Virtual Fellowship: CBF General Assembly 2020

I have lost count of how many Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly meetings I have attended.  In the early days, I was working for another Baptist organization, so I took vacation days to attend (as did many of my colleagues).  There was a certain feeling of adventure of attending then, something like Luke Skywalker joining the Rebel Alliance.  Not only were we upset about the direction of the Southern Baptist Convention, but we sought the fellowship of others with the same convictions--people who were our friends and mentors--those we loved, admired, and enjoyed being with.  

Of course, when I was coordinator of Tennessee CBF, I attended every year and found myself involved in plenary sessions, workshops, ancillary meetings, and hallway conversations. Even then, the personal conversations were what gave me energy and satisfaction.  After that season, I struggled a bit with my role in the gathering, although my congregational membership, my work with Central Seminary, and my association with Pinnacle Leadership Associates provided some points of connection.  

Although I have not attended the General Assembly for a couple years, Rita and I planned to go this year to reengage with friends and colleagues, many of whom are moving off the scene. Then came COVID-19 and everyone’s plans changed.

The CBF General Assembly went virtual this year. There are certainly pros and cons to this approach, but the national leadership pulled it off despite some technical glitches.  Kudos to the staff members who stepped in on Friday morning and revamped the delivery system when the primary platform failed.  

Honestly, I did not participate in every workshop and session offered--about four hours a day was my limit--but what I chose to attend was encouraging and informative.  We are now into at least the fourth generation of elected and staff leadership, and I am impressed with the diversity of those leaders.  It was good to see my friend, Carol England McEntyre, assume the role of Moderator.  Her reminder that we are called to “create beloved community” is certainly our primary challenge today.  The announcement by Shauw Chin Capps, president of the CBF Foundation, of the Emmanuel McCall Racial Equity Fund provides a means of bringing Fellowship Baptists together in common cause.  Dr. McCall himself continues to

be a key player in reminding us that our work in racial equity is far from complete.

I was able to participate in three workshops: “Engaging Bold Conversations in Challenging Times” led by Beth Kennett; “Racial Justice: Moving from Conversation to Action” presented by Kimberly Freeman Brown; and “The Baptist Future:  Is There One?” led by Bill Leonard.  All were well done and stimulating.

Leonard, former Dean of the Wake Forest Divinity School, has long been a prophet/sociologist for the emerging Baptist experience.  When CBF was birthed, he was the person who said something to the effect, “This is a difficult time to either maintain a denomination or create a new one.”  My key take-away from his session was the way forward for Baptist congregations is to find effective ways to retell the Jesus Story about the God who is both beyond us and with us.  Back to the basics.

A word about the workshops and a suggestion if these are done again.  Facilitators chose to limit the use of the Chat option on Zoom to interaction with the leaders only.  Participants could not connect with each other individually.  This was disappointing.  Seeing a friend on the screen and not being able to send a message such as “Hey, Scott! How are you doing?” or not being able to comment on a friend’s beard or COVID-19 haircut (or lack thereof) was disappointing.  I have been on calls in recent weeks with a hundred plus participants and the Chat function provided a free dialogue option that was refreshing.  I did note that when the Friday morning Plenary Session shifted to Facebook Live that attendees took advantage of the opportunity to interact.  Is this distracting?  Maybe.  Is it worth providing?  Yes.  Though inconvenient, I found myself during the workshops going over to Messenger and sending short notes to people!

I also participated in two other Zoom sessions that provided the opportunity for much needed connection.  Central Seminary offered a time for supporters to check in, give affirmation to new President Pam Durso, and hear about the work that the seminary is doing.  Central has been on the cutting edge of virtual education, so most participants were very comfortable connecting this way CBF of Tennessee had a good session facilitated by Coordinator Rick Bennett and intern Cassy Chisholm.  It was encouraging not only to see old friends but faces of new leaders in our state.

So, was this a great substitute for a real, in-person General Assembly?  Of course not, but it did provide a chance to lift up those things that are most significant for the Fellowship--cooperation, incarnational missions, calling out and empowering new leaders.  One moment summed up these emphases.  I was especially moved by the presentation of field personnel Shelah and Jade Acker who work in Uganda.  In sharing about their work with a hospital in Sudan which closed due to conflict, Shelah spoke of a nurse there who reminded her that even when the hospital was forced to close, this woman would still be a nurse, finding ways to serve others.  This was a reminder that we are not called simply to create institutions but to invest in people.  When all else fails, the work goes on through the people in whom we have invested ourselves.

I continue to celebrate the ways in which Fellowship Baptists invest in people.  May this continue!