The Gathering
of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
July/August 2014 • Vol. 19 Issue 4
Bringing Baptists of North Carolina Together for Christ-Centered Ministry
What makes a healthy church?
I graduated from seminary in 1987. Soon after, my new bride and I moved to Virginia to serve my first full-time pastorate. It was a small congregation located in a rural location. Yes, we lived in a county seat town, but the town’s population of 200 in a county of 6,000 hardly made it a metropolis!
I had been nurtured and called to ministry in large, fullprogram churches. My last year of seminary, I decided to take a Christian Education course. One of the assignments was to study and review the Baptist Sunday School Board’s literature form. It was a way of reinforcing our knowledge of all of the literature Baptists provided to service an extensive array of church programs and organizations: Sunday School, Discipleship Development (formerly Church Training, Training Union and Baptist Young People’s Union), Church music, WMU, Baptist Men and more.
The church to which I was called had only one of those programs – Sunday School. We didn’t even use any of the literature on the Sunday School form – it came from a publisher I had never before heard of!
Because we had no other programs, we didn’t meet on Sunday night or Wednesday night. We had seven deacons (whether we needed them or not) and few committees which rarely met. Looking back, it was a pastor’s dream, but as a young minister, I thought God had called me to come to this church, rescue it from ignorance, start as many programs as possible, and help it fit the profile of what I had been trained to believe was a healthy church; that is, one that conducted all of the requisite denominational programs.
As you can imagine, the next couple of years weren’t fun for them or for me, and God rescued us both by calling me to another congregation!
What makes a healthy church? For many, it’s all about the 3 Bs: Bodies, Bucks and Buildings. As long as there are people in the pews, dollars in the offering plate, and the fa-
by Larry Hovis, CBFNC Executive Coordinator
cilities aren’t crumbling, some church members and ministers believe their church is healthy.
For many of us “of a certain age” who grew up in strong denominational program churches, the existence of, and active participation in, denominationally designed programs and organizations were an indicator of health.
In my travels to churches around our state and in my conversations with church leaders (lay and clergy), there seems to be a yearning for a deeper and more nuanced conversation about what truly makes a healthy church. While the 3 Bs are important for these leaders, they do not by themselves define congregational health. And while some church programs are useful and helpful, they are seen as means toward a greater end, not ends in and of themselves.
In CBFNC’s recent 20th Anniversary Vision process, we identified “Nurturing Healthy Congregations” as a critical area of focus for the next season of our ministry together. Here is how we described a vision for this task:
We will encourage the flourishing of congregations, which are the primary communities in which followers of Jesus develop practices of faith that express the love of God and neighbor. We recognize a great diversity of congregations. There are established churches, some of which feel significant anxiety about their vitality and do not have a sense of a hopeful future, and others of which are experiencing renewal and growth. There are also new and yet-to-emerge groups of disciples who are exploring new expressions of Christian community. CBFNC will nurture opportunities for mutual learning about the dynamics of healthy congregations, facilitate the discovery and sharing of life-giving innovations, and encourage the thriving of a wide variety of Christian communities.
As a young pastor, I wasn’t aware that in 1983 a United Methodist named Kennon Callahan had written a book entitled, Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, which introduced new thinking about what makes a church healthy. He divided his twelve keys into two sections: six relational keys and six functional keys. Only one key had to do with programs. Callahan was emphatic that the relational keys are much more important than the functional ones. And which key was at the top of his list? “Specific, concrete, missional objectives.” Callahan was way ahead of his time.
What, in your view, makes a healthy church? CBFNC believes that the time has come for our fellowship to devote significant attention and energy to this question. It won’t be a quick conversation, but will over time, I’m confident, bear much fruit.
Our budget needs more pictures
by Garin Hill, Pastor, Sandy Plains, Shelby
I love Mexican food. It’s the whole experience of Mexican food that I enjoy, really. From the chips and salsa warm-up, to the “every-waiter-in-the-buildinghelps-serve-you” mentality – all of it is spectacular. Every once in a while, however, I find myself in a Mexican food dilemma: too many choices. The menu seemingly has 894 different combinations from which to choose, and all of them sound appetizing. What does one do in such confusing and dire circumstances? I have developed a strategy, though it requires a bit of subtlety. I excuse myself from the table for a moment, and on my way back out to the car for “something I forgot,” I take the long way around. I cruise by the tables that have already been served, and I peek at what they ordered. Does it look appealing? Smell delicious? No, I haven’t gone so far as to sit down with them and take a bite (yet), but I do look! It’s hard to explain – but for some reason, seeing can make all the difference.
If we have been involved in church for any length of time, we have no doubt had some experience with the wonderful world of church budgets. Contributors. Spenders. Developers. (All of the above.) Wherever we fall on the continuum, whether we realize it or not, if we have a stake in the well-being of the church then we also have a stake in the success of the budget. Now, personally, I bristle a little at hearing this, but it is true: Money – for better or worse – is necessary. But why bristle? We don’t like to talk about money, do we? It’s personal. It comes across as ... grubbing ... or at least we are afraid it comes across that way, and we don’t like to grub. Now this is surely not always the case, but at some level, it’s true.
Are as many “stewardship” sermons preached today as 50 years
ago? 40? 25? Doubtful. And the sincere question that churches across the spectrum are (and should be) asking is: how is the giving/ tithing/money conversation being perceived by those new to the faith, and to the upcoming Millennial generation who, presumably, have heard less about such matters than generations past?
In the end, healthy churches need a new approach to budgets in general, and I contend it begins and flourishes with more pictures. Now to be sure, pictures can be images, or pictures can be story, but either way, pictures are necessary. All those 894 combinations on the Excel spreadsheet get confusing, and they don’t always do justice to the meaning behind the words. Thank goodness there are people willing to develop them in all their tediousness, but we should seriously consider stepping away from the raw numbers approach in explaining budgets to the average pew-sitter. This involves an entirely new way of communicating – through pictures, spoken or shown. It’s narrative in worship, deacons’ meetings, and on Wednesday night. Photographs in the newsletter. Videos. Testimonials. Start somewhere, and tell a story about whose life in particular has been changed! It puts a face with a financial gift, and it helps to shift a paradigm in desperate need of change.
In this sense, then, giving money isn’t to fill a nebulous series of numbers, but it becomes tethered to the deep purposes of the Kingdom. We no longer give for “the light bill” or “the education line.” We give so my six-year-old can see the pictures in his teacher’s Bible storybook on Wednesday evenings as she shares of Jesus’ deep love for him. We don’t give to the “nursery budget.” We share what God has given us so young parents can come and fully participate in worship. We don’t give to a number on a paper on the “missions line.” We give so a girl in a wheelchair can now enter her home on the ramp we build. See the difference? I hope so. Because undoubtedly, seeing can make all the difference in the world ...
A new way
to mission
by Rick Jordan, CBFNC Church Resources Coordinator
I have been on over two dozen mission trips. On some of those, I was a teenage participant. On others, I was the trip coordinator. On these trips, our teams did a variety of ministries including choir concerts, Backyard Bible Clubs, door-to-door surveys, medical aid, revival preaching and many others. All of us who lead or participate in mission trips assume we are doing good. We have resources and gifts to share. The people we go to visit have physical and spiritual needs that we are able to address. Leaving the mission site, we realize that we did not meet all the needs of that area, but we feel good that we did something for God and far-away neighbors. Everyone wins.
Maybe. Maybe not. Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert have given the contemporary American church a soulsearching challenge in their book, When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself. When we do not think strategically and theologically about why we are helping someone in need, we could actually be hurting by creating or continuing a cycle of dependence on “foreign aid” by neglecting opportunities to raise up local leadership and/or by ignoring cultural differences, assuming that our “home” culture is the standard by which other cultures should be judged.
Recently, a team representing CBFNC traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to learn from fellow North Carolinians and CBF mission field personnel Matt and Michelle Norman about that culture and about their ministry. Our goals were to experience the disorientation of a different culture, to meet with local persons in that culture, to experiment with discovering community assets, and to bring our learnings back home to our churches and communities. Rather than a “mission trip,” this was an educational experience we are calling a Mission Learning Lab (MLL).
A highlight of the trip was visiting with the locals. We
spoke with Marta who was raised an atheist, about her coming to faith in Christ. She is in her year of discipleship with Michelle before the church will baptize her. She was raised in a culture in which church and government persecuted non-Catholics for 400 years, and then was under a dictatorship for more than 40 years in which the church again united with the state in persecuting her region of Spain, Catalonia. As far as her parents are concerned, by becoming a Christian Marta has joined the enemy.
We met with Daniel, pastor of the Baptist church in Cerdanyola. He was raised in this church, went off to school, and returned to pastor this 50-year-old church. He and his wife have led the church for 20 years. Daniel preaches only once or twice a month. “My job is to equip the saints for ministry. If there is someone in the church that can preach well, I should equip them and give them opportunities to preach. It is not clever for a pastor to preach every week and not give other gifted persons this opportunity.”
Part of our orientation included a scavenger hunt of the community surrounding the church. We were to discover the Spanish and Catalonian words for foods such as strawberries, chicken and milk. To do this, we went into markets and stores, meeting persons and asking for their help. They also needed to help us with such questions as: “You are told you may find an item at the Chinese store. What is that? What is the Pakistani store?”
Normally, a mission team comes into a community to help alleviate needs. We, however, began our trip by walking the neighborhood looking for assets. What schools, medical facilities, businesses, etc. were present that demonstrated the community’s strengths and were possible partners for ministry? It was an hour of thinking in a new way about the community that surrounds a church.
Of course, we did some sight seeing, which is also
common for a mission trip. However, even with this aspect of the trip, we were given ideas to ponder such as, “Write one reason it is so hard to separate culture from the gospel.”
We did some things that might happen on a typical mission trip, such as stocking and distributing food from the church’s food pantry. But more important than how many boxes of food we could put together and get out the door, was the compassion to be shown to each person. The recent economic crisis that affected our nation hit this region even harder; With a current unemployment rate of 26% overall, 54% of persons under the age of 25 are without jobs.
Daniel noted, “Many of the people you will see today are the new poor. Until recently, they were the middle class. A year ago, they would have told you, ‘There is no way I could ever ask for free food.’ But now, they have lost their job, their home, their car and they are here. It is unimaginable, but now they are here.”
This relief ministry for those in immediate crisis is an important witness to this community. Whereas Baptists had been considered a cult, now they are seen as a group of Christians that cares for those in need. When Helping Hurts notes that relief is one of three types of ministries that may be done for the poor. The other two are rehabilitation (getting persons back to where they were in life, or better, before the crisis hit) and development (working with community leaders to create independence and sustainability). As we mature to the other ministries, we move from doing to/for those in crisis to partnering with those in need, empowering them to become active
leaders in changing unjust systems.
Two things stood out for me about this experience. The first had to do with time and continuity. In the US, we are impressed with the age of St. Augustine, FL, or Jamestown, VA, places settled in 1565 and 1607, respectively. In Barcelona, we went to an archeological dig that displayed an advanced Roman civilization from before the time of Christ. As we go to an area to minister, we need to consider that this community was here before we arrived – what has preceded us? How will that affect our ministry?
A second learning for me had to do with the role of the church. In Spain, the church and state have been united. That has caused much pain for minorities and those not affiliated with the officially sanctioned religion. As we go to a different culture to minister, what is the reputation of the church there? How will that affect our ministry? Of course, the community and its history will remain long after we leave. What is a realistic goal for a short-term mission experience? How does our posture affect our witness? (For example, are we coming in as the all-wise rescuers or as the humble partners?)
Our 21st century challenge is to think about and to do missions that are mindful of the ways our “helping” in the past was actually harmful. The MLL is one way CBFNC can help that happen for our local churches. We hope to have three to four MLLs a year. For more information, look on our website for further explanation and an application (www.cbfnc.org).
Raising awareness
by Wanda Kidd, College Ministry Coordinator
of CBFNC Collegiate Ministry
One of the ways that CBFNC is committed to the future is by investing in collegiate ministry. At the CBFNC General Assembly we told part of our story through our campus ministers and you responded in a generous and profound way through the General Assembly offering that supplemented our collegiate budget by almost $6,000. That money will help us to fund an intern and partner with some other collegiate ministries that want to be part of the CBFNC family.
Not only are individuals catching the profound importance of investing in young leaders, so are congregations. Several of our CBFNC churches are designating CBFNC collegiate ministry in their budgets and that is helping us to grow the ministry on NC campuses. As of today we have a CBFNC presence on the campuses of UNC-CH, UNC-A, WCU, ECU, ASU and Duke.
The Song Goes On ...
We are also in conversations with churches in the Wilmington, Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro area to explore how to best meet the needs of student ministry with our limited resources. We hope to see a new ministry in Wilmington this fall and others coming along side of us soon.
Raising Awareness and Funds for CBFNC Collegiate Ministry
We are rethinking collegiate ministry. The world has changed and we want to minister to those changes. While we still want to provide leadership opportunities, discipleship development and conversations about vocational call, we know there are other concerns of students and families. We are in partnership with CareNet through Baptist Hospital to equip our campus ministers to meet the needs of young adults with mental health and socialization issues. We also are focusing on reaching out to students who have no Christian reference, but are looking for purpose. It is an exciting time to be the presence of Christ to one of the largest unreached people groups in the world. Join us as we continue the song of CBFNC collegiate ministry.
Partner churches
Churches making contributions October 2012 - March 2014
Giving Trends: 2010 through 2014
Undesignated
Designated
In the 2013-2014 budget year, undesignated gifts totaled $1.39 million and designated gifts exceeded $2.6 million. For the fourth consecutive year, total gifts exceeded $4 million.
CBFNC continues to be gratified by the trust congregations and individuals are placing in us as evidenced by giving of all types. We are taking great care to be good stewards of these resources through the ministries we coordinate and the cultivation of positive relationships with our cherished ministry partners.
To view the 2014-2015 budget, visit www.cbfnc.org.
Churches contributing to CBFNC are listed in bold type. Churches that contribute to CBF National only are listed in regular type. Designated in blue are churches that participate in the CBFNC Mission Resource Plan, providing financial support for other Baptist ministries through CBFNC. For additional information about the Mission Resource Plan or for more information on partnering with CBFNC, visit www.cbfnc.org. This list does not include churches who partner with CBFNC or CBF in other, non-financial ways.
Earlys............................... Ahoskie
First Ahoskie
First.................................. Albemarle
Mount Zion...................... Alexis
Angier............................... Angier
Baptist Fellowship........... Angier
Neill’s Creek.................... Angier
Olive Chapel .................. Apex
Woodhaven...................... Apex
First................................ Arden
First.................................. Asheboro
Oakwood Park................. Asheboro
West Asheboro Asheboro
Calvary............................. Asheville
First.................................. Asheville
Grace................................ Asheville
Morningside..................... Asheville
Connaritsa....................... Aulander
First of Smithton............. Belhaven
Benson............................ Benson
First.................................. Biscoe
First.................................. Black Mountain
First.................................. Bladenboro
Lennons Cross Roads..... Bladenboro
First.................................. Blowing Rock
Boiling Springs............... Boiling Springs
First.................................. Boone
Boonville.......................... Boonville
Mount Moriah Calvert... Brevard
First.................................. Bryson City
First.................................. Buies Creek
Memorial.......................... Buies Creek
Bullock............................. Bullock
First.................................. Burlington
Northside.......................... Burlington
First................................ Burnsville
First................................ Butner
Calypso............................. Calypso
Sawyer’s Creek................ Camden
Hominy Candler
First.................................. Canton
First.................................. Carolina Beach
Greenwood Forest........... Cary
Westwood......................... Cary
Chadbourn....................... Chadbourn
Piney Forest Chadbourn
Ephesus........................... Chapel Hill
HillSong............................ Chapel Hill
Lystra............................... Chapel Hill
Mount Carmel................. Chapel Hill
University....................... Chapel Hill
Grace Crossing................ Charlotte
Park Road Charlotte
Pritchard Memorial........ Charlotte
Providence....................... Charlotte
St. John’s.......................... Charlotte
Sardis................................ Charlotte
Together in Christ Intl. Ministries
........................................ Charlotte
First Clarkton
First Clayton
White Oak........................ Clayton
Mosaic.............................. Clayton
Clemmons First............... Clemmons
First................................ Clinton
Grove Park...................... Clinton
McGill............................... Concord
First.................................. Cramerton
Cullowhee........................ Cullowhee
The Summit..................... Cullowhee
First Denton
First.................................. Dobson
First.................................. Drexel
First.................................. Dunn
Westfield........................... Dunn
Calvary Durham
Durham Memorial.......... Durham
Glenn School Road.......... Durham
Hope Valley...................... Durham
Lowes Grove.................... Durham
Mount Hermon................ Durham
Temple.............................. Durham
Watts Street..................... Durham
Yates................................. Durham
First................................ Eden
Edenton............................ Edenton
Blackwell Memorial Elizabeth City
First.................................. Elizabeth City
Elizabethtown.................. Elizabethtown
First.................................. Elkin
Carolina Crossing........... Ellerbe
Elm City........................... Elm City
First.................................. Elon
Emerald Isle..................... Emerald Isle
Antioch ............................. Enfield
Enfield.............................. Enfield
Enka................................. Enka
Fair Bluff.......................... Fair Bluff
First.................................. Fairmont
First.................................. Farmville
Cedar Falls Fayetteville
First.................................. Fayetteville
Lafayette.......................... Fayetteville
Lake Lynn........................ Fayetteville
Mount Pisgah................... Fayetteville
Snyder Memorial............ Fayetteville
Unity Christian Center... Fayetteville
First.................................. Forest City
Florence Forest City
Mount Vernon................. Forest City
First.................................. Four Oaks
Pauline............................ Four Oaks
Centerpoint...................... Franklin
Franklinton...................... Franklinton
Fremont Missionary ..... Fremont
Garland Garland
Aversboro Road............... Garner
Covenant.......................... Gastonia
First.................................. Gastonia
Loray................................ Gastonia
New Hope......................... Gastonia
Reynoldson...................... Gates
First.................................. Goldsboro
Rosewood First................ Goldsboro
First ................................. Graham
College Park.................... Greensboro
Faith Community Greensboro
First.................................. Greensboro
Guilford............................ Greensboro
Lindley Park.................... Greensboro
Southeast.......................... Greensboro
Arlington Boulevard Greenville
Immanuel....................... Greenville
The Memorial.................. Greenville
Oakmont.......................... Greenville
Pleasant Hill Grover
Hallsboro.......................... Hallsboro
Flat Rock.......................... Hamptonville
First.................................. Henderson
Providence....................... Hendersonville
First.................................. Hickory
Mountain Grove ............. Hickory
Viewmont......................... Hickory
Hiddenite.......................... Hiddenite
Emerywood...................... High Point
First High Point
Iglesia Bautista Esperanza Viva
.......................................... High Point
Parkwood High Point
Cane Creek Hillsborough
First.................................. Hillsborough
Hobbsville........................ Hobbsville
First.................................. Huntersville
Jackson............................. Jackson
First.................................. Jonesville
First.................................. Kannapolis
Oak Ridge Kittrell
Knightdale...................... Knightdale
First Reformed Landis
First................................ Laurinburg
Goshen.............................. Leland
North Brunswick Fellowship
.......................................... Leland
College Avenue Lenoir
First.................................. Lenoir
Churchland...................... Lexington
First.................................. Lexington
Jersey................................ Lexington
First Liberty
Mount Pleasant.............. Liberty
First ............................... Lincolnton
Bear Swamp..................... Littleton
Littleton............................ Littleton
Mission............................. Locust
Hickory Rock................. Louisburg
Louisburg......................... Louisburg
First.................................. Lumberton
First.................................. Madison
Antioch............................. Mamers
First.................................. Marion
Calvary........................... Mars Hill
Mars Hill.......................... Mars Hill
First.................................. Marshville
First Mayodan
New Bessemer.................. McLeansville
First.................................. Mebane
Mount Adar..................... Mebane
Eatons ............................... Mocksville
First.................................. Mocksville
First.................................. Monroe
Mill Creek........................ Monroe
First Mooresville
First................................ Morehead City
First.................................. Morganton
Calvary............................. Mount Airy
First.................................. Mount Airy
Flat Rock Mount Airy
Piney Grove..................... Mount Airy
First.................................. Mount Gilead
First................................ Mount Holly
Burningtown.................... Franklin
First.................................. Kernersville
Iglesia Nueva Vision........ Kernersville
Main Street...................... Kernersville
Union Cross..................... Kernersville
Quaker Gap..................... King
Spilman Memorial.......... Kinston
First................................ Mount Olive
Murfreesboro Murfreesboro
Rock Creek..................... Nashville
First.................................. New Bern
First Chin ........................ New Bern
Kendalls........................... New London
First.................................. Newland
Trinity Newton
First.................................. N. Wilkesboro
First Oriental
Enon................................. Oxford
Hester............................... Oxford
Oxford.............................. Oxford
Roberts Chapel................ Pendleton
Pfafftown Pfafftown
Iglesia Bautista Misionera Roca Fuerte
.......................................... Pittsboro
Mount Gilead................... Pittsboro
Pittsboro........................... Pittsboro
Athens Drive.................... Raleigh
Christ.............................. Raleigh
Crabtree Valley.............. Raleigh
First.................................. Raleigh
Forest Hills....................... Raleigh
The Fountain.................. Raleigh
Greystone......................... Raleigh
Hayes Barton................... Raleigh
Iglesia Bautista La Roca
.......................................... Raleigh
Iglesia Nueva Generacion
.......................................... Raleigh
Longview.......................... Raleigh
Macedonia........................ Raleigh
Millbrook......................... Raleigh
New Hope......................... Raleigh
Pullen Memorial Raleigh
Ridge Road...................... Raleigh
St. John’s ......................... Raleigh
Swift Creek..................... Raleigh
Tabernacle........................ Raleigh
Triangle Raleigh
Trinity............................. Raleigh
First.................................. Red Springs
Calvary............................. Reidsville
First................................ Reidsville
Richfield........................... Richfield
First.................................. Richlands
Rosemary Roanoke Rapids
Bethel................................ Robbinsville
Dortches........................... Rocky Mount
Lakeside........................... Rocky Mount
Rileys Creek................... Rocky Point
Rolesville.......................... Rolesville
Evergreen......................... Rose Hill
Rose Hill........................... Rose Hill
First.................................. Roseboro
First.................................. Rowland
Lamberth Memorial....... Roxboro
Roxboro Roxboro
First.................................. Rural Hall
Iglesia Cristiana Sin Fronteras
Rural Hall
..........................................
First.................................. Rutherfordton
First .................................. Salisbury
Ephesus Sanford
First Sanford
Flat Springs..................... Sanford
Iglesia Bautista Nueva Comienzo
........................................ Sanford
Jonesboro Heights........... Sanford
Primera Iglesia Bautista
........................................ Sanford
Double Shoals.................. Shelby
Dover Shelby
First................................ Shelby
Poplar Springs............... Shelby
Ross Grove Shelby
Zion.................................. Shelby
Centro Familiar Cristiano
........................................ Siler City
Rocky River..................... Siler City
Nobles Chapel.................. Sims
First................................ Smithfield
First Christian Smithfield
Sharon.............................. Smithfield
First.................................. Southern Pines
Spencer............................. Spindale
Ephesus............................ Spring Hope
First.................................. Spring Hope
Central............................. Spruce Pine
First ................................. Spruce Pine
First Stanfield
First................................ Stantonsburg
Broad Street Statesville
First.................................. Statesville
First.................................. Stoneville
Brunswick Islands........... Supply
First Swannanoa
First Sylva
Olyphic........................... Tabor City
Tabor City ..................... Tabor City
First.................................. Tarboro
Antioch........................... Taylorsville
First ............................... Taylorsville
First................................ Tryon
Round Hill Union Mills
Cornerstone..................... Valdese
First Wadesboro
First................................ Valdese
Falls................................ Wake Forest
Heritage............................ Wake Forest
Wake Forest..................... Wake Forest
Woodland......................... Wake Forest
First................................ Wallace
Warrenton........................ Warrenton
First.................................. Washington
First ............................... Waynesville
First................................ Weaverville
Crossroads Fellowship.... Weldon
Baptist Tabernacle.......... Wendell
Wendell............................ Wendell
First................................ West Jefferson
Fishing Creek.................. Whitakers
First................................ Whiteville
Mount Zion...................... Whiteville
New Hope Whiteville
Wilkesboro....................... Wilkesboro
First.................................. Wilmington
Masonboro....................... Wilmington
Temple.............................. Wilmington
Winter Park..................... Wilmington
First.................................. Wilson
Cashie............................... Windsor
Wingate............................ Wingate
Ardmore........................... Winston-Salem
College Park.................... Winston-Salem
Fellowship........................ Winston-Salem
First.................................. Winston-Salem
Knollwood........................ Winston-Salem
Mineral Springs Winston-Salem
Northwest......................... Winston-Salem
Peace Haven..................... Winston-Salem
United............................... Winston-Salem
Via Faith Community..... Winston-Salem
Wake Forest................... Winston-Salem
West Side ....................... Winston-Salem
Winterville...................... Winterville
Winterville Free Will Winterville
Wise.................................. Wise
First.................................. Yadkinville
Maplewood...................... Yadkinville
Bethlehem........................ Youngsville
Youngsville....................... Youngsville
Zebulon............................ Zebulon
Visit www.cbfnc.org for more information on partnering with CBFNC.
Creating space
for sharing
Everyone was already talking about it — sexuality, that is — we just weren’t talking about it together. In homes, parking lots, restaurants, and at church, the members of First, Raleigh, were talking about sexual orientation, co-habitation, what scripture says and doesn’t say on the subject, and every other subtopic of sexuality. The conversations were scattered and informal which is natural but often leads to speculation and worry. We needed to talk about it as a congregation, but who talks about sex at church? Seriously.
After much hand-wringing, planning, and prayer, we finally had the discussion — and the building is still standing.
We based our event called “Conversation on Sexuality” on “A [Baptist] Conference on Sexuality and Covenant,” the 2012 CBF event held in Decatur, GA. We were able to replicate a scaled-down version just for our church with great success. The Decatur event was designed to be replicated just as we did, but few churches have done so thus far. More info here: www.thefellowship.info/conference
We started with these assumptions:
n Sexuality is part of God’s creation and therefore good
n Church members are going to disagree about it
n Churches can discuss difficult topics without making decisions or causing harm
n Every church should tailor the conversation to its character and needs
n We don’t have all the answers
by Lin Carter, Minister of Education and Outreach at First, Raleigh
n The church doesn’t have to take a public, monolithic stand on sexuality
n Homosexuality is the hottest of the hot topics but should be discussed in the larger context of sexuality
With these assumptions in mind, we designed a format intended to build community through the conversation rather than tear the congregation apart. We started each of four Sunday
evenings with presentations, followed with dinner, and ending with facilitated small-group discussions. The last night we also worshipped together to conclude the series. That was it. No votes, no decisions, not even large group discussion. Once people were convinced that we were simply there to talk and not to make decisions or to make church-wide changes, tensions lowered and the stress level dropped. This created space for honesty, openness, and significant sharing between church members.
Another key to the success of the process was the use of trained facilitators in smallgroup discussions. All conversation happened in groups of 6-10 people in 4 sessions of 45-60 minutes each. Participants were able to look each other in the eye as they talked but no one was forced to share.
All conversation was facilitated by someone with experience in facilitation, either professionally or through church, and each facilitator received training for this specific event. These two factors helped make the conversations productive and positive rather than harmful or divisive. In the end, many were surprised that the conversation part of the event was as meaningful as addressing the subject matter.
Everyone is already talking about sexuality at your church, too. The only question is, how are they talking about it? Taking initiative in the conversation by formalizing the discussion in a healthy, structured, safe environment actually helps to avoid division in the church. It may seem counterintuitive, but having the difficult discussion can nurture healthy congregations.
You can find Lin Carter’s 2014 General Assembly workshop in our Resource Library at www.cbfnc.org/Resources/ResourceLibrary.aspx.
Your gifts to a CBFNC endowment fund can plant seeds of blessing, hope, and help.
Designate a gift for scholarships, new church starts, or where it is most needed.
Contact Jim Hylton at jhylton@cbfnc.org or (336) 759-3456 for more information.
Stewardship Conferences
CBFNC will offer two identical Stewardship conferences for pastors, staff, and lay leaders on August 14 at United in Winston-Salem, and August 15 at Wake Forest in Wake Forest. 9:30am-3:30pm. Led by Ruben Swint, “The Generosity Guy.”
Conference goals: 1) to provide relevant information and strategies to address the issue of plateaued and declining annual contributions and 2) to coach participants in developing a plan unique to their congregation that they can implement in their churches. Visit www.cbfnc.org for more information.
Coordinator Visits
Calvary, Asheville
Edenton, Edenton
Enfield, Enfield
First, Biscoe
First, Graham
First, High Point
First, Lenoir
First, Morganton
First, Mount Olive
First, New Bern
First, Tryon
April - May 2014
First, Winston-Salem
Forest Hills, Raleigh Lafayette, Fayetteville Memorial, Buies Creek
The Memorial, Greenville Murfreesboro, Murfreesboro Northwest, Winston-Salem Providence, Charlotte
Spilman Memorial, Kinston Viewmont, Hickory Watts Street, Durham
CBFNC ministry coordinators are available to visit your church to speak, preach, teach, consult, lead and minister in ways appropriate to your context. Contact the CBFNC office for more information.
CBFNC Honorary and Memorial Gifts April-May 2014
Joe & Lalia Turlington, Wendell; Gift to Done in Love Offering in honor of Garrett & Andrew Pait
Anonymous gift to Done in Love Offering in honor of their pastor, Jack Glasgow
Oasis Music and Worship Conference
July 14-16, 2014
Campbell University, Buies Creek www.cbfnc.org
Ministers on the Move
Compiled by Jack Causey, Ministerial Resources Coordinator
Our encouragement and support go to the following ministers who have recently moved:
Eric Bean has been called to First Baptist Church of Hamlet as Minister of Education.
Ray Ammons has been called to First Baptist Church of Clinton as Pastor.
First Baptist Church of Lexington has called Paul Freeman as Minister of Music.
Mason Smith has been called to First Baptist Church of Elon as Pastor.
Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte has called Chris Hughes as Minister of Youth.
Sarah Mears has joined the staff of Wake Forest Baptist Church in Wake Forest as Minister to Children.
David Fitzgerald is now serving on the staff of Ardmore Baptist Church as Minister of Music.
Patricia Greene has been called to First Baptist Church of Rockingham as Associate Pastor to Families.
St. John’s Baptist Church of Charlotte has called Allison Benfield as Minister of Children and Their Families.
Hunter Duncan has been called as Pastor of Churchland Baptist Church in Lexington.
Rhonda Gailes is Pastor of Refuge Church, a new church start in Blowing Rock.
When you make a move or know of someone who has changed places of ministry, let us know at jcausey@cbfnc.org. For assistance to search committees and ministers seeking vocational discernment, visit our reference and referral page on our website at www.cbfnc.org or call 336-759-3456 or 888-822-1944.
The Gathering
of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
phone: 336.759.3456 • phone: 888.822.1944 • fax: 336.759.3459 • cbfnc@cbfnc.org • www.cbfnc.org
Larry Hovis Executive Coordinator LHovis@cbfnc.org
Ka’thy Gore Chappell Leadership Development Coordinator. KChappell@cbfnc.org
Rick Jordan Church Resources Coordinator RJordan@cbfnc.org
Linda Jones ............ Missions Coordinator ..................... LJones@cbfnc.org
Jim Hylton ............. Business Administration Coordinator ... JHylton@cbfnc.org
Jack Causey Ministerial Resources Coordinator JCausey@cbfnc.org
Regional Coordinators
Region 1 – Western: Gail Coulter coulterig@bellsouth.net
Region 2 – Foothills: David Smith ............ davsmith@charter.net
Region 3 – Triad: Bill Leathers ................ wleathers@triad.com
Region 4 – South Central: Drag Kimrey ...... dragkimrey@roadrunner.com
CBFNC College Ministers
Kelly Brown Western Carolina wcucoopstudentfellowship@gmail.com
Ashley Mangrum ... UNC Chapel Hill ........................ amangrum@cbfnc.org
Lawrence Powers .. East Carolina................................ lpowers@cbfnc.org
Coordinating Council
Ray Ammons, Gastonia, Moderator
Lisa Rust, Lumberton, Moderator-Elect
Marion Horton, Knightdale, Recorder
Donna Bissette, Winston-Salem, Past-Moderator
Mike Eddinger, Cary, Treasurer
Kathy Driver, Raleigh
Heather Folliard, Durham
Wayne Hill, Wake Forest
Jeff Matthis, Sylva
Rick Matthews, Winston-Salem
Doug Murray, Wilson
Mike Queen, Winston-Salem
Susan Taylor, Chapel Hill
Endowment Management Board
Andrew Barnhill, Wilmington
Ron Cava, Henderson
Austin Connor, Raleigh
Scott Hudgins, Winston-Salem
Norman Jameson, Winston-Salem
Wanda Kidd College Ministry Coordinator WKidd@cbfnc.org
Eddie Hammett ... Church and Clergy Coach EHammett@cbfnc.org
Javier Benitez Hispanic Network Leader Coach Rocafuerte90@hotmail.com
Rebekah Ayers ... Programs Manager .................. RAyers@cbfnc.org
Sarah Mitchell .... Communications Manager ........ SMitchell@cbfnc.org
Gail McAlister Financial Manager GMcalister@cbfnc.org
Derek Wilhelm .. Administrative Assistant DWilhelm@cbfnc.org
Region 5 – North Central: Tom Jackson ..... pastortj@aol.com
Region 6 – Capital: Mack Thompson .......... mackthompson1@att.net
Region 7 – Southeast: Mike Johnson mike_brenda2414@yahoo.com
Region 8 – Northeast: Jesse Croom jmacroom@hotmail.com
Curtis Privette Appalachian curtisdprivette@gmail.com
Danny Steis ......... Duke University ..................... dannysteis@gmail.com
David Stone ......... Western North Carolina .................... dstone@unca.edu
Chris Towles Wake Forest towlescj@wfu.edu
Faith Formation Ministry Council
Stella Perrin, Taylorsville, Chair
Katie Fam Roscoe, Southern Pines, Chair-Elect
Giles Blankenship, Fayetteville
Beth Cockman-Wood, Sanford
Brian Harrington, Liberty
Kerrie Clayton Jordan, Smithfield
Barbara Glasgow, Zebulon
Louisa Monroe, Fayetteville
Tyler Roach, Morganton
Scott Thrailkill, Goldsboro
Leadership Development Ministry Council
Layne Rogerson, Greenville, Chair
Shane Nixon, Mocksville, Chair-Elect
Sarah Boberg, Red Springs
Jerry Chiles, Raleigh
Buddy Corbin, Asheville
Jeanell Cox, Durham
John Daniels, Waynesville
Kheresa Harmon, Shelby
Mark Reece, Mount Airy
Nathan Rice, Southern Pines
Missions Ministry Council
Blake Dempsey, Nashville, Chair
Paula McCosh, Fayetteville, Chair-Elect
Elba Benitez, Pittsboro
Greg Burriss, Siler City
Kent Cranford, Gastonia
Allison Gallimore, Oxford
Sarah Lamkin, Louisburg
Michael Lea, West Jefferson
Nate Leonard, Morehead City
Christa Warise, Winston-Salem
Mike Womble, Wilmington
Tiffany Young, Bladenboro
Financial Report:
April 2014 Contributions Undesignated - $113,382 Designated - $241,545
May 2014 Contributions Undesignated - $99,273 Designated - $190,300
April 2014 - March 2015
Monthly Undesignated Goal: $123,657
888-822-1944
www.cbfnc.org
Upcoming Events ~ JULY/AUGUST EDITION
Oasis Music and Worship Conference
July 14-16, 2014
Campbell University, Buies Creek
CBFNC Family Day
July 29, 2014
Wet-n-Wild Emerald Pointe Waterpark, Greensboro
Selah Vie college retreat
August 3-6, 2014
Pinnacle Retreat Center in Clayton, GA
Stewardship Conferences
August 14, 2014 - United, Winston-Salem
August 15, 2014 - Wake Forest, Wake Forest
Youth Whitewater Retreat
August 30-September 1, 2014
Asheville
Youth Beach retreat
September 12-14, 2014
NC Baptist Assembly, Caswell
Elevating Preaching
September 22, 2014
Duke University School of Divinity
Understanding Adolescents in a Changing Culture
September 27-28, 2014
Trinity, Raleigh
Youth Fall Retreat with CBF-VA
October 3-5, 2014
Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center, Lynchburg, VA
Deacon Ministry: Leadership Training for 21st Century World
October 11, 2014
United Baptist Church, Winston-Salem
November 8, 2014
Viewmont Baptist Church, Hickory
Ministers Retreat
October 13-15, 2014
St. Francis Springs, Stoneville
Western North Carolina Baptist Fellowship Fall Gathering
October 19, 2014
New Minister’s Luncheon
October 21, 2014
CBFNC offices, Winston-Salem
2014 Children’s Mission Days
November 1 - Zebulon, Zebulon
November 8 - Zion, Shelby
November 15 - Oakmont, Greenville
Coaching opportunities:
n Peer Learning conference calls
n 3 Key Principles in Congregational Coaching webinars
n Building Blocks of Christian Coaching (501)
n Congregational Coach Certification free exploration conference call
n Coaching Cohorts conference call series
n Establishing a Dynamic Coaching Relationship (502)
n Congregational Coach Certification