IMAGINE the possibilities
cbfnc.org Fall 2022 Vol. 27/Issue 3
The Gathering is a seasonal publication of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina, 2640 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC, 27106.
Churches
CBFNC’S MINISTERIAL TRANSITIONS TEAM
will host bi-weekly Zoom conversations designed as shared learning experiences for representatives from search teams across our state. Conversations will be held the second and fourth Mondays at 6:30 p.m. with a specific topical focus. Join the conversation(s) that apply to your church or participate in all six.
Thrive
Associate
Creative Uses for Church Properties: Ardmore Baptist, Winston-Salem
Creative Uses for Church Properties: Providence Baptist, Charlotte
Cost-Effective Solutions for Church Staffing & Benefits
Thinking Differently
On the Cover: Youth at Ardmore Baptist, Winston-Salem create artwork for the church’s new Welcome House.
Larry Hovis Executive Coordinator Jamie Rorrer The Gathering, Editor Director of Communications Amy Cook The Gathering, Graphic Designer Communications Specialist cbfnc.org | jrorrer@cbfnc.org | 336.759.3456 STAY IN THE KNOW ABOUT CBFNC! Subscribe to The Gathering and our weekly eNews on our website at cbfnc.org. Fill out a subscription form by clicking the SUBSCRIBE button.
3 Traditioned Innovation 4 Helping
and Clergy
Through Transitions 5 Get to Know Our New
Executive Coordinator 6
8
10
12
Learn more at cbfnc.org MINISTER SEARCH PROCESS Starting in October!
Conversations JOIN US!JOIN US! October 10 & 24 November 14 December 5 January 9 & 23
Traditioned Innovation
By Larry Hovis CBFNC Executive Coordinator
The past 20 years have held tremendous change for our culture in general, and our churches in particu lar. The global pandemic, now in its third year, has accelerated that process of change. There is little clarity and even less agreement on how to adapt to the changes we are facing.
Some counsel on staying the course. After all, God is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:18).
Others encourage abandoning existing forms and practices in favor of new ones since we worship and serve a God who “makes all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
Pastoral Leadership
A growing number of churches, especially in rural communities, are finding it increasingly difficult to attract full-time seminary-educated residential pastors to serve their congregations. There are numerous reasons for this trend. What are they to do?
They could look to their tradition for guidance. Many of these churches only became “full-time churches” in the mid-20th century. Prior to that they had part-time or bi-vocational pastors, or were part of a “church field” in which they shared a pastor with one or more neighboring churches.
Traditioned innovation is not a “one size fits all” solution for every congregation but in my travels to churches around our state, I see some common challenges that could benefit from new approaches based on traditioned innovation.
A better path, I believe, is to steer a middle path between old and new, utilizing what Greg Jones calls “tra ditioned innovation.” Jones is the president of Belmont University and former dean of Duke Divinity School. Faith and Leadership, the online publication of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, contains several articles on this concept.
Jones describes traditioned innovation as “a pattern of thinking, bearing witness to the Holy Spirit who is con forming us to Christ.” He states, “Transformative change, rooted in tradition and the preservation of wisdom, cul tivates the adaptive work that is crucial to the ongoing vitality and growth of any organism, Christian institutions included.”
We Baptists should be well-practiced at traditioned innovation. We were birthed from the concept that in order to return the church to a posture more faithful to the New Testament, we must develop new structures more conducive to the movement of the Spirit.
Traditioned innovation is not a “one size fits all” solu tion for every congregation but in my travels to churches around our state, I see some common challenges that could benefit from new approaches based on traditioned innovation. Here are three examples.
What might they learn from their tradition to adapt to the modern challenge of securing pastoral leadership? How can our fellowship support this effort?
Youth Ministry
While in a meeting with fellow CBF state coordinators, one of my colleagues commented that available youth min isters “are as scarce as hen’s teeth!” We all concurred. The same is true for children’s ministers. Even large churches with good compensation packages for these positions are finding few prospects when faced with vacancies.
The shortage of youth ministers shouldn’t stop a church from ministering to young people. As I explained recently to a church lay leader, youth ministry as a voca tion didn’t emerge until the 1970s. Prior to that, lay people conducted very effective faith formation with youth and children through Sunday School, Training Union, RAs, GAs and graded choirs.
Recent studies have shown that if young people have significant relationships with multiple adults in the church, they are more likely to remain in church as adults than if their primary faith formation came from a single, charis matic youth minister.
See “Traditioned Innovation” on page 4.
Fall 2022 | 3
Helping Churches and Clergy THRIVE Through Transitions
The church is in a liminal place; an in-betweenness or threshold of where we have been and where we are going. This pandemic experience has rocked our notion of what is certain and attainable. Therefore, min isterial transitions, especially into what can feel like an unknown future, bring anxiety, excitement, fear, forma tion, worry, discovery, creativity and hope.
By Andy Hale CBFNC Associate Executive Coordinator
And yet, we are people of faith, drawn to the leadership of God to face an unknown future to a known God. Moments of tran sition are extraordinary opportunities for thriving; none more so than clergy dis cerning a shift in calling and congregations seeking the right minister to serve alongside them.
As our world has changed so dra matically, now is the right moment for congregations to clarify their hopes and dreams, core values and identity regarding searching for their next ministerial role. CBFNC is here to help churches through this process by offering a suite of resources, whether it be best practices for a minister search com mittee, creative church-wide conversations on dreams for the present and future or how to welcome a minister with excellence well beyond a call Sunday.
In turn, for clergy seeking new opportunities, the pres ent has brought a fascinating shift as ministers not only clarify their sense of calling but reconsider healthy voca tional practices. CBFNC offers resources for broadening your network, building a more robust candidate profile, navigating interviews and negotiating compensation.
CBFNC seeks to journey alongside churches and clergy throughout the ministerial transition, providing insight, coaching, resources and networking. Our goal is to help you feel prepared, equipped and empowered to find the best ministerial-congregational matches for the thriving of God’s church. May we journey together in faithfulness into the unknown.
Visit www.cbfnc.org/transitions for more information, to connect with a member of the Ministerial Transitions team or to interact with the latest resources for churches and ministers.
Traditioned Innovation, continued from page 3
Maybe the time has come for us to re-equip lay lead ers to conduct faith formation with young people, rather than “hiring it out” to paid staff. Such an approach might be more feasible, more economical and more effective.
Table Fellowship
For most of my life, a staple of Baptist church life has been Wednesday night supper. The mid-week meal served as a point of contact for church members and offered con venience for families to attend mid-week programming. In many churches today, the mid-week meal has been phased out, or is on life support.
I recently participated in a multi-day charity bike ride with a group of Methodists. Each of our two nights on the road we stayed overnight in Methodist churches. In both cases they were serving meals in their fellowship halls. These meals were not for the benefit of church members, but their communities. The meals were prepared by church members as a ministry of hospitality for community mem bers in need – whether that need was hunger or loneliness.
In one of the churches, First United Methodist of Rutherfordton, the meal that night was served by mem bers of First Baptist of Rutherfordton, a CBF partner congregation! My Methodist cycling colleagues explained that serving community meals is becoming more common in their congregations. In some cases, new worshipping congregations are being birthed out of the community that gathers for these meals, a recovery of the ancient New Testament practice of the agape meal.
Most of our Baptist churches have fellowship halls that go unused most nights of the week. Our members may no longer see the need to dine there on a weekly basis, but we believe strongly in offering the hospitality of Jesus to our neighbors. Perhaps a new approach, based on old prac tice, might be a catalyst for renewal for both church and community.
As Bob Dylan sang, “the times, they are a-changin’.” Maybe the best clues for how to innovate and adapt to changing times are found in our tradition.
4 | The Gathering
GET TO KNOW
Our New Associate Executive Coordinator
1. Do you have a hidden talent?
This might be a bit outdated, but I learned to climb coconut trees the summer I coordinated tsunami relief efforts in Sri Lanka. The tallest I climbed was 60 feet. The key is to save enough energy on the descent. If not, you’ll slide down it like a fire pole only to have your chest torn to pieces.
5 QUESTIONS
with Andy Hale
Andy Hale officially joined the CBFNC team in June 2022 as associate executive coordinator. His responsibil ities include collaborating with Larry Hovis, executive coordinator, for the thriv ing of CBFNC churches and clergy: developing innova tive ministry with young adults and college students; starting new faith communities; and partnering with CBFNC ministry staff. Andy, his wife Jennifer and two daughters relocated from Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he served as the senior pastor of University Baptist Church. He will be based in the CBFNC office in Winston-Salem and can be reached at ahale@cbfnc.org.
I can also hold my breath for a long time, making snorkeling much more inter esting to deeper depths. I can typically swim 2.5 laps in the pool underwater without coming up for a breath. However, I feel someone will call my bluff on this at an upcoming General Assembly, forcing me into the pool for proof.
2. When are you most productive?
I am an early riser. My most creative time is 6:30-8:30 a.m. I like to gulp down at least four cups of coffee while thinking and writing before the beautiful busy ness of the day kicks into high gear, with Amazon Music turned to the Film Score station.
In a collaborative setting, I strive to create a climate of transparency, candor, inclusiveness, equity, and creativity. I hope that the collective “we” will contin ually understand why we do what we do, how we can live into our why more authentically and discover what new possibilities exist.
3. What’s on your bucket list?
Our family loves visiting the National Parks, taking in all the parks in Colorado and Utah over the pandemic. We have Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Acadia and Yosemite on our shortlist for the coming years.
Expanding beyond the United States, I have a lifelong dream of exploring Middle Earth/New Zealand, backpacking to Machu Picchu, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and sailing around the Caribbean. Of course, who wouldn’t want to go to Rome, Paris, Athens, or Jerusalem?
4. What do you do to “refill your tank?
Did I mention I have an affinity for good coffee? I cannot function without 50-60 ounces of java per day with a companion of water from my Hydro Flask. Intense workouts refill my tank, as much of a contradiction as that sounds. I enjoy long runs while listening to either an audiobook or podcast episodes and high-inten sity workouts. Our family goes for evening walks with our pup, BB-8, named after the Star Wars droid because of the identical shape patch on his back.
5. What are you most looking forward to about working with CBFNC?
I love the church. I desire to help congregations leverage their God-given strengths, passions, and assets for thriving. Now, more than ever, churches have the unique opportunity to follow the leadership of God into the unknown future with bold confidence that great things are in store. Serving in vocational ministry for nearly 25 years, I yearn to help clergy live into their sense of calling and flourish vocationally, familially, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I look forward to doing my part in serving our more than 275 churches, 25+ partnerships, thousands of congregational leaders and hundreds of ministers as we seek to equip, engage and embrace God’s good work in North Carolina and around the world.
Fall 2022 | 5
Creative Uses for Church Properties:
Ardmore Baptist, Winston-Salem
In March of 2020, a few ministers from Ardmore Baptist Church sat at a Churchworks Conference hosted by CBF at a church in Knoxville, TN. While there, we got to hear from Marc and Kim Wyatt of the Welcome House Community Network share about the need for churches with house properties to consider using them as temporary housing for refugees.
By Amy Gallaher Minister of Missional Engagement, Ardmore Baptist
At that time, our church owned a property that had been a blessing to the hospital community for many years. This house had hosted out-oftown families of patients admitted to our local hospitals. Other organi zations in our community began to meet the needs of housing for fami lies of patients and our house became less and less used for that purpose. We were at a crossroads of discerning what to do with the house that we owned across the street.
Then the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the pandemic was wreaking havoc all around the world, one of the blessings our missions team discovered in the chaos was time and space to pray, research and discern. We spent the next year as a church being led by God to join the welcome.
We had a two bedroom, one bathroom house in desperate need of some reha bilitation but it was across the street from the church, within walking distance of the grocery stores and parks, accessible to a bus line and in the heart of Winston-Salem.
Another affirmation for our church to move in the direction of Welcome House was from a previous survey of our mem bers during the Growing Young process. That survey revealed to us that one of our most profound strengths as a commu nity was in welcoming newcomers and offering hospitality. Refugee ministry was also not that far off as our church had assisted with several families through Good Neighbor Teams with World Relief.
Above: The former guest house that is now Ardmore’s Welcome House. Below: Preparing for the launch of the new Welcome House.
6 | The Gathering
The missions team knew that God was calling us in a new direction to a ministry that would help us welcome the stranger and love our neighbor. So, as the education process started in our church, our goals were to use our strengths as a community, identified in our survey, and continuously cre ate intergenerational opportunities through the ministry of Welcome House.
After a church conference vote overwhelmingly affirmed this direction for our house, the first group of peo ple to take ownership in the ministry of welcome was the youth. They showed up from the very beginning to create the space that would create hope and become a home.
Over the next six months we hosted work days to tear out, rebuild, paint, lay floor and decorate the house. We had painters as young as four-years-old to light fix ture installers at age 80 working together. We had entire groups of friends and Sunday Bible Study classes sign up for training as Hospitality Teams who would welcome our new friends.
We’ve had box after box arrive at the church as dona tions by members from our Amazon list. And last, but certainly not least, we’ve had prayer. From our youngest to our oldest, our community has advocated for and sup ported the Welcome House through praying for those that will step foot through the doors that all would be blessed.
We officially commissioned the Welcome House on June 12 with our church family. Just three days later, we received a call from World Relief seeking a place for a Syrian refugee family of four. The family had been living in refugee camps for years. We happily embraced them in our new Welcome House and are excited to share that they will be moving out into their own home in September.
Since opening our Welcome House, we have had churches and individuals reaching out constantly in sup port and asking questions about how they can help or how they can create their own welcome for neighbors needing a safe loving space to breathe deeply.
What have we learned? The spirit of welcome is catch ing and spreading; let’s do the work and get ready!
To learn more about the Welcome House Community Network, contact Marc and Kim Wyatt at wyatt@cbf.net
Above: The former guest house that is now Ardmore’s Welcome House. Below: Preparing for the launch of the new Welcome House.
Fall 2022 | 7
Creative Uses
for Church Properties:
Providence Baptist, Charlotte
When it comes to church buildings, space reserved specifically for college and young adult ministry is RARE .
At Providence Baptist Church, we have roughly 70 classrooms. Out of these rooms, seven are for children’s ministry, 10 are for youth ministry and 19 are for adult Sunday school classes. One is for college ministry. That one room has been created into a college lounge designed specifically for ministry to and with college students. This is a story of how that one room became a lounge and the impact of it.
By Caitie Jackson CBFNC Campus Minister, Charlotte-area
For five years, there was a college Sunday school class at Providence that met only during the summers and hol idays when students returned home. And this class took place in a room that was occupied year-round by children’s ministry. College students were guests in this space…in the church in which they grew up. After two years, we expanded into a college summer program, and the need for a permanent space for college ministry became greater.
You may be thinking, “If the college students are only there for the summer, why would a valuable space be dedi cated to this ministry?” The answer is because college and young adult ministry looks different than most. It doesn’t happen on a Sunday morning at 9:15 a.m. It happens on a Tuesday afternoon while studying, or a Thursday evening for small group or on a Friday morning over coffee. Sometimes it happens underneath the awning lights over a pick-up game of 4-square. It is a ministry that is more organic and fluid, less structured. But it still needs a home base.
These young adults are in a formative time of their lives. Our role as the church is to equip, empower and extend
hospitality to students and that starts by providing a safe, consistent space for them. And that is what we are trying to embody through our college lounge at Providence.
The lounge consists of two intentional spaces: a dining area with tables and a couch area with a tv and games. Each piece of fur niture or wall hanging is intentional and serves a purpose for our students. There is even a keypad entry for students to access the lounge on their own during church hours.
Above: CBFNC Campus Minister Caitie Jackson and students enjoy the college lounge at Providence Baptist in Charlotte.
Below: Scenes of the revamped space at Providence Baptist where college students come to grow their faith, talk about hard things and be in fellowship together.
8 | The Gathering
Overall, this lounge has served a purpose in 4 ways:
The first purpose is ministry
Everything College Ministry related on our church cam pus is based out of this room. The lounge is occupied almost every day of the week.
Because my office is attached to this room, students swing by to hang out during work hours. It is truly a gift when a student uses their time to visit you and feel as though they have a comfortable space to do that.
Partnership with campus ministries
Cooperative Baptist Student Fellowship Charlotte is the local CBFNC campus ministry for three different univer sities in the area. They all call the lounge home throughout the school year while Providence students are away. CBSF uses it for weekly programming and events. We even have open lounge hours where students can use it for studying or resting between classes.
There have been many benefits to this partnership but two stand out. CBSF has a place that looks and feels like their own supported by a local church AND students get involved at Providence.
This lounge has come as a surprise: intergenerational connection
Because of its highly visible location, our lounge is seen every day by members of the church and community. They can see if someone is in our lounge, which often encourages them to go inside and engage with our students.
On Wednesday evenings, adults stop by before small group to ask how students are doing. Youth come to play games and hang out for as long as they can get away with.
Even the children at Providence have deemed it a magical space that they get to be a part of in the future. During sum mer camp, I heard a young child exclaim to his friends, “That’s the college room; we get to go there when we’re older!”
The college lounge serves as a safe space
It’s powerful to sit around the couches and witness students open up to their peers about deep and difficult experiences in their lives. (About their sexual identity, about their relationships, about their depression.) Students have stated that they never thought they’d be able to talk about these things inside a church building and feel safe and not feel judged.
It’s humbling to receive a call at 9:00 p.m. asking if we can meet in the lounge because a student is experiencing a loss and they don’t know how to be home right now. So I meet them; and I hold them as they grieve.
As a result of using our facilities to make a home for our college students, I truly feel as though our church is beginning to embrace this ministry and engage with our students in new ways. Ways that will lead us towards a community for all people, on earth as it is in heaven.
Fall 2022 | 9
CO$T-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS
for Church Staffing & Benefits
One of the blessings of our work is the opportunity to know, observe and assist churches around the state. This partnership model provides a window into how different churches approach similar challenges to business and financial matters, including staffing of ministry and administrative personnel as well as employee benefits.
By Jason Cogdill CBFNC’s Legal Resource Partner
By Jim Hylton CBFNC Business Administrator Coordinator
It is no surprise that churches in today’s world must find creative ways to do ministry and mis sions within a flat or decreasing budget model. As a result, churches are asking tough questions and seek ing external input on how to maximize ministry with limited financial resources. Examples:
“How can we reduce personnel expenses without sacrificing ministries of our church?”
“Is there a way to accomplish this new goal without hiring another employee?”
“How can we provide valuable employee benefits in light of rising health insurance costs?”
In response to these questions, below is a sum mary list of several trends and options that we are seeing in the listed categories:
Administrative Functions
• Outsourcing financial management tasks to a contract partner (including back office accounting, reporting and audits);
• Outsourcing property management and janitorial services to a contract partner;
• Outsourcing additional roles – technology, communi cations, marketing, etc. – to a contract partner;
• Use of a minister of administration or “Chief of Staff” to oversee/manage admin functions and contractors, rather than a larger staff of employees doing all work in-house;
•
Sharing of administrative staff among multiple churches (such as a single financial manager working for three churches, with time and compensation divided among them).
Outsourcing of Financial Services
Now that churches are returning to a more routine work schedule following the disruption of the pandemic, many are finding their financial employees are moving to other employers and/or retiring. Trying to replace these lost employees has become a challenge.
So what are churches to do? This is a very important position in church administra tion and needs to be filled by a competent person who can be retained. The answer is outsourcing .
Lately, CBFNC has been helping more and more churches find financial services companies that can do the needed work at a reasonable price. Besides price, once the financial company learns the church financial systems, they can recommend changes that lead to more effectiveness and efficiency. And, the church no longer has to worry about an employee leaving this position. The finan cial service provider will be there to help when needed.
Currently CBFNC is recommending three possible financial services providers for churches:
• Outfitters4 (outfitters4.com) is located in the Triad area.
• Trinity Concepts (trinityconceptsnc.com) is located in the Triangle area.
• Missional Business Services (mbservicesllc. net) is located in Alabama.
See “Cost-Effective Solutions” on the next page. 10 | The Gathering
Ministry Positions
Solutions,
from page 10.
• Increasing use of part-time ministers (including individuals who are bi-vocational);
• Use of volunteers and lay ministers to fill existing or new roles traditionally held only by ordained staff, particularly in light of increasing challenges around identifying and hiring vocational ministers;
• Sharing of ministry staff among multiple churches (such as a music minister, children’s minister or musician who works at two churches, with time and compensation divided among them).
Employee Benefits
• Exploring alternatives to traditional group health insur ance coverage, including new Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement option as well as stipend model (which works well with ACA Marketplace cover age and availability of health coverage through spouse’s employer);
• Increasing education and communication about benefit options for staff, including option for consultation with insurance and tax resources at no cost;
• Reducing benefits expenditures by increasing use of part-time, shared or contractor roles in place of full-time positions, as noted above.
These options and trends are representative of various approaches in current church life. We will discuss these and additional options in upcoming Video Learning Sessions.
A goal of CBFNC is to provide support and assistance to partner churches and ministers. Our team is available to help your congregation do what you have to do in order to be in a position to do what you are called to do in the world.
Jim Hylton is CBFNC’s business administrator coordinator with decades of experience in finance, human resources, and church leadership. Jason Cogdill is CBFNC’s legal resource partner and serves on the Coordinating Council.
Financial Wellness for Pastors Retreats
CBFNC’S HELPING PASTORS THRIVE MINISTRY is excited to partner with CBF CHURCH BENEFITS BOARD this fall in offering two retreats for pastors and spouses focusing on financial wellness: one in eastern NC and one in western NC.
FINANCIAL WELLNESS FOR PASTORS–WEST
October 2-4
Lake Junaluska Retreat Center
Lake Junaluska, NC
FINANCIAL WELLNESS FOR PASTORS–EAST
November 6-8
Trinity Retreat Center
Pine Knoll Shores, NC
Making decisions for your financial future is easier with a little help. That’s why CBF Church Benefits Board offers incentives through the Financial Wellness Initiative to help clergy design and implement a financial plan. Attend one of the Financial Wellness for Pastors retreats to learn how to build a financial plan and implement incentives to help you map your financial future.
Find more details on Helping Pastors Thrive retreats and workshops at helpingpastorsthrive.org.
Cost-Effective
continued
Fall 2022 | 11
Thinking
Iam often asked, “What was it like to have the same job for 40 years?” My reply is a simple one, “I have no idea.” Serving Zebulon Baptist Church (ZBC) as senior pastor for 40 years was a dynamic tenure, a ministry journey that required adaptive and innovative thinking and practice on my part in collaboration with the church and its leaders and staff.
The ministry context in 2022 was differ ent in so many ways from the context in 1981, when I transitioned from a parttime staff role as a seminary student to the pastorate at ZBC. Our Baptist fam ily fractured, argued and split; our partnerships for mission and fellow ship changed drastically. Zebulon became a less rural town and more of a Raleigh suburban town. The role of church and the perception of churches and Christians in society changed drastically.
Communication changed com pletely with 24-hour news, the internet and social media. This fueled a political and social divisiveness that posed great chal lenges for healthy congregational life. Worship
By Jack Glasgow Retired Pastor & Interim Pastor at Oakmont, Greenville
wars led to splintering along the lines of worship pref erences. What constituted active and healthy church commitment and participation was thoroughly redefined. And, I was changing, from a 26-year-old in the early stages of adulthood to a 66-year-old grandfather with so many new perspectives on faith and theology that emerged through life experience. Throw in at the end of my tenure one more little thing that called for dynamic leadership—a global pandemic!
My first counsel to ministers and lay leaders would be to have a curiosity about changes and a passion for effective adaptation that takes our changing ministry context seriously. A head in the sand approach that stubbornly believes doing the same thing over and over again in the hope that we will miracu lously recover the church of the 50s or 60s is a doomed strategy.
I actually found the pandemic to be an energizing time as a leader.
I embraced it as an opportunity to work
Jack and his wife Barbara talk with members of the church during the retirement celebration.
“I actually found the pandemic to be an energizing time as a leader. I embraced it as an opportunity to work collaboratively with church leaders to be innovative and nimble.”
Jack Glasgow retired earlier this year after 43 years of serving Zebulon Baptist Church.
12 | The Gathering
collaboratively with church leaders to be inno vative and nimble. We worked well together providing ministry that energized the congrega tion. The key is the willingness to see change as a challenge to be embraced and a victory to be celebrated.
My second encouragement would be to understand you and your congregation’s purpose, passion and unique giftedness. No minister can be all things to all people. No church can be effective at any and all ministries. Trying to copy what looks like success from other churches lacks authentic ity and simply does not succeed.
What does work is an unshakable convic tion that what we do is important; a willingness to work collaboratively in healthy processes that discover vision and then organize ministry; the development of ministry competency that helps Christians grow; welcoming and including others; and engaging the church on relevant ministry con sistent with clear core values.
Believe that what we do matters. Let that belief kindle a passion for discovering relevant and life changing ministry as a congregation. It is worth our best effort.
Sunday, September 25 3:45 to 7:30 p.m. Edenton Baptist Church 200 S. Granville Street Edenton, NC in partnership with Chowan University FEATURED SPEAKERS Melody & Sam Harrell Former CBF Field Personnel GATHERING INCLUDES: Meaningful Worship Informative Breakout Sessions Fellowship Meal For more information & registration cbfnc.org Fall 2022 | 13
A Ministry of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
Upcoming Workshops & Retreats
FALL REST & RENEWAL FOR PASTORS
September 25-27
St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, Stoneville, NC
FLOURISH:
A TIME TO HONOR & INSPIRE YOUTH MINISTERS
October 27
Emerywood Baptist Church, High Point
PASTORS AS SPIRITUAL GUIDE
January 22-24
St. Francis Prayer Center, Stoneville, NC
FIND MORE DETAILS on Helping Pastors Thrive retreats and workshops at helpingpastorsthrive.org.
14 | The Gathering
CBFNC HONORARY & MEMORIAL GIFTS
April 2022 – June 2022
Jennifer and Seth Asbill in honor of Jesse Croom Jocelyn Blair in honor of Ashley and Szymon Glimasinski
Sherry and Mike Hancock in honor of Life Application Class - Greystone Baptist Church
Marion and Donald Horton in honor of Jack and Barbara Glasgow
Marion and Donald Horton in honor of Donald and Jo Ann Horton
Frances P. Jones in honor of Wanda Kidd
Lisa and Kenneth Rust in honor of Marc & Kim Wyatt
Robert Sizemore in honor of CBSF Raleigh
Jean and Stanley Spence in honor of Marylou Smith
Joyce Wolcott in celebration of Mary Anners’ Birthday Melinda Alvarez in memory of Randall Lolley
Jennifer and Paul Baxley in memory of Randall Lolley
Anne and Matt Bullard in memory of Randall Lolley
Steve Cobb in memory of Randall Lolley
Paul Edmond in memory of Randall Lolley
Kim and Larry Hovis in memory of Randall Lolley
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Johnson in memory of Randall Lolley
Nancy Patterson in memory of Randall Lolley
Nancy P. Wilson in memory of Randall Lolley Mary-Stuart Parker Alderman Fund in memory of Randall Lolley
Laura Lee Slate in memory of/in honor of Randall Lolley / Lou Lolley
Tammy Poindexter in memory of Cindy Vestal
John Vestal in memory of Cindy Vestal
W. Hamilton Crenshaw in memory of Charles and Helen Hovis
MINISTERS ON THE MOVE
Our encouragement and support go to the following ministers who have recently moved:
Randy Carter to Temple Baptist, Durham as Pastor
Randy Clipp to Olive Chapel Baptist Church, Apex as Senior Pastor
Scott Henson to First Baptist Church, Taylorsville as Pastor
Brian Lockamy to Woodhaven Baptist, Apex as Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults
Katharine Martin to Knollwood Baptist, Winston-Salem as Minister of Adult Faith Formation and Education
Jake Mauk to Lakeside Baptist, Rocky Mount as Minister of Music
David Pace to Clemmons First Baptist as Pastor
Amy Starr Russell to First Baptist, Greensboro as Associate Pastor of Children and Families
When you make a move or know of someone who has changed places of ministry, please send us an email: seth.hix@cbfnc.org.
For assistance to search committees and ministers seeking vocational discernment, visit the Equip Ministers and Churches page on our website (cbfnc.org) or call us at 336.759.3456.
Your gifts to a CBFNC endowment fund
can plant seeds of blessing, hope, & help.
Designate a gift for scholarships, new church starts, or where it is most needed. Please remember CBFNC in your will or estate plan.
For more information, contact Jim Hylton at (336) 759-3456 or JHylton@cbfnc.org.
DONATE to CBFNC today! www.cbfnc.org/give
Gifts from individual supporters established this endowment fund to supplement the CBFNC annual operating budget. Gifts to this fund assist all areas of CBFNC ministry as we strive to join the work of God in the world.
Fall 2022 | 15
www.cbfnc.org
.
Look Ahead
Bringing Baptists of North Carolina Together for Christ-Centered Ministry
2640 Reynolda Road
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Return Service Requested
SEPTEMBER
NORTHEASTERN REGIONAL CBFNC GATHERING
(In partnership with Chowan University)
Edenton Baptist, Edenton September 25
OCTOBER
FINANCIAL WELLNESS FOR PASTORS-WEST
(In partnership with CBF Church Benefits)
Lake Junaluska Retreat Center October 2-4
GIVING & GENEROSITY COURSE
Online with Digital Congregations October 4, 11 & 18
CBFNC YOUTH BEACH RETREAT
Fort Caswell October 7–9
MINISTER SEARCH PROCESS CONVERSATIONS
On Zoom, Bi-Weekly (October – January) October 10 & 24
RED LATINA MARRIAGE CONGRESS
La Voz De La Esperanza Baptist Church, Charlotte
October 21-22
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
WINSTON-SALEM PERMIT NO. 162
FALL REST & RENEWAL FOR PASTORS St. Francis Springs Prayer Center, Stoneville September 25–27
HOW TO HAVE COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE IN THE CHURCH & BEYOND (presented by CBFNC’s Racial Equity & Justice team) Greystone Baptist, Raleigh October 22
FLOURISH: A TIME TO HONOR & INSPIRE YOUTH MINISTERS Emerywood Baptist Church, High Point October 27
NOVEMBER
FINANCIAL WELLNESS FOR PASTORS-EAST
(In partnership with CBF Church Benefits) Trinity Center, Salter Path, NC November 6-8
MINISTER SEARCH PROCESS CONVERSATIONS
On Zoom, Bi-Weekly (October – January) November 14
A
. .