ATLANTA (ABP) — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has launched a three-year partnership with the Center for Congregational Health, a consulting and training center in Winston-Salem, N.C., to provide a number of consulting services free to churches.
The center will provide consultation to Fellowship churches in areas including strategic planning, interim ministry, conflict management, staff relationships and leadership. Bo Prosser, the Fellowship's coordinator for congregational life, said the partnership also will allow for the creation of a network of CBF-trained intentional interim pastors available for churches.
“This new partnership will allow us to be the 'first call' for congregations that are experiencing stress or uncertainty, that are entering a time of interim ministry, and for direct ministry support to our church leaders,” Prosser said.
The partnership, which will run until June 2007, will provide free on-site consultation for up to 75 hours, with the churches paying only travel costs for the consultants.
Because each church is different, the Center for Congregational Health will tailor resources for specific situations, said center president Dave Odom. For struggling churches, he said, one-on-one consultation can help create a healthy church environment. “Many congregations experience difficult challenges and unexpected opportunities. This partnership provides resources for congregations and their leaders in those extraordinary times,” Odom said.
Terry Hamrick, the Fellowship's coordinator for leadership development, said the partnership meets a need for continuing education beyond seminary training. Ministers have asked for that training, he said. “We want to give them some practical handles to apply to their situations,” Hamrick said.
One such program will train ministers to lead a “missional church,” which is a priority in the Fellowship's long-term strategy.