By Stephen Reeves

I chose to be a CBF Baptist long before I came on the staff of the Fellowship in October. I’m in a CBF church because being Baptist matters to me. I come from a long line of active West Texas Baptist church members and grew up in a little Baptist church on the edge of Austin called Pond Springs. I’ve come to describe my home church as a small town, country church that never quite adjusted to the fact that Austin was growing up around it. I knew nothing of Convention politics, controversy or takeover. The only thing I really remember about those days was a recommendation from our pastor to watch a documentary called “Battle for the Minds” airing on PBS.

Fortunately, every summer our youth group attended South West Baptist Youth Camp. This camp introduced me to CBF churches from all over Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Through SWBYC I not only learned about FBC Austin, Wilshire, Broadway, Second Baptist Lubbock, 7th & James in Waco and many other great churches, I was also shown a way of thinking, believing and being Baptist so different from many of the Christian kids I encountered at school. I also formed friendships that continue today with young people still committed to being Baptist.

So in many ways that camp and those churches helped me to stay Baptist through college and law school. I’m thankful for that. I came to learn that the things I was so appreciative of in my church were not typical for all other churches and denominations. The freedom demonstrated through democratic governance, local church autonomy and priesthood of the believer, as messy as they are, seem right for a local community. I guess they also appeal to my stubborn, independent spirit.

A church that upheld the separation of church and state as a good thing was also critical. Beyond the basic fairness of this notion, I remember the reaction when my father, a former high school football coach now serving as the athletic director for a large suburban school district, made the call to cease the pregame prayer over the loudspeakers at football games. To say the least this was unpopular but I don’t remember the members of my church complaining to him about it.

I came to understand and appreciate this aspect of CBF life even more while serving as staff attorney for the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty; a vital CBF partner of which many of us are rightly proud.

I am a CBF Baptist because the CBF churches I’ve visited or been a member of feel like home. When I attend General Assembly I find my community. While there is a breadth of theological belief and political conviction, the folks I encounter there truly seem to share a common spirit. I don’t find arrogance, rigidity and fear.

In CBF churches I’ve found some of the most remarkable people I’ve known; folks who aren’t afraid to stand out and be a little different from their community or the dominant Christian culture. They didn’t end up a CBF supporter by default. They are thoughtful, compassionate, serious Christians engaging with the world unafraid to tackle tough questions and allowing others to do the same. The vast majority of CBF churches support women in all aspects of congregational ministry and leadership. I know there are some members who struggle with scriptural interpretation and the theological ramifications in general. But over and over again I have seen them show up in the particular. To love, affirm and ordain women, like my wife Deborah, and so many of our friends. Much progress has been made with more to come.

There are challenges to be sure, but I’m committed to CBF because I’m hopeful for the future. I see younger people proud to be CBF folks. I believe if we embrace the best of our tradition, we have the tools to adapt to a changing culture and attract like-minded Christians outside of our tradition or our dominant region. I see new leadership committed to making CBF the most vital religious organization in the country. Dedicated to helping maintain vibrant missional churches, to supporting field personnel engaged in compassionate, sustainable and holistic ministries at home and across the world, to supporting education that not only produces new ministers but also new thought leaders that are not afraid to engage the world and our church members; who take seriously the responsibility and opportunity we have to influence our communities for the good and enhancing our public witness through advocacy.

I hope as seminary students you too will find a home within CBF and join or help lead one of our churches into the future; one that is more diverse than our past and more proud of who we are, than of who we are not.

Stephen Reeves is the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s associate coordinator for partnerships and advocacy. This post was originally presented at CBFDay at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta, Ga.