A personnel change said to have been necessitated by financial strains has caused a rift in a relatively new regional body of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
At least two churches affiliated with Great Rivers Fellowship have written formal letters of protest about the July termination of Brittany Caldwell as co-coordinator of the organization that is less than two years old. Several weeks later, those two congregations received responses from the Coordinating Council of Great Rivers Fellowship Oct. 3.
The organization was formed last year by the merger of CBF units in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The merger was intended to create efficiencies in a single regional organization. As a national body, CBF supports and affiliates with a number of other state and regional groups.
Brittany Caldwell
At the time of merger, Caldwell, a Mississippi native and pastor who most recently served Nobles Chapel Baptist Church in Sims, N.C., was named coordinator of community engagement. Arkansan Shane McNary, a CBF missionary in Eastern Europe, was named coordinator of ministry. Caldwell was based in Mississippi, McNary in Arkansas.
In July this year, the Executive Committee of Great Rivers Fellowship issued an update, however, saying Caldwell’s position had been eliminated effective immediately. Caldwell, the announcement said, “has separated from her position due to financial constraints facing our organization.”
While praising her “dedicated service” and “significant contributions,” the Executive Committee said levels of income anticipated in the merger had not materialized. “The financial realities in our region do not support our ability to maintain both a coordinator of community engagement role and a coordinator of ministry role.”
The result, the group said, is that McNary would be the sole coordinator of Great Rivers Fellowship. By all accounts, McNary had nothing to do with the personnel decision and learned of it only after the fact.
Two Mississippi congregations — along with some individual pastors — have cried foul about the way the personnel decision was made, how Caldwell was treated and about whether Mississippi churches have a real voice in the multi-state organization.
“While this financial concern may be true, the manner in which the ‘separation’ took place has triggered a tsunami of trauma, and a public relations fallout,” said a letter from the church leadership council at University Baptist Church of Starkville, Miss.
That letter cites problems with the group’s bylaws, with the public appearance of the termination, with poor communications with constituents and a lack of professional protocol.
“It is troubling to the congregants of University Baptist Church of Starkville, and thus to members of the Great Rivers Fellowship, that our commitment to the call of women is overshadowed by this action.”
It adds: “As a congregation founded as a result of affirmation that women can be ministers and hold roles of leadership, it is troubling to the congregants of University Baptist Church of Starkville, and thus to members of the Great Rivers Fellowship, that our commitment to the call of women is overshadowed by this action. The Executive Committee might have been looking for a solution to grave financial problems, but by completely eliminating the woman in the ministry role undermines our witness in the states we serve. Without Rev. Caldwell’s presence, or that of any female ‘co’ coordinator, our credibility is diminished.”
Likewise, University Baptist Church of Hattiesburg, Miss., wrote Sept. 9 to protest the change.
“We have three primary areas of concern,” the letter states. “The way in which the termination took place, (the failure of GRF to follow its own bylaws); the lack of transparency in terminating Brittany; and the devaluing of Mississippi churches in our region.”
The letter cites technical language in the bylaws it claims were not followed. It also joins the Starkville congregation in questioning who made the personnel decision because no names were assigned to the action.
Further, the letter empathizes with McNary, whose own email address was used to send the notice to churches, making it look like this was his decision.
“Terminations made effective immediately are usually reserved for situations when somebody has been personally or professionally inappropriate,” the letter states. “The communication around Rev. Caldwell’s termination has stated this decision was made for ‘financial reasons.’ If that is the case, she should have been given notice about her job ending. To have terminated her in this way maligns her character in a completely unnecessary way and creates an additional barrier for her when she seeks other employment.”
BNG contacted Caldwell for comment on these events and she indicated she is not able to speak about the matter at this time.
The larger Coordinating Council of Great Rivers Fellowship wrote replies to the two Mississippi congregations Oct. 3 — a full month after detailed complaints were lodged.
Both those letters acknowledge the personnel matter could have been handled better and communication was not clear. Both letters also emphasize that Caldwell was not terminated for any misconduct.
“Nothing about this decision was a reflection on Rev. Brittany Caldwell’s character or performance,” one letter states. “Her contributions to GRF have been invaluable. The financial reality we faced led to the elimination of her role.”
“The choice was driven entirely by financial realities — realities we could no longer ignore,” the other letter says. “Personnel expenses were 65% of GRF’s draft budget for fiscal year 2024-25 and 85% of the projected income from individuals and churches.”
As for the gender issue, the Coordinating Council says: “We want to unequivocally state that GRF remains fully committed to supporting women in ministry and leadership. In fact, our leadership body continues to be made up of strong, faithful women and men who are dedicated to this mission. While we no longer have a woman as a co-coordinator, women play a prominent role on our Coordinating Council. Women account for 11 of 19 leadership positions. The celebration of women in ministry will remain central in our witness. Not simply by what we say, but by who we elevate in leadership — both as staff and volunteers.”
The Coordinating Council says a bylaws revision will be undertaken and updates have been made to the website “so that all members of our Fellowship have access to key information, including the composition of the Executive Committee and Coordinating Council.”
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Great Rivers Fellowship names Caldwell, McNary as first staff leaders