By Terry Maples I grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist home in rural Alabama. At church I was emphatically taught God cannot and would not call a woman to vocational ministry. The reason offered for this belief was “It’s…
UK church movement takes root in US
By Robert Dilday Fresh Expressions, a movement which aims to help churches engage postmodern culture through new creative communities of faith, has taken the next step in its development with the launch this month of its first learning communities in…
Christian lingo of being missional
Supposedly on blogs and such we can be open and honest and real. Right? Mmmmm….well maybe not entirely, but I will make a leap here none the less. I am kind of tired of the word missional. I am kind…
Breaking new ground
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has a nominee as third executive coordinator of the organization. Once again, the nominee is from Texas, but . . . this nominee is female and a layperson—Suzii Paynter. Prior coordinators Cecil Sherman and Daniel Vestal…
South Carolina CBF names coordinator
By Bob Allen Alabama Baptist pastor Jay Kieve has been elected coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina effective March 25, according to a press release made public Jan. 21. He succeeds Marion Aldridge, who is retiring after…
New lives for CBF missionaries
By Jeff Brumley The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in October announced its six newest field personnel. In June, they’ll be commissioned and most will leave for their assignments in the fall. But all of them are already intensely working to raise the…
CBF nominee termed natural choice
By Bob Allen Parties involved in the nomination of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s next executive coordinator termed the choice of Texas Baptist leader Suzii Paynter an embodiment of core values of inclusiveness that have shaped the moderate Baptist movement since…
BTSR to sell much of campus by June
By Robert Dilday Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond will sell a significant portion of its campus to a private secondary school by June 30 and is aggressively exploring options for a new location to hold classes in the fall of…
A CBF leader for the future
By Ircel Harrison The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has a nominee as third executive coordinator of the organization. Once again, the nominee is from Texas, but this nominee is female and a layperson — Suzii Paynter. Prior coordinators Cecil Sherman and…
CBF seeks leaders for new structure
By Bob Allen State and regional Cooperative Baptist Fellowship coordinators will comprise the bulk of a committee to begin the process of nominating three new leadership groups to replace the current Coordinating Council in a restructuring approved by the CBF…
CBF and the emergence Christianity movement
Last week I attended the Emergence Christianity event in Memphis featuring Phyllis Tickle, Brian McLaren, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and others. The emergent crowd is an interesting group, with lots of diversity: age, denomination, and plenty of piercings and tattoos if not…
CBF nominates woman leader
By Bob Allen Suzii Paynter, the first woman to serve as director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas Christian Life Commission, has been nominated as third executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. If elected, Paynter would join Sharon…