By Paul Baxley As our congregations have gathered for worship and study these past few weeks, our communities and our nation have witnessed a terrifying series of mass shootings. Just this past weekend, even as members of the U.S. Senate worked to reach a bipartisan agreement on gun safety, at least five people were killed … Continue reading
By James Jordan The Merriam-WebsterDictionary defines transparent as “free from pretense or deceit: frank; easily detected or seen through: obvious; readily understood and characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices.” What does transparency of financial matters have to do with a church? Everything. People join organizations they perceive are successful. They leave them because of … Continue reading
By Ruth Perkins Lee This article was first published in Faith & Leadership on March 8, 2022 (https://faithandleadership.com/peer-groups-pastors-can-create-healthy-ecosystem-support). In 2019, my husband and I visited Muir Woods National Monument, an old-growth redwood forest on California’s northern coast. I had long been fascinated by the concept of the interconnected growth and root system of redwoods that … Continue reading
By Jennifer Colosimo Three hundred kilometers. That’s the average round trip Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel Eddie Aldape often makes as he transports goods and people to and from the Ukrainian border towns in Slovakia. There, 250,000 Ukrainian refugees have come since early March—some for a few days as they connect with family and friends … Continue reading
In this season of giving thanks, we celebrate our CBF family, and we are grateful for you. As we gather today around many tables around the world, may we feel Christ’s love that connects us all in beautiful beloved community. Thank you for all of the ways you partner with us and share your bold … Continue reading
In 1996, a small group of believers began to meet in the living room of a home in Cookeville, Tennessee. 25 years later, that same core group and others who have joined along the way continue to worship and serve the Lord together through what today is known as Providence Baptist Church. The story of Providence … Continue reading
By Rick Sample The events unfolding in recent days in war-torn Afghanistan have shocked and horrified Americans, none more so than Afghan-American immigrants. Since 2002, for almost twenty years, Lita and I have served as missionaries among internationals in the San Francisco Bay Area, living in the multi-ethnic suburb of Fremont, Calif., home to the … Continue reading
by Christopher West In the world of Covid-19, health has become a major topic of discussion and debate within our congregations. It seems that everywhere one goes today, people are discussing public health, health insurance reform, epidemiology, public policy in wake of the coronavirus, and the diminishing health of the American public. The thing missing … Continue reading
By Laura Stephens-Reed When I open my home office door after a coaching call, I hear it: the blessed sound of silence. It has been all too rare over these last fifteen months, since my husband has also been working from the couch and my son has been virtually schooling from our den. I describe … Continue reading
By Carson Foushee For the first two years we lived in Tokyo, we were out the door early each morning to board packed trains for our commute to Japanese language school, located near the second busiest station in the world. After wrapping up our studies each afternoon, we would return home with just enough daylight … Continue reading