It's Time to Step Up

Former TCBF Coordinators Ircel Harrison and Terry Maples
with present Coordinator Rick Bennett (right)

If you are like me, most days you receive one or more appeals to fund some organization. Usually we know little or nothing about those organizations. Let me share a request today for one that is important to me personally, one you probably know something about and whose mission may impact you and your church.

Recent actions of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Governing Board related to hiring have been disappointing to many of us. The Hiring Policy itself is a very positive step, but the implementation plan adopted is discriminatory. This has harmed the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship movement in many ways.

Some conservative churches and organizations who reject the openness of the Hiring Policy will no longer support the Fellowship, while progressive Baptists and churches who love and embrace all people feel that their stance has been rejected, so they are taking similar actions. Churches on all sides of this situation certainly have the freedom to choose what causes they will support. This is part of our Baptist polity.

Because of the way the CBF movement is structured, state and regional CBF organizations will be impacted by this in different ways. Tennessee CBF does not and has never had a hiring policy which discriminates against people. The goal of the TCBF Coordinating Council has always been to try to employ the best people available for paid staff positons including Coordinator.

Tennessee Coordinator Rick Bennett is not employed by the national organization but by Tennessee CBF. He is responsible to the state Coordinating Council. Rick works directly with churches in Tennessee as they seek to do Great Commission work. His salary and the funding for the state organization comes from churches in the state. Unfortunately, churches in Tennessee who have chosen to terminate their relationship with National CBF do not realize that Tennessee CBF is a separate entity.

I have never used this blog to seek funding for any organization, but I encourage you to consider how you and your church can support the Tennessee Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

First, check with your church leadership and make certain that a portion of your mission dollar goes to TCBF.

Second, support the work of TCBF through a personal monthly contribution. Go to tncbf.org and click on the "GIVE" tab or go directly to the gift page.

One of the great blessings of my ministry was the opportunity to serve Tennessee churches as the first full-time coordinator of TCBF. I encourage you to continue to support this organization and its Coordinator in furthering the work of the Kingdom of God in Tennessee and around the world. It’s time to step up and make a choice.

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