One of the factors dividing U.S. communities is access to food, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leader Suzii Paynter says in a series of videos featuring Christian leaders produced by the anti-hunger ministry Bread for the World. Paynter, executive coordinator of the…
Georgia church takes missional presence global
Johns Creek, Ga., is situated on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, an area that once served as a meeting place between rival Cherokee and Creek people. Tom Blue Wolf, a Creek descendent, told an interviewer the tribes were inspired…
CBF leader charged with shaping Fellowship’s ‘young Baptist ecosystem’
Devita Parnell is no stranger to the occasional confusion and curiosity elicited by sharing her job title with others: young Baptist ecosystem manager for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. “One time I mentioned my title to a woman at church and…
Speaking from the edge of inside: Where is evangelism in CBF life?
A question I have been asking myself lately is, “Does evangelism have a place in Cooperative Baptist Fellowship life?” I couldn’t help but feel the passion around so many issues at this year’s CBF General Assembly. LGBTQ, women in ministry,…
Asset mapping is key to congregational vision, growth and relevance, church leader says
Mapping congregational or community assets to identify and implement new programs and ministries doesn’t necessarily require professional expertise, according to a CBF minister experienced in the practice common in community development work. “It’s really for anybody,” said Jenny Hodge, a…
Eating Rice Krispy treats amidst the devastation of south Louisiana
Darren and Marianne were preparing to celebrate their twins’ second birthday with friends and family. Marianne made Rice Krispy treats and cut them out in Mickey Mouse shapes to serve at the party. They knew it would be a rainy…
CBF affirms top exec in the process of divorce
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leaders released statements Aug. 25 affirming the leadership of Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter in light of her pending divorce.
Clarify those expectations, experts tell pastor search committees
It seems obvious that a church searching for its next leader would be clear on how it understands the role of the pastor in its own context. But the hard truth is congregations are often fuzzy on that detail. “If…
Conflict is part of the church’s DNA. Learn to live with it.
When the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina needed someone to lead a conflict resolution workshop recently, they thought of Rubin Ortiz. “I have kind of a Ph.D. in conflict resolution,” said Ortiz, pastor of La Primera Iglesia Bautista in Deltona,…