Summer 2024 fellowship! magazine

Investing in Growth

One of the reasons God continues to invite Cooperative Baptists to be in Fellowship with one another is so we can invest in the growth of our congregations and our larger denominational community, not for the sake of our present, but for the sake of faithfulness in the future. This commitment to growth is not new for us. It has been a part of our life together since the very beginning. Let me offer two examples of how we have been investing in growth toward our congregations and the communities.

More than a decade ago, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship established the Fellows program to provide a learning community for ministers in their first call following seminary graduation. The program was created through a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment but has been sustained by gifts congregations and individuals make to our annual budget for years now.

Every two years, a group of early career ministers is formed for mutual equipping to help women and men called to ministry in our congregations begin well and establish spiritual practices, holy friendships and leadership habits that can sustain them through a lifetime of ministry. More than 10 years into the life of CBF Fellows, alumni of the program are now serving as pastors of congregations which are transforming their communities while also serving in governance and leadership across our Fellowship.

A common testimony of alumni of the program is that long after the formal curriculum has ended, the relationships they forged continue to sustain and renew them in ministry. Congregations and communities are being transformed by this investment in growth. The program itself was transformed by the cohort that experienced its journey during the pandemic, and now a new cohort has begun its journey together. At the same time, CBF has now fostered stronger connections between how we lead our Fellows program and other initiatives designed to support ministers across their pastoral lives.

While we may not know will happen in the next decade, we can be aware that ministers who will lead us for years are being formed in ways that will transform us far into the future. We are investing in the transformation of congregations and communities through the CBF Fellows program!

PAUL BAXLEY is Executive Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Five years ago this month, our Fellowship established the Pan African Koinonia (PAK) to provide community for Black congregations and individuals who are drawn to the life of CBF and also be a catalyst for CBF to grow racially. Like Familia, which was established a year earlier, PAK has already made a remarkable difference in the life of our Fellowship.

Through its ministry, established Black congregations and Black church starts have begun to find a home in the life of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. As these congregations have come into closer relationship with us, all of us have gained the gift of new teachers and fellow travelers in the journey of faith. Baptists who come from different racial, ethnic and geographic backgrounds offer an incredibly important witness to those of us whose Baptist identity was only forged under the influence of controversy in the SBC. They have much to teach us about ministry, Baptist identity and community transformation.

As our Fellowship has become more diverse, we are also increasingly positioned to offer a witness to the nation and the world about what genuine racial justice and reconciliation looks like in the power of Christ. Five years ago, our Fellowship made a new investment in growth and transformation, and now we are seeing the impact.

Our Fellowship will continue to invest in growth. We will keep being open to the Spirit’s leadership about how we notice and nurture leadership for our congregations that can help congregations participate in Christ’s mission in communities and all around the world. And we will continue to be open to new congregations and individuals who are being drawn to our life together, not just to be part of us, but to make us new and more faithful. I hope as you read the stories you see in this magazine about PAK, CBF Fellows and many other ministries, your faith will be renewed and your commitment to our life together will expand!

Fellowship! is published 4 times a year in September (Fall), December (Winter), March (Spring), June (Summer) by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Inc., 160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 300, Decatur, GA 30030. Periodicals postage paid at Decatur, GA, and additional offices. USPS #015-625. Executive

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Fellowship!

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 160 Clairemont Avenue, Suite 300 Decatur, GA 30030

4

CBF NAMES 2024 VESTAL SCHOLARS

By Lauren Lamb

8 STRENGTHENING CLERGY, STRENGTHENING CHURCHES

CBF Fellows programs continues equipping first-call ministers

By Marv Knox

14

FORMING A MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE FELLOWSHIP

By Marv Knox

18 FOLLOWING JESUS AND CARING FOR ONE ANOTHER Kieve elevates CBF’s approach to abuse prevention and response

By Grayson Hester

24 TALLAHASSEE FELLOWHSIP RECEIVES MISSION EXCELLENCE AWARD

By Kristen Thomason

26 LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR AT THE BALLOT BOX

McCall Initiative invites voting rights advocacy

By Chris Hughes

28 EQUIPPING WITH EVERY GOOD THING

The Story of Nelson Araújo

By Grayson Hester

30 EQUIPAR CON TODO LO BUENO

La historia de Nelson Araújo

Por Grayson Hester

FROM THE EDITOR

We are excited to share the Summer 2024 edition of fellowship! magazine. Our cover story (pp. 14-17) celebrates CBF’s Pan African Koinonia on the occasion of its fifth anniversary. Over the last five years under the leadership of the Rev. Kasey Jones, CBF associate coordinator of outreach and growth, PAK has helped to form a more diverse and inclusive Cooperative Baptist Fellowship— living out its purpose to cultivate an increased presence of Black individuals and churches throughout CBF life and fulfilling its mission to provide support for the Pan African community in CBF life.

Congratulations to the 2024 Vestal Scholars, Jordann McMahan of Baylor’s Truett Seminary and Meg Rooney of Emory’s Candler School of Theology (p. 4). These students are being honored for their academic achievement and commitment to CBF and the local church. We hope you will also learn about the 2024 CBF Fellows cohort spotlighted in article from Marv Knox (pp. 8-11) on how this 12-year-old program is making a significant impact strengthening both CBF clergy and churches.

We invite you to read an important piece about the ministry of Jay Kieve, CBF’s abuse prevention and response advocate, on pages 18-21. Kieve is elevating CBF’s “hope-filled” approach to the vital task of abuse prevention and response. “Following Jesus and being committed to caring for one another and our neighbors means we join God in protecting the vulnerable and mending the brokenhearted,” says Kieve. “Each of us has a role to play.”

AARON WEAVER is the Editor of fellowship! Connect with him at aweaver@cbf.net

LAUREN LAMB is the Associate Editor of fellowship! Connect with her at llamb@cbf.net

CBF names Meg Rooney and Jordann McMahan as 2024 Vestal Scholars

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has selected Meg Rooney, student at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and Jordann McMahan, student at Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary, as the 2024 Vestal Scholars.

The Fellowship’s most prestigious scholarship, named in honor of former CBF Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal and his wife, Earlene, was created in 2011 to further CBF’s commitment to theological education. The annual scholarship is a foundational element in the Fellowship’s focus on nurturing young Baptists. Recipients of the Vestal Scholarship will have demonstrated academic excellence and displayed a deep commitment to the local church and to CBF.

Meg Rooney is a third-year student at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. She has been an intern with CBF in communications and marketing since September 2022. Rooney has a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing from James Madison University.

“During my undergraduate time at James Madison University, I had the opportunity to write an honors thesis, which talked about the interconnectedness of language and theology,” said Rooney about her work. “Women have either been granted or denied access to their calling based on language. Through that undergraduate

By Lauren Lamb

thesis I realized I could not continue writing about women in ministry without being a woman in ministry myself.”

Jordann McMahan is a third-year student at Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Old Dominion University. She has served as a residential chaplain since January 2023, caring for more than 700 Baylor students. “This job in particular has been preparing me for congregational ministry, as I am involved in pastoral care for students every day in so many different seasons of their lives.”

McMahan has also interned with Baptist Women in Ministry. “This has been such an encouragement and such a wonderful opportunity,” she said. “I get to see and hear about the ways other women have overcome obstacles in pursuing their ministries.”

A committee of CBF’s Ministries Council selected the two scholars. They were recognized at the 2024 CBF General Assembly, June 19-21, in Greensboro, N.C.

The CBF Foundation stewards the long-term growth of the Daniel and Earlene Vestal Leadership Scholar Endowment Fund. We invite you to leave a legacy of Baptist leaders for future generations by making a bequest gift in your will toward the fund. You can also have an immediate impact by making a gift toward the fund. Contact Shauw Chin Capps at scapps@cbf.net for further assistance.

Jordann McMahan Truett Seminary

Meg Rooney

Candler School of Theology

Pathlight helps children explore the Good News of Jesus through stories, Scripture and activities.

Mission & Ministry Themes for 2024-25

August 2024: Welcoming Each Other Scripture: Romans 15:7

September 2024: Working Together Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:8-9

October 2024: Sharing God’s Kingdom Scripture: Galatians 3:26-28

November 2024: Praying Scripture: Philippians 4:6

December 2024: Sharing God’s Love Scripture: James 2:14-17

January 2025: Changing the Cycle Scripture: Isaiah 61:1

February 2025: Encouragement Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

March 2025: Signs of Hope Scripture: Isaiah 40:31

April 2025: Transformation Scripture: Isaiah 43:18-19

May 2025: Being Present Scripture: Romans 12:13

June 2025: Building Relationships Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

July 2025: Helping Refugees Scripture: Matthew 25:34-40

MOVING DAY

By Marc Wyatt

MISSION BITES

Moving day is always exciting. Refugee guests of Welcome House Raleigh arrive weary and off balance. It can take time for folks to feel at home. Of course, they aren’t home yet. They are awaiting the news from their agency caseworker that a permanent home has been secured. It can take weeks, even months.

Guests slowly but surely become friends while they wait for their first home in the United States. This pause is both frustrating and sacred. It is also a time of learning and discovery. The “wait” is where we practice Christ’s presence through hospitality. The transformation from strangers to friends is shared by all, both guests and hosts. We never grow tired of it.

And then comes the day! Moving day! Our team works closely with the refugee agency to furnish the apartment for our new friends. We help them gather their belongings, often much more than they arrived with, and take them to their new home. At the front door a new “welcome home” mat greets them. Inside everything is in its place and every room is ready. Home sweet home. We never grow tired of Moving Day. Want to come with us?

Marc and Kim Wyatt serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Raleigh, N.C.

In a country where 1.5 percent of the population is Christian, Mary provides support for ministry efforts through translation assistance to local churches to reach their communities widely.

HOPEFUL SIGNS

By Mary

Recently, I returned to the southern part of the country for an annual networking meeting. Over 20 years ago, CBF workers began serving as part of an international team to initiate this gathering. The purpose of this gathering was to encourage a burgeoning network of international workers and to provide training and collaboration opportunities. Initially, the meeting focused on non-local workers. Then, it adapted to engage the local church.

Christians comprise less than 1.5 percent of the population in the country. For many years, the church did little to try to understand how to reach out to the ethnic minority in the south. The meeting began to include interested local people and provided dual tracks in their language as well as English. Slowly, local workers developed and became more involved. While we had helped with some of this effort, I don’t know if we noted or understood that what we were seeing in this meeting each year reflected some changes in the overall ministry.

For the first time in its more than 20-year history, the meeting was planned by local workers. Thanks to the commitment and effort of CBF in partnership with local and international colleagues, the local church has begun to catch a vision for reaching out to their ethnic minority neighbors.

Mary serves as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Southeast Asia.

Kim and Marc Wyatt are the co-founders of Welcome House Raleigh, a temporary reception home providing hospitality for refugee families in North Carolina.

As part of their ministry, Chouki and Maha Boulos provide muchneeded assistance to refugees, distributing more than 550 food packages every four-to-six weeks. Maha (right) pictured putting together food packages for people in Assyout, Egypt.

EGYPT CELEBRATION

By Chaouki Boulos

Being in Egypt, Maha and I had a chance to visit churches and share the Lord with them. I spoke at the last church we visited. It was a home church or a house meeting. Once we arrived in the suburbs of the area, we were welcomed by many people. They were happy to see new faces. It meant someone cares for them.

As we gathered in the house with the tree inside the living room, everyone sat down on the floor ready to listen. They sang a few hymns and then I shared with them. After the meeting, I prayed with a large group of people. Some of them decided to accept the Lord. Three women asked me to pray for them to have children, and others asked me to pray for the Lord to heal them from their illnesses.

Later, I met a man who was considered like a mayor and had a good conversation with him. People usually listen to this person. He is like a counselor or an advisor in the village. Every time people disagree or fight with each other, they come to him to resolve the misunderstanding. He gave me some background to life in these villages. Then, we distributed around 40 food packages and left after spending time with people and praying with them.

Chaouki and Maha Boulos serve as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Beirut, Lebanon.

ENGLISH IN THE INTERIM

By Jana Lee

I arrived in Cyprus in November with an idea of what work I would be doing. I met so many wonderful people in my first few months, one of whom was a social worker who worked with unaccompanied minors in a condemned hotel. It was obvious to see the great need they had for structure, love and stability. We started brainstorming ideas of how to best help them. We found the best way to get into their lives is through an English club. The boys come once a week to learn a few English words and phrases and play UNO.

It has quickly become one of the favorite activities of my week. They are there waiting for us when we arrive, and eager to learn.

I see the connection forming and we can see the trust increase each week. I am happy to hear each week of one of them going to another country in Europe to be with their extended families. It is a beautiful thing to hope they will all be reunited in some way after they leave Cyprus.

Jana Lee serves as Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel in Larnaca, Cyprus.

helps refugees by distributing food, clothing and clean water. She is also developing a health education program for asylum seekers.

In Larnaca, Cyprus, Jana

Strengthening Clergy Strengthening Churches

12 years later, program continues equipping

‘first call’ ministers

For almost a dozen years, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has invested in its future and in the future of CBF churches by pouring resources into some of its youngest ministers.

And those clergy say the investment has made an immeasurable impact on them and on their ministries.

The Fellowship created its CBF Fellows program in 2012 to help ministers in their “first call” start strong. Every other year, it launches a new cohort of up to 16 young clergy who learn the ropes of ministry from CBF staff, veteran ministers, coaches and each other.

CBF started the program with a grant from the Lilly Endowment and this February initiated its sixth cohort of Fellows, all in their first five years of ministry.

The Fellows program strives for two goals, noted Kelly Rhodes Adams, director of CBF’s Clergy Support Ecosystem. First, it seeks not only to protect Fellows from isolation and burnout, but also to empower them to thrive as pastors. And second, it supports each Fellow’s congregation as they nurture their minister.

“This sets up a model CBF replicates across the decades—beginning with early support for Fellows, later with Thriving in

Ministry cohorts that support mid-career ministers, and all along the way, participation in Peer Learning Groups for long-term success,” Adams said. “We hope to support clergy through the lifespan of vocational ministry.”

That’s particularly crucial during the Fellows’ first years, she added. “If we give ministers resources and tools so they can respond proactively early in ministry, perhaps we can reduce burnout down the road. To help them thrive in ministry, we resource them early with connections and networks that will sustain them in ministry long-term.”

The 2024-25 cohort is “a great group of ministers,” she reported. “The 15 Fellows represent a variety of ministry positions— from a pastoral resident, all the way to associate pastor and pastor, to youth, missions and digital discipleship ministry. The varying roles bring enrichment to the group.”

Their diversity extends beyond the jobs they hold. They also are diverse in gender, race, geography and education.

The new Fellows came to the program through an open application process that involved interviews with former Fellows.

“We examined commitment to congregational ministry: Will they hang in

By Marv Knox

there?” Adams reported. “All these Fellows exhibited a commitment to the church. They are very bright. They are thinking differently about ministry but not thinking, ‘I need to leave this setting.’ They are committed to congregational ministry.”

The Fellows alumni left the interviews holding their early-career peers in high regard. “They were impressed with the ways these people—young in ministry—have articulated a clear sense of calling and commitment to their vocation and creative ways they are ministering,” Adams said. “We can all learn from each other.”

The Fellows cohort meets at the CBF office in Decatur, Ga., twice this year and once next year, and they’ll attend the CBF General Assembly both summers. In-between, they’ll experience an immersion trip together. They also have a coach they meet with to discuss their vocational goals, contextual challenges and joys in ministry.

Their sessions will give them opportunities to learn more about themselves through personality inventories and other reflection exercises. They will spend significant time getting to know each other and systematically meet CBF staff.

Learning activities will develop across time, Adams said: “With this cohort, we’re

trying to meet expressed needs. We want to ‘mine the wisdom of the room.’ There are things these ministers excel in that they can teach each other.”

Not only do Fellows benefit from their experience, but the Fellows program strengthens CBF and Fellows’ congregations, she observed.

“When you help ministers flourish early on, it contributes to the vitality of the church,” she said. “When ministers get ahead of the curve on self-awareness and carry that through ministry, strengthened clergy strengthen churches.”

And Fellows veterans pay forward benefits they received, she noted. For example, several members of CBF governance bodies are former Fellows, “and the ways they help our team think about issues are valuable.” Former Fellows serve on other CBF councils, advisory boards, and state and regional boards. “We’re in good hands,” she stressed.

Likewise, former and current Fellows expressed gratitude for the good hands that poured blessing into their lives and ministries.

Carol McEntyre, senior minister at First Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C., participated in the first Fellows cohort in 2012—“perfect timing” to coincide with her first senior pastorate.

“The most significant value I gained from being a Fellow was the opportunity to gather with a cohort of young leaders who were also reading, reflecting and thinking deeply about church leadership,” McEntyre said. “It was such a fantastic opportunity to learn from each other and our facilitators.”

“The Fellows program plays a critical role in providing new ministers with additional leadership training that complements their seminary training,” she added. “By offering the support of seasoned facilitators and a community of colleagues, Fellows create an environment where emerging leaders can grow, learn and develop their leadership skills. Ultimately, the Fellows program helps cultivate a new generation of leaders who are better equipped to serve their congregations.”

“The deeper connection to other ministers and to CBF afforded by the Fellows program remains the most consistent and

CBF Fellows’ fourth cohort (2018-2020) included senior ministers, associate pastors and nonprofit workers from Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, New York and North Carolina.

“WHEN YOU HELP MINISTERS FLOURISH EARLY ON, IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE VITALITY OF THE CHURCH.”

deepest impact on my life,” noted Daniel Potter, minister to students at First Baptist Church in Columbus, Ga., podcast director for Youth Ministry Conversations and a member of the 2016-2018 Fellows cohort.

Potter also pointed to a statement from former longtime CBF staffer Bo Prosser as his best lesson in Fellows. “People go where they know they are cared for and prepared for.”

That concept shapes multiple facets of life and ministry, Potter observed. “This idea has challenged me to view each person I serve as an individual, to try my best to grow the depth of the relationships we share, and then to make good on the promise that, with God’s help, I will walk alongside them as they seek to encounter Christ and grow in their faith.”

Fellows created a “community of friends” for Tyler Tankersley, senior pastor of Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. His 2018-2020 cohort got waylaid by Covid, but some became dear friends, “and a few of them I speak to nearly every day,” he said.

The 2014-2016 cohort of Fellows welcomed 25 ministers to CBF’s headquarters in Decatur, Ga., for a retreat and time of fellowship and learning to kick-off their two-year experience together.

Members of the 2014 CBF Fellows cohort meet at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga., for a training session, including teaching modules, case studies and coaching situations.

“MINISTRY IS TOUGH, AND FELLOWS PROVIDED A SOFT PLACE TO LAND WHEN I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I HAD ONE.”

That sense of connection shaped his best Fellows lessons. “Ministry cannot be done alone,” he explained. “And pastors need spaces where they can enter the room and not have to explain what their life looks like; they need spaces where people just innately ‘get it.’ When I’ve faced a difficult ministry situation or a dilemma I’ve never faced before, some of the first people I turned to were members of my CBF Fellows cohort.

“Nothing CBF has done for me has had the impact like my time in CBF Fellows has had,” he said. “I gained friends who feel like family, confidantes to turn to when I am struggling, and a perspective on the importance of community for the health of my soul.”

Kan’Dace Brock learned “never to be afraid to take risks and try something new” during the pandemic-extended 2020-2023 cohort. “The freedom in knowing it was okay to try something new or outside the box encouraged me as a lead pastor, wife, mother and friend,” said Brock, lead pastor and co-founder of The Message Church in San Antonio and founder/CEO of two nonprofit ministries.

Brock also cherishes the “cohort of brilliant leaders, friends and family” she experienced. “The encouragement received from our cohort mentors in the exchange of ideas, intimate conversations and real life for my fellow cohort members was the gift I didn’t know my soul needed,” she said.

She praised CBF for investing in ministers through Fellows. “We must provide a space such as Fellows for ministers to come together and ‘let their hair down’ without judgment, shame, side-eyes or persecution,” she said. “Ministry is tough, and Fellows provided a soft place to land when I didn’t feel like I had one.”

Eric Fulcher, minister of formation and Church of the Nations at University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La., participated in that 2020-2023 cohort. He also cherishes his Fellows relationships.

“I struggled to find my way in CBF early in my ministry career, and the Fellows program gave me an opportunity to develop friendships with other ministers in the cohort, as well as incredible mentors in the faculty,”

he explained. “These relationships gave me a place to process ministry questions and find how my gifts fit into my ministry context.”

Fulcher’s best Fellows lesson was learning “there is no script” for ministry. “I often wondered if I was doing things ‘right’ or if the programs I oversaw were similar to those of my colleagues,” he said. “Hearing about so many different ways of doing ministry helped me see more clearly context matters, and each context is unique. It helped me find a greater sense of confidence in trying new things, being okay with making mistakes and giving me a place to discover my unique skills for ministry.”

Members of the new Fellows cohort say the program is already shaping them and their ministries.

Madison Harner-Watts, associate pastor for families at Weatherly Heights Baptist Church in Huntsville, Ala., started full-time ministry during the pandemic. She applied for Fellows in part because “I knew I’d need partners who have experienced these particularly unique challenges,” she noted.

“I’m looking forward to the camaraderie and togetherness that this program provides,” she said. “I know there are healthy benefits for me personally and spiritually by being part of this group of people. Another sounding board and community to spur on lifelong learning goals is one of the aspects I most appreciate about being part of the Fellows.”

“The greatest insight I’ve had so far is the value in having both experienced mentors and close colleagues who are having similar experiences to mine,” said Sean Timmons, associate pastor of youth and families at West Main Baptist Church in Danville, Va. “It’s one thing to have someone who has experienced something before helping you walk; it’s another thing entirely to have someone who is learning and growing alongside you.”

And Timmons looks forward to what’s in store with Fellows: “I hope this program will prepare me for a long and fruitful time in ministry, while also giving me dear friends and colleagues whom I can support and who can also support me as we serve God together in varying capacities and contexts.”

2024 FELLOWS COHORT

Naomi Black-Bass

Associate Pastor of Youth & Connections

First Baptist Church

Anderson, S.C.

Co’Relous Bryant

Senior Pastor

United Church of Lincoln Lincoln, Vt.

Anna Beth Cross

Associate Minister for Students & Digital Discipleship

Greystone Baptist Church Raleigh, N.C.

Jordan Conley

Co-Pastor

Crescent Hill Baptist Church Louisville, Ky.

Caleb Cooke

Pastoral Resident

First Baptist Church Columbia, Mo.

Patrick Griffin

Associate Minister for Students & Youth

Oakland Baptist Church Rock Hill, S.C.

Madison Harner Watts

Associate Pastor for Families

Weatherly Heights Baptist Church

Huntsville, Ala.

Holly Hatton

Associate Pastor

First Baptist Church Memphis, Tenn.

Weston Henderson

Minister to Families, Children & Youth

Pelham Road Baptist Church

Greenville, S.C.

Michael Huerter

Associate Pastor of Worship and Engagement

Holmeswood Baptist Church Kansas City, Mo.

Ethan Hughes

Associate Pastor of Youth & Young Adults

First Baptist Church Winchester, Va.

João Moraes

Pastor for Spiritual Formation

Emmanuel Baptist Church Alexandria, La.

Allie Osborne

Minister of Missions & Children’s Discipleship

Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church Atlanta, Ga.

Justin Pierson

Associate Pastor for Family Ministry & Missions

Central Baptist Church

Richmond, Va.

Sean Timmons

Associate Pastor of Youth & Families

West Main Baptist Church

University Chaplain, Averett University

Danville, Va.

Forming a more diverse and inclusive Fellowship

Pan

African Koinonia

collaborates to create supportive community, promote increased presence of Black individuals and churches

By Marv Knox

CBF celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Pan African Koinonia, a ministry comprised of members of CBF from the African diaspora (including African Americans, Caribbean, Africans and more) and committed to providing support for the Pan African community and enhancing the life of the wider CBF network. PAK’s purpose is to cultivate an increased presence of Black individuals and churches throughout CBF life.

PAK member Kim Bee, a graduate of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, participates in worship at the 2023 General Assembly in Atlanta.

Acrossits first five years, Pan African Koinonia has strengthened both the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and its Black members and congregations.

This year marks the fifth anniversary of PAK, the CBF organization of members with historic ties to Africa, including African Americans, Caribbeans, Africans and others. They collaborate to create a supportive community and to promote increased presence of Black individuals and churches throughout CBF.

Pan African Koinonia’s predecessor, the African American Network, started in 2015. It began transforming during a reception at the 2018 CBF General Assembly, when participants decided to form a steering committee and brainstormed new names. Then, 2019 provided a pivotal moment for Black identity in the Fellowship. The Angela Project, a three-year multidenominational commemoration of the 400th anniversary of slavery in America, ended. CBF created the Dr. Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice and Leadership Initiative, and the African American Network relaunched as Pan African Koinonia, or PAK.

The new name is significant, noted Kasey Jones, CBF’s associate coordinator for outreach and growth. “African American Fellowship” didn’t work as a name because “Caribbean and African CBFers didn’t feel welcome” under that banner.

“The McCall Initiative is designed to create avenues for God’s imperfect church to move toward meaningful unity between racially diverse communities, and PAK is the inclusion arm,” she said. “It’s the vehicle to bring Black CBFers together, the place where community is found, as well as the source for advocacy to increase Black participation—in leadership, resource development and raising our voices.”

CBF needs Pan African Koinonia to expand and transform its culture, Jones said. Lynn Brinkley, CBF’s new PAK field ministry coordinator, extended that thought.

“CBF’s mission is to be a national and global community bearing witness to the Gospel in partnership with Christians across the nation and around the world,” Brinkley said. “PAK represents people of global majority who bring a unique focus on Black Church witness and worship and also engages with intentionality social and racial justice issues. PAK is vital to helping CBF foster a more diverse and inclusive fellowship.”

Natasha Nedrick Adzudzor, minister of discipleship at Central Baptist Church in St. Louis and a former CBF Global Missions staff member and current PAK steering committee member, echoed those sentiments.

“In a predominately white organization like CBF, where Black people are the minority, we need holy and separate spaces to gather,

In October 2023, CBF South Carolina and PAK hosted a kick-off retreat for the first CBFSC PAK racial reconciliation and justice cohort. Participants toured the city of Charleston and visited the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston.

(Top Left) Rev. Calbert Brantly (left), senior pastor of St. Matthew Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C., pictured alongside Dr. Carl Easley, senior pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Rockhill, S.C.

(Bottom Left) Rev. John Carroll, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Aiken, S.C., in conversation with Rev. Ramondo Speller, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church, Aiken, S.C.

(Center) Dr. Jeffrey Howard of CBF’s Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice and Leadership Initiative.

(Right) Dr. Tamara Butler, executive director for the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture.

share and celebrate,” she said. PAK “serves as that hub, calling together a diverse group of people from within CBF to raise our voices, celebrate our traditions and demand the necessary change.”

Coach J Livingston, pastor of Remnant Fellowship in Morrow, Ga., added PAK has been mutually beneficial for both CBF at-large and its Black members.

“Within every organization, there are inherent built-in silos of thoughts, understandings and beliefs. CBF leadership has been wise enough to invite diversity into its mission and vision,” he said. “CBF required a deeper, more meaningful engagement with various cultures, as Christ did, to spread the word and works of God to all people.

“PAK is an ethos of a significant part of CBF. PAK’s acceptance into the Cooperative

Baptist family provided it with the nourishment needed to impact both CBF and PAK in a spiritually dynamic way,” he said.

L. Nicole Stringfellow, leader of two organizations that focus on community development in the Mississippi Delta and former vice president for the Delta region of Together for Hope, the CBF-founded rural development coalition, concurred.

“PAK can reach populations, communities and churches in the organization’s footprint that generally would not engage with CBF,”

Stringfellow said. “PAK is a bridge into Black/ Brown-skinned communities for CBF, a good step toward inclusion, belonging. CBF is an advocate for racial reconciliation, and PAK is the beginning of an alignment of words with deeds, programming and policy.”

Adzudzor, who attended her first CBF

General Assembly in 2016, said she’s seen PAK change CBF for the better. Back then, “it was clear the Black Church was not the target audience or a strong consideration. The issues I faced in ministry were not at the forefront, and it felt to me that Blacks appeared as tokens in CBF leadership,” she reported. “However, since the launch of PAK, the inclusion of Black voices and churches has radically changed, and CBF is the better for it. ‘Diversity’ no longer seems like a buzzword, but a deep longing and desire to truly become a beloved community.”

The development of PAK has been good for both CBF at-large and for its Black members, Jones stressed. PAK helps the Fellowship move toward its ideals of inclusion and diversity, but this only happens “when you have people of like status at the table,” she said. For example, before 2019, CBF averaged only one or two Black members on its Governing Board, but that number has increased to five or six, about one-third of the whole.

That’s different than including Black people only when they receive financial assistance from CBF. “That can limit their capacity to be full participants—to be able to share honestly and truthfully what they think ought to happen to transform CBF,” she said. “We’re not trying to take over CBF, but to help CBF reflect the kingdom of God. That doesn’t happen if we’re separate. And it doesn’t happen well if people have different power positions.”

The presence of PAK strengthens the Fellowship within a larger cultural context, Jones added. “With our current societal situation, with polarization and division in the country, it’s important for CBF to wrestle

CBF-endorsed chaplain Rev. Carita Brown (top left) and Rev. Rylan Harris (top right) worship while Rev. Dr. LaTonya L. Agard preached during the PAK-sponsored Late Night Worship service at the 2023 General Assembly in Atlanta.

with and be open to being a different model of what it means to be truly diverse,” she said. “We can demonstrate how to have differences but still support ‘the other’ who is different. We need that imagery regarding race in the kingdom of God.”

PAK also blesses its Black members, Jones observed: “It’s reassuring for Black CBFers to find and connect with one another. We have a common story and common ways to help one another.”

Stringfellow experienced this firsthand. “Coming into CBF was a culture shock,” she said. “Once I learned about PAK—the work and the purpose—I was able to relax a little. I knew my voice was heard, my ideas mattered and my challenges were clearly understood when being in PAK spaces.”

“PAK serves as my place within CBF where I can authentically unmask and relax,” Adzudzor added. “It’s a place where I am understood and valued for my unique contributions. PAK serves as a place that encourages me to stand strong and be myself in every CBF space.”

PAK has changed demographics for Black people in CBF, Jones said. “When PAK started, we had Black church starts and individual members but very few established Black congregations that belonged to

CBF fully. Our intentional effort to recruit established Black churches that are part of CBF and PAK has been successful.”

Jones cited a variety of positive CBF developments that flowed from PAK’s success:

• More Black-led contributions in CBF life. These include Late-Night Worship at the annual General Assembly, more articles written by Black authors and training events led by Black leaders.

• “There are Black male pastors initiating conversations about how they can support Black female clergy,” she said. “We are attracting Black churches that want to do more than affirm women, but create intentional space for women to lead.”

• More Black seminarians are finding opportunities to be part of CBF by serving in Black CBF congregations.

• PAK has “made space for leaders to be seen,” resulting in Blacks occupying more positions of visibility and authority across CBF. “This growth represents advancing a community, not merely an individual who can be isolated and silenced,” she said.

• PAK leaders in South Carolina worked with CBF South Carolina to host an event that introduced CBF to a solid core of 17 Black pastors, who now are being invited to engage in CBF life in meaningful ways.

Stringfellow and Livingston stressed Cooperative Baptists should regard PAK’s work as essential.

“CBF should be willing to learn more and establish a better connection with the populations served by PAK and not be afraid to be uncomfortable during uncomfortable discussions,” Stringfellow said. “None of us can do anything about what happened to our ancestors nor the ancestors of others; but we can dig in harder to learn the truth, accept the truth, and dismantle the myths and lies in order to move forward.”

“Without PAK, CBF would lack a significant portion of Christian thought while operating under misplaced understandings about the people it serves,” Livingston added. “Knowing, having and listening to the actual voices of the people CBF serves provides the well-being necessary to upbuild the Kingdom of God.”

And not only is the work essential, but Brinkley sees a bright future for PAK: “My dream is that PAK will build our staff and expand our ministry partners so PAK can inspire genuine Christian fellowship, engage in the work to eradicate racial injustice and cultivate a beloved community.”

Rev. Doretha Lindsay Ward (third from left) of Philadelphia hosted a meeting with pastors and leaders discerning partnership with CBF.

PAK Field Ministry Coordinator Lynn Brinkley (left) shares a photo at the RISE Together Mentorship Network conference with Rev. Dr. Gina Stewart (center), senior pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church in Memphis and president of Lott Carey Global Christian Missional Community.

Rev. Kasey Jones, CBF’s associate coordinator for outreach and growth, shares communion with pastoras in Puerto Rico.

Following Jesus caring for one another

Kieve elevates CBF’s ‘hope-filled’ approach to abuse prevention and response

By Marv Knox

Aparable

describes two people walking along a river when they notice babies floating downstream. One starts pulling babies out of the river; the other runs upstream to stop whoever is throwing babies into the river.

The parable describes the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s response to sexual misconduct, both organizationally and in its churches. While CBF compassionately responds to victims, it exerts consistent and substantial effort into preventing misconduct, noted Jay Kieve, CBF’s abuse prevention and response advocate.

“Talking about preventing clergy sexual abuse and abuse of children is daunting, unpleasant and potentially triggers trauma in

survivors,” Kieve acknowledged. “But the CBF approach to prevention is, ultimately, hope-filled. Following Jesus and being committed to caring for one another and our neighbors means we join God in protecting the vulnerable and mending the brokenhearted. Each of us has a role to play.”

Statistics support the need for abuse prevention and response, he said. Studies show about 12 percent of ministers have had sexual intercourse with congregants. A survey indicated 14 percent of Southern Baptist senior pastors had engaged in “sexual behavior inappropriate for a minister.” And another national study found 17 percent of pastors admitted having sexual contact with a counselee.

Documenting abuse statistics for children is difficult, he said, but added: “In the United States, one in four girls and one in seven boys will experience child sexual abuse. Many of those children go to church. So, even if they aren’t harmed by people at church, we need to be talking about and preventing abuse as a way to care for and protect them.”

In 2016, CBF partnered with Baptist Women in Ministry to create the Clergy Sexual Misconduct Task Force to “focus on the prevention of abuse in our churches.”

At the time, Pam Durso, executive director of BWIM, and Stephen Reeves, CBF’s associate coordinator for advocacy, co-chaired the task force, and Kieve was a member. CBF bolstered its effort to prevent abuse in 2021, when it hired Kieve, then coordinator of CBF of South Carolina, to fill the new post. He also is CBF’s director of ministerial transitions.

“My role grew out of the task force, which realized having a staff person focused on abuse could lend consistent support to churches,” Kieve said. “The task force focused on clergy sexual abuse of adults and created resources for education and guiding response. I support the use of those resources and help churches respond well to allegations of clergy abuse of adults.

“Prevention of sexual abuse of children and helping churches with training and policy is work I started in South Carolina. When I was hired for my role at CBF, I brought all the abuse prevention and response under one umbrella.”

Both theological and practical considerations propelled CBF and BWIM to address abuse, Kieve explained.

“Throughout Scripture, God is on the side of vulnerable and marginalized,” he said. “The Psalms are filled with references to God as a stronghold, a refuge against those with power who would impose their will. And Jesus is often seen advocating for those whose illness or circumstance put them at risk from powerful forces. Following Jesus includes holding the powerful accountable for their behavior toward vulnerable children and adults.”

Practically, “people and their faith only thrive in safety,” he added. “CBF and partner churches invest time, money and energy in pursuit of thriving congregations, clergy, communities and congregants. Part of establishing the foundation for thriving is cultivating physical, psychological and spiritual safety, all of which follows as we pay attention to power in relationships, leadership and church structures.

“Elevating abuse prevention raises the baseline of safety that enables people to explore their faith in relationship with God and others without exposure to the harm that comes from abuse.”

Those beliefs about abuse result in policy, Kieve stressed. For example, all CBF employees, interns and volunteers receive abuse-prevention training. Similarly, a prevention policy that sets guidelines for interaction with children directs field personnel activities and CBF events.

“We take abuse prevention and response seriously by believing adults when they say they have been harmed by someone associated with CBF and grounding our response from a victim-centered, trauma-informed perspective,” he added. “We take abuse prevention and response seriously by honoring our commitment to report suspected or alleged abuse of children to the proper authorities and offering support along the way.”

CBF partners with GRACE—Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment—to provide abuse prevention training for congregations, Kieve said. CBF offers resources such as the curriculum training “Stewards of Children” from Darkness to Light, as well as its own “Safe Churches” clergy sexual misconduct prevention materials. Kieve provides training customized for participating congregations. Those resources result in policies that make churches safer.

Jay Kieve (right) works with a South Carolina-based partner on a program for the prevention of gender-based harm in faith communities.

CBF TRAUMA-INFORMED MINISTRY TRAINING

81% 95% GAINED STRATEGIES FOR ADDING TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE TO THEIR MINISTRY

FELT MORE CONFIDENT IN RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF TRAUMA

FELT MORE EQUIPPED TO FACE MINISTRY CHALLENGES

90%

2024 CBF ABUSE PREVENTION TRAINING

500 TRAINED

100%

100%

AGREED THEY LEARNED NEW SKILLS FOR PROTECTING THE CHILDREN IN THEIR LIVES

FELT THE TRAINING STIMULATED DISCUSSION AND CREATED COMMUNITY

CBF ABUSE PREVENTION

“The CBF approach to prevention is, ultimately, hope-filled. Following Jesus and being committed to caring for one another and our neighbors means we join God in protecting the vulnerable and mending the brokenhearted. Each of us has a role to play.”

IN THE UNITED STATES

GIRLS WILL EXPERIENCE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 1 in 4

BOYS WILL EXPERIENCE CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 1 in 7

RECENT NATIONAL STUDIES SHOW

12% 14%

17%

MINISTERS

HAVE HAD SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH CONGREGANTS

SOUTHERN BAPTIST SENIOR PASTORS ENGAGED IN INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

PASTORS ADMITTED HAVING SEXUAL CONTACT WITH A COUNSELEE

KEY PARTNERS

CBF’s abuse response varies according to the situation, providing “a victim-centered approach that considers the age of the victim and the desire of the victim for response,” he said.

“If someone suspects a child is being abused by a minister or volunteer, we report to law enforcement and work with investigators to the extent we have knowledge,” he noted. “We also support the church in working with the investigators and responding to the victim if the victim or family desire follow-up and care.”

“For adults who report clergy sexual abuse, the response is guided by the victim’s needs,” he added. That ranges from providing a listening ear from “someone who believes them and will help secure support” to seeking “corrective action against the offending minister.”

“CBF honors the victim’s burden by engaging an independent, third-party investigator who will examine the facts and evidence in order to establish that abuse occurred,” he said. “The church of the accused clergy will be notified, and that person will be invited by the investigator to respond to the allegation. CBF will receive the report from the investigator and share it with the victim, minister and church. Because of Baptist polity, CBF neither hires nor fires church ministers, but CBF can help a church understand the allegation, investigation and possible courses of action.”

CBF provides due process, he added. “Accused ministers will have opportunity to tell their story to investigators. When informing a church that an investigation has begun, we remind them investigating doesn’t mean abuse definitely has occurred, so take measures to insulate the minister and care for their family through the process. When an investigation is complete, then the church may choose to act toward the minister.”

Beyond that, CBF removes people who are credibly accused of abuse from its reference and referral systems, Kieve said.

First Baptist Church in Jefferson City, Mo., reached out to CBF because the possibility of sexual abuse was “one of the things that kept me up at night,” explained Melissa Hatfield, lead pastor since March 2023.

“Headlines bring to the surface how churches have handled this poorly,” said Hatfield, who has been on the church’s staff 24 years. “I would be heartbroken if we ever were part of that kind of system.”

A team led by Mike Sloan, GRACE’s director of safeguarding, and Kieve conducted training for First Baptist’s leaders, and Kieve and Sloan went back for churchwide training. A church team has been developing sexual abuse policies, which will be presented to the congregation. Then a set of procedures will follow.

Baptist Women in Ministry supports women who pursue ministry and leadership with sustaining resources and community, and advocates for the full affirmation of women in ministry and leadership in Baptist life. Learn more at www.bwim.info

GRACE’s mission is to empower Christian communities to recognize, prevent and respond to abuse. GRACE believes the Church today is called to be a safe place for children and all who are vulnerable. Learn more at www.netgrace.org.

“Mike and Jay raised our awareness about the potential for abuse,” Hatfield said. “It’s the obligation of the entire church to be responsible about how we want to behave together. This is something we want to get right—a foundational piece for us.”

Across 23 years as youth pastor, Hatfield worked with parents to create a safe environment for students, which established a level of comfort. “But we can get sloppy when we get comfortable,” she said. “We want to be intentional about what we do, because you just never know.”

“You never know” resonates at First Baptist Church in Wilson, N.C., where a previous youth pastor was arrested in 2019 for soliciting a minor online.

Kelsey Lewis Vincent, associate pastor for students and connections, and Taylor Edwards, associate pastor for families and faith formation, contacted Kieve out of need. “We want to build back trust in the children and youth ministries and start strong with good child-protection policies,” Vincent said.

Kieve led a customized training session with staff and lay leaders. “Jay said it’s hard to tell when someone is a predator or not; some are very good at hiding,” Vincent noted. “Hearing that helped folks release the heaviness you feel in the wake of something like this.”

Kieve emphasized the importance of preparedness, she added. “If you have strict policies and prevention measures, it is not up to you to tell who is a predator or not. You treat everyone the same. You are not giving them the opportunity (to abuse), because you are minimizing the opportunity for a predator to be alone with a child.”

Beyond CBF’s efforts, senior pastors provide the key for making their churches safe from abuse, Kieve said. “Churches love their youth ministers and children’s ministers—who often raise the issue of abuse—but they are easier to dismiss, limit or ignore,” he observed. “But when the senior pastor cares about something, talks about it from the pulpit and insists committees address it, the church is much more likely to engage. So, the first thing to do is get the senior pastor talking about preventing abuse in the church.”

To engage CBF’s abuse prevention and response program, contact Jay Kieve at jkieve@cbf.net.

CHAPLAINCY & PASTORAL COUNSELING

THE IMPACT OF COMPASSIONATE PRESENCE

Since 1998, CBF has endorsed more than 1,200 chaplains and pastoral counselors to serve in specialized ministry settings. Endorsement denotes that a minister is ecclesiastically qualified and has been vetted as being spiritually, emotionally, educationally and clinically prepared to serve in specialized ministries. Ecclesiastical endorsement is an essential requirement of employment for chaplains and pastoral counselors. CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors represent our Fellowship with excellence, serving as a critical ministry of the Fellowship, embodying compassionate presence in our communities, offering God’s love and the hope of Christ to all, as together in fellowship, we work to further God’s kingdom.

Twenty-four chaplains and pastoral counselors were commissioned to ministry in specialized settings at the 2023 General Assembly in Atlanta, blessing them to their sacred ministry of spiritual and pastoral care with persons in times of crisis, trauma, loss and celebration.

880 ACTIVE ENDORSED HEALTHCARE

CBF CHAPLAINS AND PASTORAL COUNSELORS SERVE IN ALL 50 STATES PLUS D.C. AND AROUND THE WORLD IN 9 OTHER LOCATIONS, INCLUDING GERMANY, GREECE, ITALY, JAPAN, SPAIN, SOUTH KOREA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM AS WELL AS IN AFRICA AND THE PACIFIC RIM.

IN 2023

PASTORAL COUNSELING

CONTINUING EDUCATION

4 TRAININGS 15 EDUCATION HOURS

TRAININGS OFFERED AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND IN COLLABORATION WITH CBF

CHAPLAINS AND PASTORAL COUNSELORS MUST COMPLETE AROUND 50 CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS ANNUALLY TO MAINTAIN THEIR CREDENTIALS.

Tallahassee Fellowship honored with Mission Excellence Award for ministry sponsoring refugee families

By Kristen Thomason

The Reverend

Candace McKibben held a preschooler’s yellow sweatshirt emblazoned with the words “We Are the Future.” The shirt belonged to a child who, along with his twin brother and their father, sought asylum in the United States. She wondered if the slogan sustained them during their dangerous journey to a better life.

(Above) The Potes/Gonzalez family made their way to the U.S. from Colombia through Ecuador after losing family members to gang violence in both countries. Tallahassee Fellowship helped the parents enroll the children in school and acquire school supplies, get necessary immunizations and physicals and clothing.

(Right) Anthony and his twin sons are refugees from Brazil who came to the U.S. to escape criminal violence through the dangerous Damien Gap. Tallahassee Fellowship shared food, toys and company to sustain the family until they could relocate to a place with a job opportunity and childcare.

This family of refugees is just one of several supported by McKibben’s congregation, Tallahassee Fellowship. Though small, this house church has been able to do extraordinary work ministering to refugees in Florida. “Once I felt discouraged that we never seemed to grow beyond 12 members,” said McKibben, “But my friend, Rebecca, wisely said, ‘Well that was enough for Jesus.’” The congregation now averages 20 people in worship.

By partnering with the local refugee resettlement office, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Tallahassee Fellowship multiplied its impact. IRC is one of 10 resettlement agencies in the U.S. working with the United Nations to help those fleeing religious persecution, political oppression or terror.

In 2021, a newspaper article about the Afghan refugee crisis inspired Tallahassee Fellowship to step out in faith and support the first of five refugee families. Often the IRC has less than two weeks to prepare for new arrivals. This is where Tallahassee Fellowship steps in. “Through our group and through our relationships with friends and family, we help families acquire the items

they need to make a house a home and to clothe themselves adequately,” McKibben explained.

Sponsoring a refugee family requires meeting both physical and social needs. The members of Tallahassee Fellowship invite families to share meals and to join them at community events like Florida State University ballgames and Symphony in the Park.

“We help them learn English by speaking English with them and by teaching them words and phrases,” shared McKibben. “We take them to grocery shop or for medical appointments or to register for schools or to apply for jobs.”

Refugees receiving federal assistance must find a job within three months and must accept the first job they are offered, even if that job is below their skill level. “So many people that are coming into our country are very talented and have great skills. Many held professional positions in their country of origin, but here they are performing basic housekeeping or restaurant work.”

Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, is home to approximately 90 refugee families from such varied places as Afghanistan, Syria,

Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and El Salvador. Since Oct. 2021, IRC Tallahassee has settled 1,039 refugees, 54 percent of whom are children. To better support the refugee community, McKibben, her husband and two members from Tallahassee Fellowship worked with local leaders to create the Refugee Connection Committee. The organization is “a conduit for information and inspiration about supporting refugees.” A representative from the IRC attends the monthly meetings to provide updates.

“I think churches getting involved in this work should be willing to invite friends and neighbors to join them,” McKibben said. “It is wonderful to use our influence with others so that the ripple effect can help bolster support for our refugee friends.”

For its ministry to refugees, the CBF Missions Council recently awarded Tallahassee Fellowship its Mission Excellence Award. McKibben says churches who would like to expand their outreach to refugees can expect to be transformed in the process.

“We are closer to each other, to those around us, and to God who guides us through embracing the stranger in our midst and sharing our lives with each other,” she said.

(Above) Nabila and Nasir found themselves on one of the last U.S. rescue planes out of Afghanistan as he had assisted the U.S. military as an interpreter. Pictured at a Tallahassee Fellowship after-worship gathering with their child, Nivan. The congregation helped them secure the items they needed for their new baby.

(Top Left) For seven years, this family from Syria lived in refugee camps in Turkey. After arriving in Tallahassee in May 2022, the congregation set up their apartment, provided English-language tutoring, food and helped secure job interviews and medical appointments.

(Bottom Left) Rev. McKibben hugs the mother of a refugee family expressing gratitude for home furnishings the congregation provided.

Loving your neighbor at the ballot box

CBF’s McCall Initiative invites participation in advocacy campaign on voting rights

By Chris Hughes

Asthe country prepares for another pivotal presidential election, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is inviting churches and ministries to engage in the political process through a first-of-its-kind voting rights advocacy campaign. The campaign is a collaboration between CBF’s Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice and Leadership Initiative and CBF Advocacy, with the aim of engaging churches, small groups and individuals to help those historically left out and facing challenges as they exercise their right to vote.

“Our goal is to have 50 CBF churches participating,” said the Rev. Sharon Felton, congregational advocacy manager with CBF, who is leading the effort for CBF Advocacy. The campaign is not limited only to churches, however. “It may be a Sunday school class, or a missions/justice group. Maybe it’s the whole church. It could be the pastors on staff that sign up to be poll workers or they encourage others to be poll workers in their communities,” Felton added. “We want to leave it up to them to know what’s best in their context.”

The campaign not only coincides with a consequential national election but also comes at a time when voting rights are being

limited in many states. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, since 2021 over 40 states have cumulatively advanced 322 restrictions that have been passed or are pending that limit voter participation. Felton says those restrictions fall disproportionately on those who are Black, indigenous, LGTBQ, people of color, senior adults, college students and formerly incarcerated people. “It’s a justice issue for me and for CBF because the voter restrictions disproportionately impact these groups of people. And that’s wrong,” she shared.

Felton explains the idea is for CBF churches, groups and individuals who sign up for the campaign to partner with nonpartisan voting rights groups. CBF is highlighting three groups in particular that churches can partner with—Vote Riders, Turnout Sunday and Common Ground—though people can choose any group with which to work.

The focus of the campaign is on equipping people to vote, which can take on a variety of different activities, from voter registration to helping people apply for an ID, volunteering at the polls, letter writing, data entry and more. It could even be as simple as telling people when the voting period is in their community.

“We want to make it easier for people

“WE DON’T CARE ABOUT PARTY OR ECONOMICS OR ZIP CODE. WE JUST WANT PEOPLE TO VOTE.”

to vote or as easy as possible for everyone to vote because I think our country works better when everyone gets to use their voice and everyone gets a chance to vote,” Felton shared. “We don’t care about party or economics or ZIP code. We just want people to vote.”

“If we help 10 people get IDs to vote, that’s 10 people who get to use their voice that didn’t last time; and that’s a good thing,” Felton added.

Sharon Kirkpatrick Felton is CBF’s congregational advocacy manager.

The voting rights campaign is a collaboration between CBF’s Emmanuel McCall Racial Justice and Leadership Initiative and CBF Advocacy.

To learn more go to www.cbf.net/votingrights.

beliefs on a regular basis. “Because so many of our congregations are already places where people come together who do not think in the same way, vote in the same way or hold exactly the same convictions, we are uniquely suited to use our voices and our influences to interrupt the destructive, divisive and paralyzing partisanship that is breaking the fabric of our communities,” CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley said.

Felton agrees that churches are particularly positioned to help overcome the growing political divisions in the U.S. “Nothing changes without relationships,” she shared. “Which is why I think churches are uniquely suited because we have, hopefully, deep relationships with people. And we can love one another in spite of our differences.”

neighbor is treating them with worth and dignity. It’s working for the best interests of everyone and making sure everyone has the opportunities afforded to them. We want to make a just world for all of us, not just certain privileged people. For me, that goes to the core of my faith practice: God calls us to love one another and be just to one another.”

Having served in congregational ministry for over 25 years, Felton sees the work of advocacy in churches as digging deeper and understanding why problems like poverty, homelessness, inequality and racial injustice persist in communities. “I think it gives us a bigger picture; it’s stepping back to see why people are still hungry and still don’t have shelter, even when churches continue to donate food and money to those in need.”

Even for those who live in states with strong voting rights records, there are still ways to participate. Felton says that people can get involved and work across state lines to help those who live where voting rights have been curtailed.

The campaign also comes amid a time of widening political polarization, a stark reminder that churches are just one of a few spaces where Americans still encounter others who hold different opinions and

It’s an entirely new kind of ministry for CBF and for Felton, who is stepping into a newly-created position to engage congregations in the work of advocacy. A voting rights campaign is not something that white Baptist churches have done historically, Felton noted. Still, she thinks it’s very much in line with the Christian call to love God and love others.

“Loving your neighbor is helping them use their voices, giving them the opportunity to use their voices,” she said. “Loving your

For Felton, voting is an act that gets to the root of some of those larger systemic issues. “A spiritual practice for me is loving and caring for people in my community; making sure people have enough to eat, safe shelter and quality public education. And all of those things are wrapped up in voting,” she shared. “How I vote is a spiritual practice for me.”

It’s a spiritual practice she’s now inviting fellow Baptists to take part in this election year and every election after that.

By Grayson Hester

The Gospel is about bringing people together in unity, not uniformity. Were its ultimate goal the flattening of human diversity, then the Tower of Babel narrative wouldn’t still stand today as a parable of God’s appreciation for (and insistence upon) the differences that make God’s creation special.

But, for all its wonder, it certainly comes with challenges. Just ask Nelson Araujo, who is the pastor of First Evangelical Baptist Church of Sabadell in Catalonia, Spain, near Barcelona. He grew up in the Dominican Republic, the first outpost of Spanish colonial rule, only to move to a new context in Spain where he would add to his mother tongue, Spanish, the language of the region, Catalan.

“It is a city with an industrial tradition going back 200 years, so they are also very much Catalan-speaking people,” Araujo said. “The families speak Catalan and the mother tongue is Catalan. And this church, this community, is a church that speaks Catalan. Our worship is in Catalan, the songs are in Catalan and it is a church that tries to reach out, tries to preach the Gospel to Catalan society and to the people of this community who speak Catalan.”

Indeed, Catalonia endures ongoing tensions with the Kingdom of Spain, intermittently advocating for its independence as a country, so distinct are its language and cultural heritage.

For any church to engender a meaningful presence, it would need to comfortably exist within that tension and speak the language of its people. First Evangelical Baptist is

one such church and Araujo is one such pastor. He left his home to study theology in Barcelona 22 years ago. It was a journey that took him across the Atlantic Ocean, between two languages, to the clergy, and as our fortune would have it, into a connection with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

For Michelle and Matt Norman, CBF field personnel based in Barcelona, the relationship with Araujo dates back to their first weeks on the field in Spain.

“It all started with Nelson being gracious enough to meet with Matt,” Michelle said. “The two of them could talk theology and church and converse about life.”

CBF’s presence-based model for missions all but requires that its practitioners immerse themselves in the surrounding culture, staying for the long haul and developing genuine, reciprocal relationships. Forming connections with local congregations is essential.

The Story of Nelson Araujo

“We preach the hope and love of Jesus, but we put it into practice by bringing the Gospel closer to the daily experience of other people.”

to create and assist in the development of safe spaces that express the fullness of the Gospel message where people can come to recognize both themselves and others as valued creations of God and live out this understanding in practical ways in their everyday lives.

Nelson Araujo, pastor of First Evangelical Baptist Church of Sabadell in Catalonia, Spain, works together with the Normans to “rethink how the church can be relevant to people who would never.”

Matt (left) and Michelle Norman serve as CBF field personnel in Barcelona, Spain. The Normans seek

Support field personnel like Matt and Michelle Norman by giving to the Offering for Global Missions at www.cbf.net/give

Watch a video of Nelson’s story at www.cbf.net/nelson

“We try not to do anything that’s not actually locally initiated,” Matt said. “So that means that we are always listening and coming alongside.”

Araujo shares a vision of the church like the one espoused by CBF, one that prioritizes presence and equipping churches not just to worship or meet on Sundays, but to do good things in the communities where they’re located.

Catalonia is notably secular, even for European standards. In a country scarred and

burned by its history, “church” is not a word that communicates hope to its people.

So, how does a church minister to people who want nothing to do with church? “Together with the Normans, we were working on this idea of rethinking how the church can be relevant to people who would never go,” Araujo said.

In the story of the Tower of Babel, it’s interesting that God scrambled the languages but did nothing to harm the people who spoke them. More than institutions or languages or nations, God reserves primacy for people.

To whatever extent our constructs benefit people, then they are worthwhile. If they do not—if even the concept of church itself does not—serve, then they must be renegotiated.

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer explained that the Church only exists if it really helps people who don’t belong to the Church,” Araujo said. “A complete version of the Gospel is if the Church understands that its mission is to reach out, to be close, to go and, above all, to be relevant to the people who do not belong to this church.”

One concrete way his church has attempted this is by starting a new ministry of the church called Mosaic. Another is downplaying the formality of church and liturgy and ritual, prioritizing instead the social connection that all people, regardless of belief, crave.

“At Mosaic, we give people the opportunity to open up and explain their problems, their doubts and their needs,” he

said. “And then you realize in Mosaic that not all of us see things so clearly. When we are able to explain our doubts and our fears, we are closer to the Lord.”

Love itself is a language. And when it is spoken, it literally speaks to people.

While Barcelona and Spain don’t often come to people’s minds as places in need of ministry, they are home to people. And people are always going to need love, community and honesty. It’s a reality the Normans have witnessed firsthand. “It’s kind of like a spark of hope that leads to more conversation,” Matt said. “And that’s life changing, because you see how God is actually engaging people in ways that you never imagined before.”

The Tower of Babel required of people not just acceptance, but imagination. Faced with a vastly (and suddenly) diverse linguistic landscape, people had to tap into their Godgiven creativity to find ways to connect.

Centuries upon centuries later, the people of Mosaic continue this tradition of imagination. From the raw material of imagination, something like beloved community begins to form.

“For me the gospel is integral; that is to say, we preach the hope and love of Jesus,” Araujo said. “But we put it into practice by bringing the gospel closer to the daily experience of other people.”

Speak love in any language, and people can’t help but listen. Whether in Barcelona or Babel, this truth remains.

Por Grayson Hester

El Evangelio atrae a las personas hacia la unidad, no hacia la uniformidad. Si su objetivo último fuera igualar toda la diversidad humana, la narración de la Torre de Babel no seguiría siendo hoy una parábola de lo insistente que es Dios en cuanto a que las diferencias hacen especial Su creación.

Pero, a pesar de todas sus maravillas, también plantea retos. Si no, que se lo pregunten a Nelson Araujo, pastor de la Primera Iglesia Evangélica Bautista de Sabadell, en Cataluña (España), cerca de Barcelona. Creció en la República Dominicana, uno de los primeros puestos de avanzada del dominio colonial español, para trasladarse a un nuevo contexto en España donde, al español, su lengua materna, añadiría el catalán, la lengua de la región.

“Es una ciudad con una tradición industrial que se remonta a hace 200 años, por lo que también son muy catalanoparlantes”, afirma Araujo. “Las familias hablan catalán y la lengua materna es el catalán. Y esta iglesia, esta comunidad, es una iglesia que habla catalán. Nuestro culto es en catalán, las canciones son en catalán y es una iglesia que intenta llegar, intenta predicar el evangelio a la sociedad catalana y a la gente de esta comunidad que habla catalán.”

De hecho, tan distintos son su lengua y patrimonio cultural, que Cataluña mantiene continuas tensiones con el Reino de España y aboga intermitentemente por su independencia como país.

Para que una iglesia pueda tener una presencia significativa, debe sentirse cómoda

al vivir en esa tensión y hablar el idioma de su gente. La Primera Iglesia Evangélica Bautista es una de esas iglesias y Araujo es uno de esos pastores. Dejó su hogar para estudiar teología en Barcelona hace 22 años. Fue una jornada que le llevó a cruzar el Océano Atlántico, entre dos lenguas, al trabajo pastoral y, para nuestra fortuna, a una conexión con el Compañerismo Bautista Cooperativo.

La relación de Michelle y Matt Norman, personal de campo de CBF en Barcelona, con Araujo se remonta a sus primeras semanas a su llegada a España.

“Todo empezó cuando Nelson tuvo la amabilidad de reunirse con Matt”, cuenta Michelle. “Los dos podían hablar de teología e iglesia y conversar sobre la vida”.

El modelo misionero de CBF, basado en la presencia, exige que sus profesionales se sumerjan en la cultura circundante, se queden a largo plazo y establezcan relaciones auténticas y recíprocas. Es esencial establecer vínculos con las congregaciones locales.

“Intentamos no hacer nada que no sea iniciativa local”, afirma Matt. “Eso significa

La Historia de Nelson Araujo

“Predicamos la esperanza y el amor de Jesús”, dijo Araújo. “Pero lo ponemos en práctica acercando el evangelio a la experiencia cotidiana de otras personas”.

IOmmolendusam, sitinci enditio ritatur? Quia corum si consecea aut pa quam dipsaec erumquos dolorun ducienim am, nientio quam et am, into omnis enis velecturem eum iumet et el modiates ipsaeriam, odi

IOmmolendusam, sitinci enditio ritatur? Quia corum si consecea aut pa quam dipsaec erumquos dolorun ducienim am, nientio quam et am, into omnis enis velecturem eum iumet et el modiates ipsaeriam, odi

que siempre estamos escuchando y acompañando”.

Araujo comparte una visión de la iglesia como la que propugna CBF, que prioriza la presencia y el equipamiento de las iglesias no sólo para que celebren sus cultos o se reúnan los domingos, sino para que hagan cosas buenas en las comunidades donde están ubicadas.

Cataluña es notablemente laica, incluso para los estándares europeos. En un país marcado por su historia, e iglesia no es una

palabra que comunica esperanza a su gente.

Entonces, ¿cómo puede una iglesia atender a personas que no quieren tener nada que ver con la iglesia? “Junto con los Normans, estábamos trabajando en la idea de repensar cómo la iglesia puede ser relevante para las personas que nunca irían a ella”, dijo Araujo.

En la historia de la Torre de Babel, es interesante que Dios revolviera las lenguas pero no hiciera nada para perjudicar a las personas que las hablaban. Más que a las instituciones, las lenguas o las naciones, Dios da el primado a las personas.

En la medida en que nuestras esfuerzos beneficien a las personas, entonces merecen la pena. Si no lo hacen -si ni siquiera el propio concepto de iglesia lo hace-, entonces debe renegociarse.

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer explicó que la Iglesia sólo existe si realmente ayuda a las personas que no pertenecen a la Iglesia”, dijo Araujo. “Una versión completa del Evangelio es si la Iglesia entiende que su misión es llegar, estar cerca, ir y, sobre todo, ser relevante para las personas que no pertenecen a esta Iglesia”.

Una forma concreta en que su iglesia lo ha intentado es iniciando un nuevo ministerio de la iglesia llamado Mosaico. Otra es restar importancia a la formalidad de la iglesia, la liturgia y los rituales, dando prioridad en su lugar a la conexión social que todas las personas, independientemente de sus creencias, anhelan.

“En Mosaico damos a la gente la oportunidad de abrirse y explicar sus problemas, sus dudas y sus necesidades”, dice. “En Mosaico te das cuenta de que no todos

vemos las cosas tan claras. Cuando somos capaces de explicar nuestras dudas y nuestros miedos, estamos más cerca del Señor.”

El amor es un lenguaje. Y cuando se habla, se habla literalmente a la gente.

Aunque Barcelona y España no suelen venir a la mente de la gente como lugares necesitados de ministerio, son el hogar de gente como tú y como yo. Y la gente siempre va a necesitar amor, comunidad y honestidad. Es una realidad de la que los Normans han sido testigos directos. “Es como una chispa de esperanza que lleva a más conversaciones”, dice Matt. “Y eso te cambia la vida, porque ves cómo Dios está involucrando a la gente de una forma que nunca antes habías imaginado”.

La Torre de Babel exigió a la gente no sólo aceptación, sino imaginación. Enfrentados a un paisaje lingüístico inmenso (y repentinamente) diverso, las personas tuvieron que recurrir a la creatividad que Dios les había dado para encontrar formas de conectarse.

Siglos y siglos después, los habitantes de Mosaico continúan esta tradición de imaginación. A partir de la materia prima de la imaginación, comienza a formarse algo así como la comunidad de los que se aman.

“Para mí el evangelio es integral; es decir, predicamos la esperanza y el amor de Jesús”, dijo Araujo. “Pero lo ponemos en práctica acercando el evangelio a la experiencia cotidiana de otras personas”.

Habla de amor en cualquier idioma, y la gente no podrá evitar escucharte. Ya sea en Barcelona o en Babel, esta verdad permanece.