John Oliver, chaplain, Depart-ment of Veterans Affairs, Durham, N.C.; Andy Overmon, director of spiritual care/chaplain, Valir Health, Oklahoma City, Okla.; John Reeser, CPE resident, Care and Counseling Center of Georgia, Decatur, Ga.; Michelle Smith, CPE resident, St. Francis Hospital, Columbus, Ga.; Lina Sohn, SIT chaplain, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltmore, Md.; Todd Walter, director, department of pastoral care, clinical pastoral education, Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Spartanburg, S.C.; Johnny White, CPE resident, Baptist Health System, San Antonio, Texas

MILITARY — Lyde Andrews, reserve chaplain, U.S. Army Reserve, Forest Park, Ga.; Daniel Call, active duty chaplain, U.S. Air Force, Panama City, Fla.; Gregg Drew, active duty chaplain, U.S. Army, Himbach, Germany; Robert Elkowitz, chaplain candidate, U.S. Army, Cumming, Ga.; Winston Shearin, active duty chap-lain, U.S. Navy, Washington, D.C.

PASTORAL COUNSELORS — Ted Dougherty, executive director, pastoral therapist, Missionary Family Counseling & Pastoral Counselor, Winston-Salem, N.C.; Cindy Goza, board certified chaplain, Association of Pastoral Chap-lains, Houston, Texas; Steven Harris, pastoral counselor, Pastoral Counseling Center of Roanoke Valley, Roanoke, Va.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION — Laura Johnson, pastoral coun-selor, College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, Clayton, N.C.

LEARN – For more information, contact George Pickle at (770) 220-1617 or [email protected].

Aaron and Dawna Watkins of Kansas City, Kan., pray dur-ing the Friday

evening general session.

Registration volunteer Kaye Dotson helps a General Assembly participant navigate the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

Vocalist Scot Cameron and pianist Joseph Martin lead worship sessions.

Robert Francis leads partici-pants in experiencing American

Indian worship in the style of Mid American Indian Fellowships.

CBF Moderator-elect Joy Yee breaks bread as she leads Assembly participants in communion.

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FAITH FORMATION

Cameron UlmerStudentProvidence Baptist ChurchDaniel Island, S.C.

A self-described “church roadie,” Cameron Ulmer’s faith journey has been formed to a maturity well past her 18 years of age. Back when her new Charles-ton, S.C. area church was meeting in an offi ce building, Cameron and her family helped set up for services.

Her involvement in a Fellow-ship church with a strong com-mitment to Baptist principles has shaped the person she is be-coming as she prepares to leave the youth group and attend the College of Charleston on a music scholarship in the fall.

Participating in music min-istry most of her life, Cameron made her profession of faith at age 13.

“Th ere came a point during a summer missions trip to Green-ville when I fi rst really realized what Christianity was for me,” Cameron said. “We did a lot of yard work and house clean-ing for elderly people, and that experience has been the under-current for my entire Christian faith. A few months aft er the trip, I was baptized.”

Her service has extended be-yond missions trips to include leading in worship. Cameron has used her considerable vocal tal-ents at Providence by singing in the choir, with a special ensemble and performing solos in worship. She has served on the church’s worship committee and even preached on a youth Sunday.

“In my many years of doing youth ministry, it’s unusual to

see a teenager with this kind of maturity,” said David Woody, minister of faith development at Providence.

Woody became Cameron’s youth minister nearly three years ago when he

came to Providence. Woody confers regularly

with CBF staff ers Rick Bennett and Bo Prosser. He fi nds the Congregational Life electronic newsletter, “ChurchWorks,” and the annual True Survivor confer-ence to be great sources for tools to help teens like Cameron grow spiritually.

A concrete way Woody has plugged his youth into the Fel-lowship community is a sum-mer camp experience started by youth ministers in 1993 called “Unidiversity.” It was at Unidi-versity in 2003 that Cameron discovered her musical gift s could be the basis for life-long ministry.

Cameron anticipates continu-ing to serve at Providence, tack-ling the challenges of college and testing the waters of ministry in the free and faithful environ-ment the Fellowship off ers.

BUILDING COMMUNITY AND NETWORKING

Diana GarlandDeanSchool of Social Work, Baylor UniversityWaco, Texas

Diana Garland’s work with families is much more than an academic exercise; it’s a ministry committed to helping churches better serve the needs of fami-

lies. As dean of Baylor’s School of Social Work, which houses the Center for Family and Com-munity Ministries, Diana is in a unique position to better serve the needs of families through continuing education and con-ferences as well as educating the next generation of church staff members, educators and mis-sionaries.

By partnering with Diana, the Fellowship benefi ts from her expertise as she and the Center address the needs of the modern family, which are numerous.

“Too many families are iso-lated,” Diana said. “Th ey are on their own, trying to raise their children and care for frail elderly adults and provide support to each other. Th ey are frazzled by too much to do and yet little sense of meaning and purpose in their family life. Th ey need community, and they need a sense of mis-sion that pulls them outside of themselves. If they are in-volved in a con-gregation, they may fi nd that it, too, is a place

that divides them rather than centering them as families.”

Th e church struggles with the concept of “family” in reaching out to all of its members, Diana said. Within congregations too many people think that “family” doesn’t mean them, such as single adults, widowed persons and spouses in second marriages.

“Th ey feel like sec-ond-class citizens in the church,” she said. “When we say ‘fam-ily,’ they feel left out. But Jesus said that when we follow Him, we will all

be folded into family. Congre-gations need to fi nd ways to communicate and demon-strate that Good News.”

Th rough Diana’s min-istry, the Fellowship supports continuing education and conferences

for church leaders, the publication

of Audio-Magazine for Family Ministry (AM/FM), and the opportunity to disseminate research fi ndings and models to CBF congregations.

In workshops at CBF meet-ings and General Assemblies and at special conferences, Diana’s message to the local church is to shift its thinking using the teach-ings of Jesus.

“CBF support helps us do what we do,” said Diana, a mem-ber of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco. “In turn, our work is help-ing congregations minister with families and in their communi-ties more eff ectively.”

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Michael G. QueenSenior PastorFirst Baptist ChurchWilmington, N.C.

More than 10 years in the grocery business taught Mike Queen a valuable lesson: the

more respon-sibility you have, the more account-ability and support you need.

He’s ap-plying that lesson now as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Wilmington, N.C., and the convener of a group of ministers for the Fellowship’s Initiative for Ministerial Excellence.

“I am part of a group here in town with another Baptist, a Methodist and a Presbyterian minister,” Mike said. “We have a great group, and it means so much to me.”

Th e response to the Lilly Endowment-funded Initiative for Ministerial Excellence, coordinated by the Fellowship’s Leadership Development Initiative, has been strong.

The numbers that make up the 2005-2006 budget of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship tell only a small part

of the ministries provided in partnership with Fellowship individuals and churches. Th e following stories of

Cameron Ulmer, Diana Garland, Mike Queen and Sam Bandela illustrate how lives have been forever enriched

as the Fellowship strives to be the presence of Christ in the world. Th ese four stories illustrate the Fellowship’s

commitment in the areas of Faith Formation, Building Community, Developing Leaders and Global Missions.

This is My FellowshipThe Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s 2005-2006 Operating Budget

roadie,” Cameron Ulmer’s faith ago when he

came to Providence.

Queen a valuable lesson: the

How to Respond

LEARN – To read the full story of those people

highlighted or to view a detailed report of the

expense budget along with the revenue budget,

order a copy of the operating budget brochure

“This is My Fellowship” from The CBF Store at

(888) 801-4223 or www.thefellowship.info.

If you would like to have a speaker from the

Fellowship visit your church, contact (770) 220-

1630 or [email protected]. For more

information on Face2Face, the Fellowship’s

speakers bureau, visit www.thefellowship.info and

click on “Face2Face.”

PRAY – Now that you have reviewed the

Fellowship’s plan for ministry and read personal

stories of lives changed by gifts in support of

the CBF budget, please take this information and

remember the work of CBF and its partners in your

prayers.

GIVE – To reach its fi nancial goals, the

Fellowship needs the prayerful support of

individuals and churches. Use the envelope in this

issue to contribute to the Fellowship’s general

missions and ministries budget.

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Th e 68 peer learning groups meeting nationally average 10 participants. Of the 22 invited to participate in Mike’s group, all accepted. Th e southeastern North Carolina group has been meeting for two years and averages 17 in attendance.

“Th e ministry can be a drain-ing and isolating kind of calling,” Mike said. “Peer learning groups can help you deal with the isola-tion issue. I can say to the CBF family that one of the greatest gift s we can give to the ministers of our churches is the oppor-tunity to be a part of a group. Everybody needs a place to be ministered to.”

Mike believes ministers must plug into a group to get the indi-vidual support they need.

“I have come to a place where I believe that the only people who understand the role of the pastor are people who are doing it,” said Mike, who has been at First Baptist Wilmington for 19 years.

Aft er the Lilly Endowment’s funding for the program ends this fi scal year, the Fellowship is looking to continue the highly-successful peer learning groups.

“Gathering in a group is the only way we’re going to be healthy,” Mike said. “It is im-portant for me. When I miss the group, I feel like I’ve missed something.”

GLOBAL MISSIONS AND MINISTRIES

Sam BandelaOne of CBF’s Global Missions fi eld personnelIndia

Sam Bandela personifi es the Fellowship’s commitment to fl exibility among its missions force. Since 1994, Sam and his wife, Latha, have been working among the most neglected as CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel.

A native of India, Sam came to faith in Jesus Christ through the work of missionaries and is now called to be a missionary. He ministers among unevange-lized people groups in his home country, primarily in Northern India in such cities as Chen-nai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Bihar.

“Th e majority of Christians in India live in the south,” Sam said. “We have been working among Muslims, Bojpuris, Sindhi and Marata people groups. Th at all changed when the tsunamis hit in the south.”

A speaker of Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, Sam was one of the fi rst of CBF’s fi eld personnel to respond to the tremendous needs in coastal villages following the

Dec. 26 tsunami. His language and understanding of the culture gave him immediate access to people in need. His affi liation with the Fellowship gave him immediate access to resources to respond to

people in need.Th at response is leading to

a long-term presence in those communities. In the village of

Cuddalore, there were 28 fami-lies that made up a Christian church. When they professed Christ, they were immediately ostracized by their neighbors as “untouchables.”

Volunteer teams led by Sam and CBF Global Missions fi eld personnel Scott Hunter and Eddie Aldape, helped establish a medical clinic in Cuddalore staff ed by Dr. Moses Kharat, an Indian physician. A local Chris-tian nongovernmental organiza-

tion called Humanitarian India Mission (HIM) set up the medi-cal clinic. Th e Fellowship helped operate the clinic for three months. More than 5,000 were treated for a variety of health needs ranging from broken bones to bandages.

“When we kept coming back, the people asked us, ‘What makes you come here?’ I told them we have a God who com-pels us to come here and show God’s love.” f!

2005-06 Budget SummaryBelow is a summary of the Fellowship’s expense budget.

Operating Operating Expenditures from Total Percentage Budget Budget Designated Gifts Expenditures of TotalEXPENSES 2004-2005 2005-2006 2005-2006 2005-2006

PRIORITIES Faith Formation Evangelism and Outreach $70,000 $66,000 $66,000 0.3% Spiritual Growth 92,000 86,000 86,000 0.4% The CBF Store 70,000 70,000 70,000 0.3% Faith Formation Support 317,782 343,537 343,537 1.6% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ TOTAL Faith Formation 549,782 565,537 565,537 2.6% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ Building Community Congregational Health 10,000 30,000 30,000 0.1% Reconciliation and Justice 25,000 98,000 98,000 0.5% Baptist Identity and Relationships-Networking (Hispanic, Asian, and African American) 145,000 135,000 135,000 0.6% Baptist Identity and Relationships (Other) 498,340 431,007 431,007 2.0% Marriage and Family 8,000 14,000 14,000 0.1% Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling 30,000 43,000 43,000 0.2% Building Community Support 207,584 254,160 254,160 1.2% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ TOTAL Building Community 923,924 1,005,167 1,005,167 4.7% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ Leadership Development Discovering Leaders 36,000 36,000 36,000 0.2% Developing Leaders 1,556,628 1,548,128 1,548,128 7.2% Nurturing Leaders 81,500 113,100 113,100 0.5% Initiative for Ministerial Excellence - 139,694 $517,993 657,687 3.0% Leadership Development Support 265,083 260,134 260,134 1.2% ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ TOTAL Leadership Development 1,939,211 2,097,056 517,993 2,615,049 12.1% ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ Global Missions Partnership Missions/Volunteers 146,497 125,352 125,352 0.6% Ministry Among the Most Neglected Field Personnel Salaries and Benefi ts 3,346,558 3,452,963 1,655,546 5,108,509 23.7% Field Personnel Operating Expenses 3,075,841 2,696,473 1,556,529 4,253,002 19.7% Field Projects - - 400,000 400,000 1.9% Promoting and Interpreting Missions Promotional Resources 374,044 440,749 440,749 2.0% Curriculum and Educational Resources 310,548 327,812 327,812 1.5% Strategic Partners 72,000 72,000 72,000 0.3% Field Personnel Orientation and Training 67,030 66,853 85,000 151,853 0.7% Member Care and Wellness 26,830 26,830 50,000 76,830 0.4% Partners in Hope, rural poverty initiative 54,206 54,206 60,000 114,206 0.5% Church Planting 78,134 96,134 290,000 386,134 1.8% Personnel Development Career/Affi liates - 25,000 25,000 0.1% Global Service Corps/Student.Go 35,535 35,466 70,000 105,466 0.5% Projects/Personnel/Finance Liaison 6,008 8,503 55,000 63,503 0.3% Global Missions Support 1,451,335 1,713,476 370,000 2,083,476 9.7% ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ TOTAL Global Missions 9,044,566 9,141,817 4,592,075 13,733,892 63.6% ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ TOTAL Priorities 12,457,483 12,809,577 5,110,068 17,919,645 83.0% ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________

OTHER General Assembly 329,000 350,000 350,000 1.6% Communications and Resource Development Marketing 73,000 68,000 68,000 0.3% Speakers Bureau 30,000 25,900 25,900 0.1% Product and Special Events Marketing 32,000 47,200 47,200 0.2% Web 59,000 35,000 35,000 0.2% Newsletter 180,000 198,000 198,000 0.9% Media Relations 48,000 43,000 43,000 0.2% Development 79,800 67,800 67,800 0.3% Communications & Marketing Support 685,238 696,174 696,174 3.2% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ TOTAL Communications and Resource Development 1,187,038 1,181,074 1,181,074 5.5% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ General Offi ce 601,500 707,490 707,490 3.3% Information Systems 177,782 177,782 177,782 0.8% Coordinating Council 60,000 56,500 56,500 0.3% Administration Support 1,195,320 1,187,577 1,187,577 5.5% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________TOTAL OTHER 3,550,640 3,660,423 3,660,423 17.0% ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________TOTAL EXPENSES $16,008,123 $16,470,000 $5,110,068 $21,580,068 100.0% ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ________

In addition to the budgets as detailed above, CBF’s operating grant to the Church Benefi ts Board from reserves is $200,000 in 2004-05 and $175,000 in 2005-06.

A speaker

people in need. His affi liation with the Fellowship gave him immediate access to

C O N G R E G A T I O N A L L I F E

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New book takes a missional approach to marriage ministry

IN A REFRESHING new look at marriage ministry, Bo Prosser and Charles Qualls have co-authored “Marriage Ministry: A Guidebook,” to be used as an enrichment aid for all stages of marriage.

“This is a guidebook for everyone,” said Prosser, CBF Coordinator for Congregational Life. “It’s for ministers who are trying to do intentional marriage ministry in their church, and it can also be picked up by a married couple who can go through the exercises. For nearly or newlyweds, it can help them understand what marriage means.”

Full of ideas on how to improve communication, the book has interactive “think tanks,” exercises that encourage couples to discuss their individual reactions to different subjects, and to learn how they respond to one another.

“Marriage Ministry” includes everything from a sample marriage enrichment retreat to a money management seminar, and a whole weekend schedule. “We also tackled some topics that we think are different, for Christian marriages at least,” said Qualls, associate pastor for pastoral care at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta. “We dealt with affairs and boredom, which many people avoid. We also talked to childless couples in this book.”

Designed with a missional approach, “Marriage Ministry” addresses “what it means to be Christ-centered in marriage — to discover, as a couple, what they are passionate about, and how they can be the presence of Christ to one another and then to the world,” said Prosser. “That, to me, is what a missional approach is about.”

Diana Garland, director of the Center for Family and Community Ministries at Baylor University, agreed. “The pastor is not just a sanctifi ed justice of the peace, someone couples can count on to add a pinch of blessing and a splash of holiness to their wedding plans. ‘Marriage Ministry’ helps church leaders put weddings in their place as only a part of a comprehensive missional family ministry.”

“Marriage is work. But it’s the best work they’ll ever do,” Qualls said. “And we hope we’ve given ministers and couples some help with how to do that work.”

LEARN – “Marriage Ministry: A Guidebook” is a Smyth & Helwys “Help!” resource that can be pur-chased by calling (800) 747-3016 or visiting www.helwys.com or www.amazon.com.

By contributing writer Tiffany Schmieder, Atlanta

Congregational Life provides resources for missional journey

Th e foundational resource for the missional church will be “It’s Time: A Journey Toward Missional Faithfulness,” a study to enhance the missional journey for churches, said Bo Prosser, the Fellowship’s Congregational Life coordinator.

Th e study kit includes a copy of CBF Coordinator Daniel Vestal’s book, “It’s Time: An Urgent Call to Christian Mission,” administrator and teacher guides, a member journey guide, a DVD and a free one-year Web subscription. Aft er the kit is purchased, churches can purchase additional materials according to the number of people participating in the study. Released Aug. 1 for $49.95 in Th e CBF Store, the “It’s Time” kit can “become the centerpiece of a church’s missional journey,” said Rick Bennett, the Fellowship’s associate coordinator for

faith formation.A pilot church network

of 25 CBF partner churches will be the fi rst to implement

the “It’s Time” material. Th e pilot church network will help later form the Fellowship’s future missional church network, Prosser said.

Other Fellowship resources help churches and

individuals respond to the missional call. “Th e Missional Journey: Being the Presence of Christ Journal” is a 32-page booklet, journal and CD-ROM that highlights missional examples, biblical examples, and suggested resources and processes for a church beginning the missional journey. Th e resource is available for purchase in Th e CBF Store for $9.95.

A companion resource is the “Missional Journey Guide,” a congregational study that further explores the missional concept through church examples and practical information for church leaders. Th e workbook, CD-ROM

and binder are $29.95 in Th e CBF Store.

Th e Fellowship also provides resources for expressing the missional lifestyle, Prosser said. Th e small group six-week study, “Christianity for Beginners,” helps introduce unchurched people to the Christian faith. “Klesis: God’s Call and the Journey of Faith,” a

revised study released at this year’s General Assembly, explores personal passion and God’s call. f!

LEARN – See p. 11 to order a $10 CD or $12 tape of “Study: It’s Time ...” All resources can be ordered from The CBF Store at www.thefellowship.info or (888) 801-4223. For more information on the missional church, visit the Fellowship’s Congregational Life Initiative at www.thefellowship.info/CL/.


The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Congregational Life

Initiative will soon release several resources to aid churches on

the missional journey.

Resource helps open dialogue for unchurched“NOW I GET IT!” Th at’s how Sue Foster, a member of Providence Baptist Church in Daniel Island, S.C., feels aft er having gone through the study, “Christianity for Beginners.”

Foster has come back to church aft er a lengthy absence. “I was amazed at how it all came back, and now, as an educated adult, I understand.”

David Woody, minister of faith development at Providence, decided to off er a series of classes based on “Christianity for Beginners” when he realized that many of the people joining his church were either new Christians or, like Foster, had been away from church for years.

“I realized that we make too many assumptions about what people know when they come to our churches when one new member didn’t understand the term ‘Damascus Road experience,’” he said.

“In the class, I assumed that everyone knew nothing,” Woody said. “I taught them as beginners and they soaked it up like a sponge. It was better than anything I could imagine.”

“I always thought I got nothing out

of all my years of church from the cradle department to college,” said Foster. “But aft er going to these sessions for beginners, I realized how much my church years instilled in me — and I didn’t even know it.”

Van Lankford, pastor of the 600-member First Baptist Church in Mocksville, N.C., is one of several other ministers who has seen a need for basic Bible study and has ordered “Christianity for Beginners,” but not yet used it.

“We have a lot of new members and a lot are new Christians,” he said. “Our plan

is to off er a class twice a year to teach the basics of Christianity. We’re glad that CBF has come out with this material. It is what I was looking for.”

“Th is is a real tool for evangelism,” said Bo Prosser, CBF coordinator for Congregational Life. “It is practical, non-threatening, and very user-friendly, not so spiritual that people are put off by it. Yet there is a depth in the material that can change lives. Th e participants, whether non-believers, new believers, or review believers, will enjoy the easy fl ow of conversation and inquiry while learning

about our faith.”Byproducts of the study at Providence

are starting to be seen. “Being a part of this group and learning about the Bible has given the participants more of a sense of fellowship,” Woody said. “Th e class gave them a safe place to ask the questions they had. Th ey now feel they are on same level with everyone else, rather than being the new kids who don’t know the stories.”

Woody said he expects the participants will become more involved in the church, but that’s not his main concern. “I will be even more concerned with how they are growing and learning and what faith issues they are struggling with,” he said. f!

LEARN – “Christianity for Beginners” by CBF Moderator Bob Setzer Jr., pastor of First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, Ga., is a six-week small-group, discussion-based learning experience designed to introduce unchurched persons to the Christian faith and to provide basic information for new believers. For more information, contact Bo Prosser at (770) 220-1631 or [email protected]. To order, contact The CBF Store at (888) 801-4223 or www.thefellowship.info. ($15)


the “It’s Time” material. Th e pilot church network will help later

resources help churches and

“Christianity for Beginners,” but not yet used it.

members and a lot are new Christians,” he said. “Our plan

and binder are $29.95 in

“Christianity for Beginners,” helps introduce unchurched people to the Christian faith. “Klesis: God’s Call and the Journey of Faith,” a

11

K l e s i s R e s o u r c e s | S p i r i t u a l F o r m a t i o n A c a d e m y w w w . t h e f e l l o w s h i p . i n f o G E N E R A L A S S E M B LY 2 0 0 5

C O N G R E G A T I O N A L L I F E

Spiritual Formation Academy planned

CBF is sponsoring its first Upper Room Five Day Academy for Spiritual Forma-tion, Oct. 16-21, at the Sumatanga Conference Center in Gallant, Ala.

The ecumenical Academy, a ministry of Upper Room Ministries, is geared toward any ministers, laypeople, and staff members in the local church who are looking for spiritual renewal and rest and for those who are interested in learning about, and practicing, spiritual disciplines.

“Participants gain new insights about Christian spiritual traditions and become better equipped for life and ministry,” said Mary Jayne Allen, retreat leader and minister of education at First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, Tenn.

Allen is joined on the Academy’s lead-ership team by Lynwood Walters from Gainesville, Fla., who will serve as the event worship coordinator, and Cornelia Turnbow, from Huntsville, Ala., who will serve as the spiritual guide and Covenant group coordinator.

The faculty members who will lead the Academy are Loyd Allen, professor of church history and spiritual formation at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta; and Hazelyn McCo-mas, a United Methodist layperson and retired faculty member from Milwaukee Theological Institute.

“We want to encourage participants to pause and pay attention to God’s presence and to hear the message of affirmation that God loves them,” said Rick Bennett, CBF associate coordina-tor for faith formation.

The Academy will offer opportuni-ties for worship, lectures, reflection, silence, small group sharing and prayer times, as well as individual free time.

LEARN – For more information, contact Rick Bennett at (770) 220-1605 or [email protected]. Visit www.thefellowship.info/cl/ff/training-events or www.upperroom.org/academy/.

By contributing writer Ashley Grizzle, Atlanta

‘Klesis’ resources help participants discover their ministry calling

More than a spiritual gifts study, the new Klesis resource leads participants to a more holistic consideration of their unique call and passions for ministry.

“The first ‘Klesis’ resource was a foun-dational piece for the missional church initiative. However, churches were asking for more stories and more insights into personal passion for ministry. We have re-sponded to the needs of congregations with this ‘new and improved’ and expanded resource,” explained Bo Prosser, CBF coordinator for Congregational Life.

“It’s helping folks put a finger on their passion and God’s call and where that in-tersects,” said Rick Bennett, CBF associate coordinator for faith formation.

In 1995, Smoke Rise Bap-tist Church in Stone Moun-tain, Ga., began a process to help each member recog-nize ways that they minister to each other. As teams and classes discussed how and when those ministry mo-ments occurred in their lives, the “Klesis” process began and eventually the theme, “every member a minister” was adopted.

Originally, “Klesis” was a four-week pro-cess designed to help people discover their own personal ministries and to encourage members to be participants, not spectators. The program’s name was derived from the Greek word kaleo, which means “call.”

“One of the primary things we have learned is that this kind of process usually

attracts persons who are experiencing some kind of change or who anticipate change in the near future,” said Kathy Dobbins, Smoke Rise minister of adult education and outreach.

Dobbins, Doris Nelms, coordinator of “Klesis” Ministries at Smoke Rise, and church member Colin Harris, professor at Mercer University, co-wrote the original “Klesis” guide. The trio has led workshops in several churches and retreat settings

as well as workshops at previous General Assemblies. The new resource was unveiled at a workshop on Klesis at this year’s Assembly.

The new, expanded “Klesis” process explores stories of biblical characters and their calling; uses a variety of assessments related to vocation, personality and min-istry in a workbook format; and invites participants to consider the relationship between ministry, calling and discipleship.

This resource is excellent for use in a vari-ety of settings, Prosser said. Participants will emerge with a clarity and confidence for be-ing the presence of Christ in their congrega-tions and their communities, he added.

First Baptist Church of Wilkesboro, N.C., used the “Klesis” material as a training work-shop for new deacons. First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, Okla., used the “Klesis” ma-terial as a Wednesday night study. First Bap-tist Church of Greenville, S.C., trained church leaders who later became “Klesis” leaders and trained others. First Baptist Church of Christ in Macon, Ga., used the “Klesis” material as a weekend retreat.

When the ministerial staff at First Baptist Church of Roswell, Ga., used the “Klesis” resource, Nelms facil-itated the process. “It did give us insight to who we are as individuals and what each of us brought to the table for the team,” said Jan Moore, First Baptist’s coordinator for Sin-gle Adult Ministries. Moore later used the “Klesis” materi-als with the singles group in a seminar format. f!

LEARN – For more information on “Klesis,” contact Rick Bennett at (770) 220-1605 or

[email protected]. Or contact Doris Nelms at (770) 381-7095 or [email protected] or Kathy Dobbins at (770) 469-5856 or kdobbins@smoke risebaptist.org. “Klesis: God’s Call and the Journey of Faith” is available for $14.95 from The CBF Store at www.thefellowship.info or (888) 801-4223.

By contributing writer Ashley Grizzle, Atlanta

CBF Congregational Life has worked with developers of a life gifts

coaching event to produce a new curriculum resource, “Klesis:

God’s Call and the Journey of Faith.”

Kathy Dobbins, left, listens as Doris Nelms explains the “Klesis” process to Assembly participants.

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Cooperative Baptist FellowshipP.O. Box 450329 • Atlanta, Georgia 31145-0329www.thefellowship.info(800) 352-8741

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ners

hip

Initi

ativ

e w

orks

hop.

BU

A is

par

tner

ing

with

CBF

, th

e Ba

ptis

t Wor

ld A

llian

ce, a

nd th

e Ba

ptis

t G

ener

al C

onve

ntio

n of

Tex

as to

hel

p pr

o-vi

de th

eolo

gica

l tra

inin

g fo

r His

pani

c Ba

p-tis

t lea

ders

. One

of t

he g

oals

of th

e un

iver

-si

ty a

nd th

e pa

rtne

rshi

p is

to tr

ain

lead

ers

who

will

retu

rn to

thei

r sta

te o

r cou

ntry

an

d pl

ant c

hurc

hes.

Ano

ther

cog

in th

e in

itiat

ive

is th

e pa

rtne

rshi

p be

twee

n th

e H

ispan

ic B

aptis

t C

onve

ntio

n of

Tex

as, t

he B

GC

T an

d C

BF to

pl

ant n

ew ch

urch

es th

roug

hout

the

Uni

ted

Stat

es. A

be Z

aban

eh, d

irect

or o

f the

chur

ch

star

ting

cent

er fo

r the

BG

CT,

is h

elpi

ng tr

ain

both

Ang

lo a

nd H

ispan

ic ch

urch

es o

utsid

e Te

xas t

o pl

ant n

ew H

ispan

ic ch

urch

es.

To re

ach

thir

d- a

nd fo

urth

-gen

era-

tion

His

pani

cs, y

ou m

ust u

nder

stan

d th

e cu

lture

they

com

e fr

om, a

ccor

ding

to G

us

Rey

es, e

thni

c co

nsul

tant

with

the

BGC

T.

For a

n eff

ect

ive

min

istr

y, yo

u ha

ve to

lear

n ho

w to

reac

h bo

th fi

rst-

gene

r-at

ion

and

bicu

l-tu

ral H

ispa

nics

. H

ispa

nic

chur

ches

in th

e U

nite

d St

ates

ar

e ex

pand

ing

thei

r rol

es in

gl

obal

mis

sion

s ac

cord

ing

to

Alb

ert R

eyes

, BU

A p

resi

dent

and

cur

rent

pre

side

nt o

f th

e BG

CT.

Rey

es h

oste

d a

pane

l of f

our

His

pani

c Ba

ptis

t lea

ders

at t

he A

ssem

bly

who

se c

hurc

hes a

re re

achi

ng b

eyon

d th

eir

imm

edia

te c

omm

uniti

es in

mis

sion

s. O

n th

e pa

nel w

ere

Rol

ando

Rod

rigu

ez,

past

or o

f Coc

krel

l Hill

Bap

tist C

hurc

h in

D

alla

s; R

ober

to A

rrub

la Jr

., pa

stor

of I

gle-

sia

Baut

ista

El B

uen

Past

or in

For

t Wor

th;

Dav

id M

unoz

, for

mer

mis

sion

ary

to In

dia

and

volu

ntee

r pas

tor i

n Sa

n A

nton

io; a

nd

Julio

Gua

rner

i, pa

stor

of I

gles

ia B

autis

ta

Get

sem

ani i

n Fo

rt W

orth

. f!

L

EAR

N –

Use

the

orde

r fo

rm o

n p.

11

to

orde

r a

$10

CD

or

$12

tape

of t

he w

orks

hop

“Rea

chin

g 3r

d an

d 4t

h G

ener

atio

n H

ispa

nics

.”

By co

ntrib

utin

g w

riter

Alis

on W

ingfi

eld

, D

alla

s, Te

xas

Ass

embl

y H

ispa

nic

lead

ersh

ip t

rack

gi

ves

emph

asis

to

uniq

ue m

inis

try 05

10P0

06

Luca

s Ba

rrie

ntes

gui

des

part

icip

ants

to

expe

rien

ce a

bili

n-gu

al w

orsh

ip s

ervi

ce in

Eng

lish

and

Span

ish

duri

ng t

he

Gen

eral

Ass

embl

y.

CO

OP

ER

AT

IVE

BA

PT

IST

FE

LL

OW

SH

IP

ww

w.t

hef

ello

wsh

ip.i

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Mark Sandlin photo

General Assembly 2005 fellowship!

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Transcript of General Assembly 2005 fellowship!