ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Coordinating Council continued a discernment process on the Fellowship’s priorities and endorsed the Millennium Development Goals at its October 11-12 meeting at First Baptist Church of Decatur.

Led by Moderator Harriet Harral, a leadership consultant from Fort Worth, Texas, the discernment process is intended to engage Fellowship Baptists in discerning the priorities by which CBF will continue to live out its vision to be the presence of Christ in the world. The discernment process will be a central focus of the 2008 General Assembly.

“The Council was energized by the discussion, and it was evident that the Spirit was leading in our deliberations,” Harral said. “I look forward to the General Assembly when the entire Fellowship will have the same opportunity. This is an exciting time to be involved in this Fellowship, and I can’t wait to see where the Spirit leads us.”  

The Council also discussed the Fellowship’s response to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). On June 29, the Fellowship’s General Assembly approved a motion instructing the CBF Coordinating Council “to investigate the feasibility and means by which the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship might be involved in acting with other bodies to reach the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.”

In response, the Council unanimously passed a motion endorsing the MDGs. Moderator-elect Jack Glasgow indicated Tom Prevost, manager of CBF’s rural poverty initiative Together for Hope, is generating a report that highlights the ways in which CBF field personnel are involved in ministries related to each of the goals.

Erin Tunney, senior international policy analyst from CBF partner Bread for the World, presented the goals and explained the role the goals can play in the work of the church.

“For the first time in history we have the technology, the resources and the knowledge to get this done,” Tunney said. “All we lack is the will. As Christians, we have the opportunity to get involved and help achieve these goals … The Millennium Development Goals provide some clear connections for us.”

The eight goals, which have been targeted for completion by 2015 are as follows:

·       Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

·       Achieve universal primary education

·       Promote gender equality and empower women

·       Reduce child mortality

·       Improve maternal health

·       Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

·       Ensure environmental sustainability

·       Develop a Global Partnership for Development

In his report to the Council, executive coordinator Daniel Vestal provided a perspective on the changes in Baptist life occurring around the New Baptist Covenant.

“The question many people are asking is ‘Are denominations a thing of the past?’ or ‘Do denominations have a future?’ To say it another way, ‘Do Baptists have a future?’ I believe the Baptist family is not only relevant for today but is undergoing a renewal for tomorrow.”

Vestal encouraged the Council to make plans to attend the New Baptist Covenant in Atlanta Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2008, and to get more information at www.newbaptistcovenant.org.

“I believe we have a window of opportunity to learn from each other within the Baptist family that we have not had in my lifetime, and I think it is a gift from God,” he said. “I believe the New Baptist Covenant provides an opportunity for learning that we desperately need.”

The Council unanimously approved taking $10,000 from reserves to contribute to the New Baptist Covenant. In addition, Vestal said he would seek designated gifts through the Fellowship for the New Baptist Covenant. The Fellowship’s $10,000 pledge matches the pledge made by the American Baptist ChurchesUSA.

In other business, the Council took the following action:

·        Phil Hester, the Fellowship’s specialist for church starts, was honored for his service in advance of his retirement at the end of the year. Hester has worked for CBF in new church starts for more than seven years and helped start 103 new churches. “Phil leaves us a ministry that is healthy and vibrant,” said Bo Prosser, coordinator for Congregational Life. “I am grateful and the Fellowship movement is grateful to Phil Hester for his work.” Vestal pointed out that since Hester began working, the Fellowship has averaged one church start per month. “I am emotional tonight because we have traveled many miles together,” Vestal said. “This is a celebration – new churches spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

·       The Council voted to authorize Vestal to write the president of Azerbaijan on behalf of a Baptist pastor, Zaur Balaev, who has been falsely imprisoned because of his leading a Baptist congregation in his home. CBF had been asked to express its support for Balaev by the European Baptist Federation, a Baptist World Alliance member body.

·       On behalf of the General Assembly Steering Committee, Connie McNeill, CBF coordinator for administration, announced that the 2008 General Assembly in Memphis, Tenn., will feature local ministry opportunities for attendees for the first time. The most significant change in the schedule for 2008 is the shifting of the commissioning of field personnel to Wednesday night, the eve of the start of the Assembly. New field personnel will be commissioned at a local church, reinforcing the emphasis of the centrality of the local church in the work of global missions. Keynote speakers include Lauran Bethell, Chuck Poole and John Killinger.

·       The Fellowship’s financial report indicated the Fellowship finished the fiscal year 2006-2007 on June 30 with a shortfall of $649,974. That shortfall included nearly $160,000 in legal fees to help the Fellowship clarify its legal status with the Internal Revenue Service as an association of churches and individuals.

·       Because the Fellowship moved its fiscal year from July 1-June 30 to Oct. 1-Sept. 30, the July-September period was treated as an extension of the 2006-2007 budget. Audited numbers for July-September are not yet available, but the Fellowship has projected a shortfall of $1.3 million in net income for that period, which is traditionally the lowest income quarter of the year for CBF. The $16.48 million budget for fiscal year 2007-2008 began on Oct. 1.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.

Photo information:

Coordinating Council members participate in a brainstorming activity as part of a process to discern priorities for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s work. Lance Wallace photo

Phil and Suzanne Hester, left, receive a gift and a standing ovation from the CBF Coordinating Council following remarks by Congregational Life Coordinator Bo Prosser, center, and Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal, right. Lance Wallace photo