CBF General Assembly: Worship, Learn, Grow

New education tracks, 50+ timely workshops at 2018 CBF General Assembly in Dallas

By Jeff Huett

DECATUR, Ga, — We live in an era of a Global Church where mission is from everywhere to everyone.  You’ll celebrate God’s work through the Church, both around the world and down the street, at the 2018 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly, June 11-15, at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas.

Visit www.cbf.net/assembly to find details about the Assembly, hotel and travel information and to register online to attend.

You’ll worship God through the story of Greg Long, whose work among the Navajo people in Arizona is building hope and translating the Bible, and through Jesse Rincones and Jewel London in Texas. They help tell the story of God at work through CBF and Fellowship Southwest.

You’ll worship through stories of God at work through the local church and through CBF’s field personnel — your field personnel — ministering in 30 countries.

You’ll worship through Holy Communion, through the commissioning of God’s people and through the words of Dr. Jerusha Neal, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School, where her emphasis is “Preaching and the Global Church.”

Fellowship with Your CBF Family

The Gathering Place – Return to the Gathering Place again and again throughout General Assembly to hear music performed on the Main Stage, catch a compelling interview from the CBF Podcast Stage and to see who’s leading the conversation inside the CBF Booth. We will also have dozens of exhibitors wanting to chat with you and your family!

Bring your whole family! – Age-appropriate Assembly programs are available for preschoolers, children, youth and college students. These programs will be led by leaders with background checks and will include special speakers, activities and field trips. Daily activities will be based on a mission-focused curriculum and will include hands-on mission engagement. Participants will help lead evening worship and will visit local sites, including the Dallas Zoo and Dallas World Aquarium.

Learn Together

Cooperative Baptists are leaders, and they enjoy learning together. For a full list of day-long Wednesday education track opportunities and workshop opportunities on Thursday and Friday, visit www.cbf.net/assembly.

Begin your General Assembly experience on Wednesday by attending a day-long institute to go in-depth on preaching, church finance and investments, evangelism or the pastor search process. (Pre-registration is required for these events.)

• Leadership Institute with the Duke Divinity’s Rev. Dr. Jerusha Neal
  Any who are called to preach are encouraged to attend the Leadership Institute for a presentation and dialogue with the Rev. Dr. Jerusha Neal, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School.
• CapinCrouse LLP and HighGround Advisors are sponsoring a series of talks on church taxation and investment strategy for pastors, executive pastors, church administrators and finance committee members
  Join professionals from CapinCrouse, an audit, tax and consulting firm for churches, denominations and other nonprofits; and HighGround Advisors, an investment and trust services company, for a day-long series of workshops on taxation and investment strategies and solutions. Up to 7.5 Continuing Professional Education credits are available. For more information visit cbf.net/CapinCrouse.
• 

  Michael Wear

  Reimagining Evangelism with Dr. Steven Porter
  What if we could replace the outdated images associated with evangelism and help our congregations make the Good News actually good news? Join Dr. Steven Porter, CBF Coordinator of Global Missions, in this imaginative workshop exploring how we understand the Gospel and how every congregation can engage its neighbors in the more authentic way of Jesus.

• Pastor Search Committee Boot Camp with Craig Janney
  This training program is designed to equip search committees with best practices throughout the process of search and call.

Start off Thursday morning by choosing from among a special group of timely workshops:

• Neville Callam, former Baptist World Alliance General Secretary on Race, Ethnicity and Communion
• Melissa Rogers, former Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, on Effective Faith-Based Advocacy
• Pam Durso, Executive Director, Baptist Women in Ministry, on the #metoo Movement
• Jason Coker, Field Coordinator, CBF Mississippi and Together For Hope Coordinator, on Civil Rides
• Michael Wear, former Obama White House and campaign staffer, on Reclaiming Hope For Our Politics

Throughout the week, choose from over 50 workshops focused on young Baptists, healthy congregations and global missions. Find a full list of workshops here, which includes these great opportunities:

• Environmental Stewardship for People of Faith – CBF field personnel Jeff Lee and Sam Harrell, CBF Associate Coordinator of Global Missions
• Creating Space for Brave Conversations about Race in the Church – Hannah McMahan, Executive Director, New Baptist Covenant
• Leadership in Our Multicultural Context – Molly Marshall, President and Professor of Theology and Spiritual Formation, Central Baptist Theological Seminary
• Understanding Religious Liberty in the Current Climate – Holly Hollman, General Counsel and Associate Executive Director, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty
• Money, Debt and Compensation Relief! – Bo Prosser, CBF Ministerial Excellence Initiative
• Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy – Stephen Reeves, CBF Associate Coordinator of Partnerships and Advocacy and Anyra Cano-Valencia, Youth Minister, Iglesia Bautista Victoria en Cristo, Fort Worth, Texas

For complete information and to register, visit www.cbf.net/assembly today!