“Welcome
to the Family” was an appropriate phrase to describe the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
General Assembly that drew 1,625 Fellowship
Baptists to Fort Worth, Texas,
last week. There was no controversy,
little anxiety, and a lot of family-type fellowship.
The
two landmark events were the retirement of Daniel Vestal, who has served as
executive coordinator of CBF for 15 years, and the adoption of the
recommendations of the 2012 Task Force.
Together these communicate a time of transition in Cooperative Baptist
life but there seemed little concern or fear about the future. Certainly, there may be some anxiety among
Fellowship staff members during this time of change, but the average Fellowship
Baptist is not overly concerned but rather seems expectant and excited about
the future of the Fellowship.
During
the closing session, Vestal was characterized in a letter from Richard Hamm of
Christian Churches Together as the person who led Cooperative Baptists from “we
are not them” to “this is who we are.”
He delivered an earnest message based on Ephesians 3:20-21 that
challenged Fellowship Baptists to do “infinitely more” with God and through the
power of God. Vestal has been a stabilizing
force as CBF has moved from a reactive to a proactive stance.
The
Task Force report was adopted easily and with only one minor change recommended
in the break-out discussion. The goal of
the Task Force was to provide a way for CBF to do “seamless cooperative ministry” and to find “new expressions of ministry.” The greatest gift of the Task Force process
may have been the way that it brought together several generations of
leadership so that they could listen, learn, and formulate a plan.
Fellowship Baptists seem to be at their best
when they can come together in diverse groups of ten to 15 participants where
people can get to know each other and practice respectful discernment. This is a significant improvement over the way
that denominational politics is usually practiced. I
think we will see the “respectful discernment” process at work in the Search
Committee for the next executive coordinator.
I came away from the meeting with the
impression that Fellowship Baptists are ready to respond to effective
leadership. Moderator Colleen Burroughs received a spontaneous and extended
standing ovation after her report.
Incoming moderator Keith Herron was warmly welcomed as well. David Hull and the other members of the Task
Force were affirmed for their long and tedious work. When Fellowship Baptists see those of their
number leading with integrity and confidence, they will respond with
enthusiasm.
Vestal's powerful sermon marks the end of an era for Fellowship Baptists while pointing to a new day. We do not know the way forward but it will be different. The Fellowship has three different generations of leaders. The “old guard” is made up of people like Vestal and myself. We thrived in the old denominational context but we saw that taken away and have sought to find a new home. The struggle saddled us with a sense of loss and we have worked to feel comfortable in a new place. A second generation was caught on the cusp of the change. They came of age in ministry about the time that the Southern Baptist Convention was no longer a welcoming home. They followed the “old guard” in forming a new identity and became the real foot soldiers of the movement. The third generation of leaders is made up of those who do not remember the “Holy War.” CBF is the only home many of these young Baptists have known. They do not carry the fears of the past but they have their own challenges—facing limiting circumstances, addressing issues of church health and vitality, overcoming the past while embracing what is good about it, and dealing with relevant ethical issues with integrity.
Vestal's powerful sermon marks the end of an era for Fellowship Baptists while pointing to a new day. We do not know the way forward but it will be different. The Fellowship has three different generations of leaders. The “old guard” is made up of people like Vestal and myself. We thrived in the old denominational context but we saw that taken away and have sought to find a new home. The struggle saddled us with a sense of loss and we have worked to feel comfortable in a new place. A second generation was caught on the cusp of the change. They came of age in ministry about the time that the Southern Baptist Convention was no longer a welcoming home. They followed the “old guard” in forming a new identity and became the real foot soldiers of the movement. The third generation of leaders is made up of those who do not remember the “Holy War.” CBF is the only home many of these young Baptists have known. They do not carry the fears of the past but they have their own challenges—facing limiting circumstances, addressing issues of church health and vitality, overcoming the past while embracing what is good about it, and dealing with relevant ethical issues with integrity.
Although the next executive coordinator of CBF
will probably come from the “second wave” of Fellowship leaders, he or she must
know how to listen and respond to the needs of the “third wave.” I believe that Fellowship Baptists finally
realize that our way is forward and not back.
There is nothing in Egypt for us, so we press on to the Promised Land.
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