Barnabas File

On Sunday morning, we sang the hymn “Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul” in worship. My wife Rita and I glanced at each other and exchanged smiles.  When I was a student pastor in Texas, the church where we worshipped on weekends loved this song.  We were not familiar with it when we first went there and Rita, who was the pianist (of course), had to get the hang of it.  Once she did, they wanted to sing it every Sunday. Sunday afternoon Rita asked, “I wonder if that that church is still there?” I went to the Baptist General Convention of Texas website and did a search, but the name of the church did not come up.  I began to speculate about what might have happened. Perhaps the church just closed its doors.  They were small 50 years ago and only had a few families.  Maybe they could no longer support the church. Another possibility is that they had gone independent or joined a more conservative Baptist group and no longer identified...

Responses to the adoption by the CBF Governing Board of a new hiring policy and the announcement of the policy’s implementation plan have been mixed.   Most seem willing to accept the new hiring policy, but many argue that the implementation plan will simply perpetuate a discriminatory approach in matters of sexuality.   This is a compromise which, in the long run, will make no one happy.  If the present implementation plan stands, the CBF “denomi-network” must be prepared to face significant consequences.  First, CBF will continue to lose those young adults who will not accept a discriminatory sexual ethic. I n a letter to the editor of Baptist News Global, divinity student Adam McDuffie wrote : “With the implementation procedure as it currently stands, excluding children of God from serving as they are called, the CBF is risking an exodus that is already beginning, and may in fact be irreversible.”  The approach adopted by the CBF ...

Developmental psychologists and sociologists have observed that adolescence lasts longer than it did in previous decades.   Twenty-five year olds may still live at home and lack a clear vision for their future.   Even those involved with jobs, advocacy, and education are still not sure “what they will be when they grow up.” This could describe the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is as it completes the celebration of its 25 th year.  In response to my recent blog about the Baptist Diaspora, friend Andrew Bennett observed (shared with his permission): In its early days the CBF was struggling with its identity.  When Keith Parks was hounded out of the SBC and came over we immediately became a missions delivery organization.  There seemed to be little hesitation or reflection it was just like a switch was flipped.  The difficult process of examining what we are and what our future should be has been an ad hoc process as time has gone b...

My friend is chair of the Deacon body in her Baptist church in a neighboring state.  She shared with me the struggle they were experiencing over clarifying the role of deacons in the church.  Is it one of administration and authority or service and spiritual guidance?  I recommended that she obtain a copy of Exemplars:  Deacons as Servants and Spiritual Leaders .  I think she will find it a valuable resource for illumination and discussion. Although described in the introductory chapter as a “workbook,” I would rather call this book a resource for personal and group development.  The content is rich in information and each chapter includes questions for individual reflection and group conversation. The book is built upon three pillars.  First, who do deacons need to be?  Deacons—like all believers--are unique creations of God, recipients of God’s grace, and spiritually gifted servants.  These chapters are a reminder of one’s iden...

The system really did work well.   The approach used by denominations in the mid-20 th century facilitated growth, ministry, attendance, and contributions.   The vertically and horizontally integrated model assured that all of the denomination’s far-flung ministries would be promoted in Sunday school and disciple development literature, there would be common standards for all types of church programming, and   all cooperating churches would be on the same page when it came to denominational life (at least in theory).   Then it fell apart. Why did it collapse in on itself?  A complete answer would require an extensive sociological study, but the truth is that the culture changed on both sides of the coin.  Churches were no longer willing to accept a “one size fits all” approach.  Judicatories increasingly saw their role as quality control, not only in programming but in doctrinal belief as well.  The cooperative effort was always a house of...