By Robert Dilday
The Center for Healthy Churches has announced a new partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina — the second collaboration for the church consulting group which launched Jan. 1.
The partnership will make available to CBFNC’s 365 congregations and clergy an array of CHC services at reduced and affordable prices. The Center offers guidance for congregational visioning, ministerial transitions, conflict resolution, leadership education and coaching, staff relationships and performance, and other services.
A similar arrangement with the Baptist General Association of Virginia and its 1,400 churches was announced Feb. 28. That partnership created a regional satellite in Richmond, Va., where Virginia Baptist Mission Board staffer Travis Collins serves as coordinator. Other partnerships are anticipated, said CHC director Bill Wilson.
The Center and CBFNC share core values and commitments to congregational and clergy health, said Wilson, the son of a North Carolina Baptist pastor.
“When I think about denominational bodies that are taking seriously the challenges and opportunities facing churches, CBFNC stands out for their innovative spirit, vision and courage. I believe we can help our churches embrace the future as an opportunity to see what God can do in difficult circumstances. It takes humility, hope and great faith to do that, and CBFNC is leading the way forward in that spirit.”
CBFNC executive coordinator Larry Hovis said the collaboration “acknowledges what has already been taking place for months.”
“Since the Center was launched, it has been a great resource for the churches of our fellowship,” he said. “CBFNC is blessed with numerous wonderful partners dedicated to nurturing healthy congregations and we are delighted to refer the Center to those that need their services.”
In recent months, Wilson has been working closely with the CBFNC’s Regional Transition Facilitators, led by Jack Causey, as they have sought to offer relevant and high quality help to congregations facing a transition from one minister to another.
“We are excited about a new philosophy and method for coaching a congregation through that critical time that is timely and that focuses in on critical issues,” said Causey. “These facilitators are on the cutting edge of what is going to be a huge help to congregations in transition.”
Wilson, the father of a young minister, says congregational life remains his passion.
“Others may have given up on the local church, but not me and not our Center. We believe the spiritual, emotional and organizational health of congregations and clergy is foundational to bringing God’s Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. I look forward to discovering what God is up to with our two organizations.”
The CHC grew out of a shift in strategy at the Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, which since 1992 had operated the Center for Congregational Health as a joint venture with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.