David Pearson is listed on Floridas sex-offender registry as having been convicted of sexual assault of a child in Texas in 1993. We have two important questions, the answers to which will determine the level of our continuing support of CBF. All Rights Reserved. In October of 2013 I sent a letter with the unanimous consent of our deacon body to the new Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter. With tensions running high, CBF members on both sides of the issue sparred during the hour-long business session. It was officially founded in 1991. How can you accomplish such a task and have such homophobic policies on the books? Because of this organizational value, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship does not allow for the expenditure of funds for organizations or causes that condone, advocate or affirm homosexual practice. Cecil Sherman was the first Executive Coordinator of CBF and I distinctly remember the story he shared with a small group of pastors that met with him in 1992 who were in much prayer and thought about leading their churches out of the SBC to be part of the new organization (CBF does not call itself a denomination, but it clearly functions as one). In this respect, they are not unlike those churches who elect to stay with CBF. I made the decision to become a Clinical Psychologist in the 9 th grade while enrolled in a course, entitled, "Personal Problems." This would be equivalent to a contemporary high school psychology course. Though he was a moderate Baptist, my mentor was forced into a closet by the denominations he served. 2023 Southern Baptist Convention. Supporters of the move argued that it would be a step toward justice for gays and lesbians and an affirmation that the moderate CBF opposes creedalism. Because Baptists have long maintained that we have no creed but the Bible, an important question for us has always been, What does the Bible say?. It reads as follows: As Baptist Christians, we believe that the foundation of a Christian sexual ethic is faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman and celibacy in singleness. [4] The Threat of Ideological Sexuality to the Gospel that is Not an Ideology.. Supporters of the move argued that it would be a step toward justice for gays and lesbians and an affirmation that the moderate CBF opposes creedalism. One concern of those with a traditional view of sexuality is that the implementation procedure seeks to appease that overwhelming number of cooperating congregations forming CBFs base, while in fact the procedure is toothless and could be eliminated by the 16-member CBF Governing Board with no public notice whatsoever, which may reassure those who affirm homosexual behavior, but is alarming to some traditionalists. "Which one of the liberal denominations did you join?" An emergency savings fund is a privilege that he has not been able to afford. Prominent Southern Baptist Pastor Adrian Rogers who was also on the Committee said, We dont want four of the seminaries, we want all six of the seminaries. It was that spirit that drove moderate Baptists out of the Southern Baptist Convention. The letter was sent and we waited. Looks like fbcfrankfort.info is safe and legit. With tensions running high, CBF members on both sides of the issue sparred during the hour-long business session. In 2016, the CBF co-sponsored a conference on sexuality and initiated the "'Illumination Project' approved by the Governing Board (formerly the Coordinating Council) to develop models for the Fellowship community to air differences not only about the hiring ban but also other hot-button issues dividing churches, denominations and society". The phrase "practicing homosexual" is about as homophobic as it gets. We treasure the freedom of individual conscience and the autonomy of the local church, and we also believe that congregational leaders should be persons of moral integrity whose lives exemplify the highest standards of Christian conduct and character. Both the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists emerged from the 1980's fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention as networks for moderate to progressive Baptist congregations and seminaries. Under Article II of the CBFs previous constitution, the purpose of the Fellowship was described as that of bringing together Baptists who desire to call out Gods gifts in each person in order that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be spread throughout the world in glad obedience to the Great Commission. The revised article in the constitution describes the Fellowships purpose as that of serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission., The revised article also does not reference the authority of the Bible without the aid of creeds, as did the original. Time has now run out for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. who practice a traditional Christian sexual ethic of celibacy in singleness or faithfulness in marriage between a woman and a man., Seeking clarification, Hood is concerned with apparent equivocation in the implementation procedure. It would increase full-time Southern Baptist international missionaries from 3,700 to 4,200, boost the number of congregations by 5,000, and seek to reverse the decline in baptisms among teens. Cecil Sherman, one of the founders of the CBF, stated in an article for Baptists Today dated April 1, 1993, that he hoped the CBF will not make a statement on this subject. [7] He felt compelled, however, to speak to the issue because he was the one asking people to fund the mission work of the CBF and therefore wanted to go on record as to what he personally believed. The Problem of Predatory Lending - Cooperative Baptist Fellowship The Problem of Predatory Lending Meet Elliott. Like a growing number of Americans, Elliott is underemployed and has lived paycheck to paycheck for quite some time. In spite of that, the CBF has tacitly affirmed without question a very hermeneutically weak (in my view) reinterpretation of the biblical texts that essentially reclassifies a behavior formerly considered sinful as instead being representative of Gods creative intent and purpose., Concerned about what he sees, Hood said, The CBF may maintain that it doesnt take official positions on such questions, but the signs all appear to point in one direction, and the proverbial writing would seem to be upon the wall., Hood further cited the implementation procedure for the new hiring policy, saying, It has angered the affirming churches because it says CBF will employ persons for leadership positions . Your leadership and support were vital in the founding of our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. CBF values and respects the autonomy of each individual and local church to . CBF made clear that not all of its congregations agree on the issue, noting that "universal reflection" is not possible. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship I wonder how long it will take the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to realize that with regard to our LGBTQ sisters and brothers it is on the wrong side of history. 9 Missions Christian Book Notes, The Doctrinal Trajectory of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in the First Thirty Years, Pt. 2 . I wish I did not have to correspond with you on such a serious matter, but I must. We treasure the freedom of individual conscience and the autonomy of the local church, and we also believe that congregational leaders should be persons of moral integrity whose lives exemplify the highest standards of Christian conduct and character. A Christian network forming together and partnering to renew God's world. Baptists do not baptize infants. Unfortunately, the effect of the CBF has been felt by several unsuspecting SBC churches who normally had a few pro-CBF folks or a pastor come in and begin to try and lead them in that direction. When Anthony's is closed, he has no problem with our parking on his side, especially on Sundays. Neither does the CBF organizational value allow for the purposeful hiring of a staff person or the sending of a missionary who is a practicing homosexual. The headquarters is in Decatur, Georgia. Because of this organizational value, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship does not allow for the expenditure of funds for organizations or causes that condone, advocate or affirm homosexual practice. Neither does this CBF organizational value allow for the purposeful hiring of a staff person or the sending of a missionary who is a practicing homosexual. God loves you, sent His Son to die for you. "Most folks in our church wanted to ordain women." The Coordinating Council adopted this policy in October of 2000, but our church leadership only became aware of it last year. Here's how. Overhearing Charlie's comment, I immediately replied, "Why did y'all do something dumb like that?" Churches deciding to disassociate from CBF have not and are not doing so lightly. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. National Baptist Evangelical Life and Soul Saving Assembly of the U.S.A. National Missionary Baptist Convention of America. Funds may be designated for CBF Global Missions or state-level CBF affiliates such as CBF Texas or Fellowship Southwest. [24] Bob Allen, Analysis: A Timeline of CBFs LGBTQ Debate, Baptist Global News, July 7, 2016, emphasis added. Top leaders address divides in the denomination at the first in-person Executive Committee meeting in a year. Jay Robinson of Lexington, Ky., made a motion to refer the entire constitution back to committee because of problems in the wording of the article. Sign up for our newsletter: While the denomination has seen growth outside its Bible Belt strongholds, including new church plants led by non-Anglo pastors, its membership decline continues to accelerate. See their 2017 Annual Report. "The snow sets this place off." Cooperative . Support CBF's response in Turkey and Syria. For churches agreeing with the BGCT and BGAV decisions to stop forwarding funds to CBF in response to the latters new hiring policy, CBF has presented funding options. Maybe, I was talking to God. In this workshop, we will not only explore ways to recruit new volunteers but how to create a culture where volunteers thrive and are engaged. Tapping Cooperative Program problematic Most SBC ministries, such as missions and seminary education, are funded through the Cooperative Program, which pools money from local churches. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Some may wonder why a church would consider disconnecting from the CBF over something like their revised hiring policy removing language prohibiting the purposeful hiring of a practicing homosexual or the funding of those who advocate or affirm homosexual practice, Hood said. CBF members agree that as it is a fellowship of autonomous churches, issuing statements would be beyond its purpose. In July 2016, Russ Dean, a pastor at Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte, NC, wrote an article titled, When it comes to same-sex marriage, its all over but the shoutin.[25] In this article, he claims, Text and context go together, and as cultural, scientific and social advance give us new understandings, God gives us new truth through the same, ancient word.[26] Near the end of the article, he makes two comments that demonstrate the new understanding on this issue, and how different it was from the CBFs understanding when it was founded. Unlike the issue of abortion, this ethical issue has been heavily discussed and debated by the CBF. Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. Vestal is quoted, Except for a small handful of Baptist churches, the vast majority of churches that partner within CBF will not call/hire/ordain a practicing gay/lesbian Christian as pastor or ministering staff member, Vestal said. We seek to connect Gods story and Gods people around the world. Its churches are also spread across 18 states and consist of more than 750 endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors. As such, the principles both groups of churches espouse are upheld. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter addresses Baptists in this undated photo. The IP Committee says this procedure reflects the practices of an overwhelming number of our cooperating congregations. But leaders at the general assembly seemed very concerned to reassure the affirming churches with words to the effect that procedure does not rise to the level of policy, the procedure is non-binding, and procedure is at the discretion of the staff.. [17] Daniel Vestal, personal correspondence, CBF and the issue of homosexuality: A response to recent reports from Baptist Press, July 2000, CBF Archives. I believe Paul was right about 100 percent men and 100 percent women, she said. Wake up to the day's most important news. Over 29 years ago Pastor David lived as a great sinner and rebel, the site says. This is where true heart-changing occurs because within churches, folk develop relationships with each other that erodes the us and them mentality of hetero-exclusivism.[35], In other words, the network will not be satisfied until every church that is affiliated with the CBF affirms the LGBTQ agenda in addition to same-sex marriage. Neither does this CBF organizational value allow for the purposeful hiring of a staff person or the sending of a missionary who is a practicing homosexual.". In addition, representatives of some groups were invited to speak to the congregation on successive Sunday mornings. For many years, my mentor served Southern Baptist churches and his last church was affiliated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). The office maintains two kinds of confidential files: one of ministers open to moving and another of church positions. The majority of CBF congregations, which are autonomous, do not prohibit employment on matters of human sexuality. Elle est affilie l' Alliance baptiste mondiale. First, Dean states, Anyone just coming to the conversation should not expect to be allowed the same amount of time.[27] The implication is the times have changed and there are no longer any valid reasons why one should not celebrate same-sex marriages. Donate Subscribe. David Currie, national leader of the Mainstream Baptist Network and a leader in the Baptist General Convention of Texas, denounced the move, imploring the body to reject the motion. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian network of individuals and churches working together to spread the hope of Christ. Gleannings aggregates what others are reporting. [32] Bob Allen, CBF moderator says proposed LGBTQ hiring policy meets Fellowship Baptists where they are, Baptist Global News, February 8, 2018. The SBC Baptist Faith and Message Study Committee issued a statement at that time explaining that liberal biblical interpreters abused the deleted phrase to put Jesus in opposition to the Apostle Paul and to argue for an interpretation of the person of Jesus against the teaching of Scripture. This year, the committee recommended four. The CBF has repeatedly communicated their position not only through statements, articles, and conferences, but through the funding of pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+ agencies. 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