2024 CBF IMPACT REPORT
CONNECTED FOR FAITHFUL IMPACT
Garcia assumed his duties as CBF Moderator, the Fellowship’s highest-ranking elected officer, at
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the 2024 General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C.
CELEBRATING OUR FAITHFUL IMPACT
With each passing year, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship continues to reflect the truth that seeking God’s transformation of the world is an invitation extended to all of us.
The transformation reflected in this impact report is much more than a record of milestones; it is a testament to the collective impact of a community committed to faithful ministry and bold collaboration.
Within these pages, you’ll find stories of resilience and creativity—evidence of how God is working in and through our Fellowship. You’ll see how congregations, Global Missions field personnel, chaplains, students and so many others are responding to the call of Christ with courage and hope. From addressing crises to equipping leaders, from strengthening local churches to extending Christ’s love globally, these highlights tell the story of how we are joining together to seek God’s transformation in the world.
Our Fellowship is built on relationships—relationships that span generations, geographies and callings. Together, we are more than the sum of our parts. Together, we are cultivating community, equipping leaders and bearing witness to the transformative love of Jesus Christ.
This report is an invitation: to celebrate the impact we’ve made together, to reflect on the mission we’ve shared, and to embrace the work still ahead. As you explore these stories of faithfulness, know that your prayers, your gifts and your partnership are making a difference.
Thank you for your commitment to this Fellowship and to the holy work of transformation. I am deeply grateful for the ways you continue to say “yes” to God’s invitation. May we keep moving forward together in faith and in love toward a world transformed by Christ.
Paul Baxley Executive Coordinator
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
December 2024
OUR FELLOWSHIP
INVITING TO COMMUNITY, EQUIPPING FOR MINISTRY, TRANSFORMING GOD’S WORLD
We are a global community that bears witness to the Gospel in partnership with Christians across the nation and around the world.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a network of churches, individuals and partners inviting each other into deeper community, equipping each other for ministry and seeking the transformation of God’s world.
We pursue a bold and powerful witness in our communities and around the world that none of us can do on our own. As a Fellowship, we unleash all the powerful gifts we’ve been given to meet the urgent needs of our churches and our communities.
We participate in the mission of Jesus through both evangelism and social transformation—a mission that involves individuals and communities, hearts and minds, words and deeds, souls and bodies. It includes changing hearts and the transformation of structures and communities.
Our understanding of Baptist faith and practice is expressed by our emphasis on freedom in biblical interpretation and congregational governance, the participation of women and men in all aspects of church leadership and Christian ministry, and religious liberty for all people.
CBF is innovative congregations, gifted and called field personnel bearing witness to Jesus Christ around the world, nearly 1,200 endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors, 15 state and regional organizations, dozens of theological schools and partner organizations and so much more.
GLOBAL MISSIONS
ADVANCING INTEGRAL MISSION BRIDGING FAITH AND ACTION GLOBALLY
Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we bear witness to Jesus Christ by cultivating beloved communities and seeking transformational development among people experiencing poverty and migration, in partnership with the global church. Our field personnel walk alongside communities devastated by disaster, refugee families fleeing violence, children living in extreme poverty and local congregations serving as agents of transformation in their communities. We are rooted in relationships, guided by the global church and committed to flourishing communities.
Jade and Shelah Acker serve in Kampala, Uganda, helping adult refugees with business training programs, youth and women’s ministry, spiritual development and social work programs.
Karen Alford serves as a CBF field personnel in Vogan, Togo, West Africa, where she provides primary healthcare at a Christian Mission clinic. She also trains new healthcare workers to aid one of the poorest countries in the world.
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
ABUSE PREVENTION IN MEXICO
CBF Congregational Ministries worked with Global Missions staff to conduct abuse prevention training at the Transformational Development Center in Mexico, which provides early education and wrap-around services to 50 children and their families.
$152,714 VALUE OF HOURS WORKED IN 2024
18 STUDENTS SERVED IN 2024
26 MISSION TRIPS
203 VOLUNTEERS
10,400 VOLUNTEER HOURS
$348,296
13 LOCATIONS VALUE OF HOURS WORKED
76 TOTAL ENCOURAGER CHURCHES
17 NEW ENCOURAGER CHURCHES
NORTH AMERICA
A HUB OF ADVOCACY AND MIGRATION SUPPORT
2,600 EMPOWERED THROUGH CAPACITYBUILDING INITIATIVES
9,173 ENGAGED THROUGH MIGRATION SERVICES AND ADVOCACY
865 CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUPPORTED THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
RURAL/URBAN AMERICAS
STRENGTHENING AGRICULTURE, EDUCATION AND RESILIENCE
1,075 INDIVIDUALS AIDED IN DISASTER RESPONSE
3,282 FARMERS AND PRACTITIONERS HELPED
6,000 CHILDREN AND YOUTH BENEFITED THROUGH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
LATIN AMERICA
TRANSFORMATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IMPACTING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
22,812 HOURS OF EDUCATION PROVIDED
11,122 MEALS PROVIDED TO CHILDREN
178 COUNSELING SESSIONS FOR ADULTS
GLOBAL MINISTRY IMPACT
884 PEOPLE SERVED
55,000 UNITS OF SUPPORT CHILDREN & YOUTH EDUCATION
6,865 CHILDREN REACHED CHURCH & DISCIPLESHIP
11,367 PEOPLE SERVED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
3,375 VOLUNTEER HOURS
DIVERSE IMPACT ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS
1,375 BENEFITED THROUGH CHURCH PROGRAMS
2,844 ENGAGED IN ADVOCACY EFFORTS
245 UNITS OF SUPPORT FOR AGRICULTURAL INITIATIVES
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ADVOCACY AND LEADERSHIP
955 ENGAGED IN CHURCH AND DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAMS
6,591 SUPPORTED THROUGH ADVOCACY INITIATIVES
5,607 INDIVIDUALS AIDED IN DISASTER RESPONSE
ADVOCACY AND CHURCH GROWTH
655 REACHED THROUGH ADVOCACY INITIATIVES
2,000 SUPPORTED THROUGH CHURCH PROGRAMS
200 INDIVIDUALS RECEIVING HEALTH-RELATED SUPPORT
SUPPORT CBF FIELD PERSONNEL GIVE TO THE OFFERING FOR GLOBAL MISSIONS www.cbf.net/OGMgive
DISASTER RESPONSE & EMERGENCIES
13,993 PEOPLE SERVED EMPOWERMENT & CAPACITY BUILDING
2,807 INDIVIDUALS EQUIPPED HEALTH PROGRAMS
832 LIVES TOUCHED MENTAL HEALTH & PASTORAL CARE
666 PEOPLE CARED FOR MIGRATION SUPPORT & SERVICES
6,618 MIGRANTS ASSISTED
CHAPLAINCY & PASTORAL COUNSELING
THE IMPACT OF COMPASSIONATE PRESENCE
Since 1998, CBF has endorsed more than 1,200 chaplains and pastoral counselors to serve in specialized ministry settings. Endorsement denotes that a minister is ecclesiastically qualified and has been vetted as being spiritually, emotionally, educationally and clinically prepared to serve in specialized ministries. Ecclesiastical endorsement is an essential requirement of employment for chaplains and pastoral counselors. CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors represent our Fellowship with excellence, serving as a critical ministry of the Fellowship, embodying compassionate presence in our communities, offering God’s love and the hope of Christ to all, as together in fellowship, we work to further God’s kingdom.
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
CHAPLAINS AND CBF DISASTER RESPONSE
Chaplains and pastoral counselors serve in the aftermath of disasters and community crises to offer spiritual care and pastoral counseling to individuals, families, CBF pastors and first responders. They create safe spaces to process experiences, cope in the face of fear and uncertainty and identify sources of strength and hope.
SERVING THE WORLD
902 ACTIVELY SERVING
22 ENDORSED IN 2024
CBF CHAPLAINS AND PASTORAL COUNSELORS ARE REPRESENTED IN ALL 50 STATES. DURING THE PAST YEAR, CBF MILITARY CHAPLAINS HAVE BEEN STATIONED IN BOSNIA, ENGLAND, GERMANY, ICELAND, ITALY, JAPAN, QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, SPAIN AND OTHER CLASSIFIED LOCATIONS.
THE IMPACT OF ENDORSEMENT
62% OF CHAPLAINS AND PASTORAL COUNSELORS SAY THEIR CBF ENDORSEMENT PROVIDES UNIQUE ACCESS TO OPPORTUNITIES AND A COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT.
“Being endorsed by CBF has helped my dreams come true. It’s a privilege, honor and sacred calling to serve as a CBF Army chaplain. I’m so excited for this journey.”
Chaplain (Capt.) Juan C. Turcios
HHBN Chaplain, 3rd Infantry Division Fort Stewart, Georgia
EXPLORE CHAPLAINCY
LEARN MORE ABOUT ENDORSEMENT THROUGH CBF AT: www.cbf.net/chaplaincy
CONGREGATIONAL MINISTRIES
CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT
CBF’s core commitment is supporting congregations and encouraging their leaders. CBF staff members offer support to congregations seeking a deeper sense of God’s calling for their lives together, discerning how to faithfully navigate changing financial environments and exploring how best to live out their local mission commitments while also joining Christ in ministry around the world. Alongside state and regional leaders and partner ministries, we help congregations find new pastoral leadership. We develop resources to respond to urgent needs emerging from our congregations. We help churches learn from one another and navigate incredible change. We engage in all these ministries of equipping because we have a deep love for churches and a holy ambition for their futures.
Board members of the CBF Children’s Ministry Network gathered at Oasis, a biennial conference for associate ministers in CBF churches.
CBF FELLOWS
15 FELLOWS IN THEIR FIRST FIVE YEARS OF FULL-TIME MINISTRY
$5,000 INVESTMENT FROM CBF OVER TWO YEARS
ASSISTING BAPTIST CLERGY IN THEIR FIRST CALL TO MAKE A HEALTHY TRANSITION FROM SEMINARY TO CONGREGATIONAL MINISTRY.
180 HOURS COACHING RECEIVED BY EACH FELLOW
THRIVING IN MINISTRY
7 COHORTS OF MINISTERS
48 PARTICIPANTS
PAK WOMEN
PASTORAS POLYPHONY
MISSIONS MINISTERS
MULTI-VOCATIONAL MINISTERS
WOMEN MINISTERS (WITH BWIM)
RACIAL JUSTICE COHORT
$3,250 INVESTMENT FROM CBF IN EACH MINISTER WHO PARTICIPATES IN A COHORT
“I thank God and CBF for the opportunity to belong to this group of thriving and ministerial support to women in ministry. It has been a time of edification, learning, accompaniment and growth both personally and in pastoral performance.”
Pastor Hilda G. Acosta Rivera Iglesia Bautista Corral Viejo, Ponce PR: Pastoras Cohort
PEER
10 STATES OR REGIONS HAVE ACTIVE PEER LEARNING GROUPS
37 GROUPS RENEWED OR RECEIVED GRANT OF $500
5 GRANTS AWARDED TO ENHANCE LEARNING AND SHARE RESOURCES, TOTALING $50,000
CBF can help lay leaders and ministers answer the questions and tackle the challenges unique to congregations. Connect with a member of the CBF staff to begin a conversation.
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT POLICIES, TRAINING AND RESPONSE
ABOUT STALKING, HARASSMENT OR FEAR OF VIOLENCE
“CBF’s Jay Kieve helped us do threat assessment and offered a number of common-sense ways to help keep our congregation safe, but the biggest gift of his work was his repeated reassurance that he as an objective outsider was seeing the same worrying things I was seeing.”
4 LEARNING COMMUNITIES
5 SPECIAL PROJECTS
20 CONGREGATIONS
80 TEACHING & COACHING HOURS PER CONGREGATION
$10,000 INVESTED PER CONGREGATION
100 CHURCHES ENGAGED
250 CONSULTING HOURS
FINANCIAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS
The Congregational Ministries team works alongside the CBF Foundation to provide Financial Health Assessments for churches. A simple questionnaire, along with follow-up visits with a team member, helps churches gauge their financial health. COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
ADVOCACY
FAITHFUL PUBLIC WITNESS
CBF Advocacy seeks to help congregations, pastors and lay members enhance their missions and ministries through advocacy. As Christians dedicated to serving our communities, we strive to exercise responsible Christian citizenship by modeling an inclusive public witness for the Church that amplifies the voices of marginalized, neglected and forgotten communities.
CBF planted roots in Washington, D.C., in 2024 when they opened their office with the help of Jennifer Hawks, CBF Director of Advocacy, and Sharon Felton, Congregational Advocacy Manager. The office space is in collaboration with Bread for the World, a CBF partner and Christian advocacy organization that strives to end hunger in the U.S. and globally.
Photo: Brooke Blake
CONGREGATIONAL ADVOCACY
4 STATES & REGIONS INVOLVED 17
100+ HOURS CONSULTING WITH PASTORS AND LAY LEADERS
Advocacy partners with CBF’s Encourager Church initiative to host a breakfast at General Assembly. This year, 2023 National Teacher of the Year, Rebecka Peterson (pictured at left), spoke on the importance of churches supporting public schools, educators and students. Advocacy through partnerships with local schools, caring for teachers and families as well as legislative advocacy is critical.
OUTREACH & GROWTH
CREATING A PATH TO BELONGING
CBF invites churches to form new, vital, loving, just and needed church partnerships. The Outreach and Growth Team celebrates the opportunity to journey with new CBF partner congregations. The team facilitates engagement to foster belonging with prospective congregations during times of prayerful discernment and discovery, striving to create relationships with existing CBF organizations to make the Fellowship home for all. The work of the Outreach and Growth team also includes leadership of the Pan African Koinonia, as well as FAMILIA, CBF’s Latino Network. COLLABORATING
OUTREACH & GROWTH AND STATES & REGIONS
CBF Outreach & Growth is expanding the Fellowship through partnerships with regional bodies like Baptist Fellowship of the Northeast (BFN) and Mid-Atlantic CBF (MACBF), working hand-in-hand with CBF to build new relationships with churches and individuals.
EMMANUEL MCCALL
RACIAL EQUITY FUND
GIVE AT: www.cbf.net/mccall
PAN AFRICAN KOINONIA (PAK)
19+ CITIES 530+ CONTACTS
WITH YOUNG ADULT, COMMUNITY AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
PAK Field Ministry Coordinator Lynn Brinkley welcomes attendees to the McCall Racial Justice Trailblazer Luncheon at 2024 General Assembly to honor Trailblazer award recipients.
RACIAL JUSTICE PEER GROUPS
PAK, CBF South Carolina and the McCall Racial Justice Initiative worked collaboratively to establish a cohort of predominantly white and predominantly Black congregations focused on racial justice and reconciliation. The work was supported by CBF’s Thriving in Ministry team.
3 CITIES 6 CHURCHES
CERTIFICATE IN SPIRITUALITY PRACTICES
PARTNERING WITH BIBLICA VIRTUAL
400+ HOURS LEARNING DISCIPLINES OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY
3 IN-PERSON RETREATS
MEETING WITH MINISTRIES ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER PARTNERING WITH THE “AS BORN AMONG US” NETWORK
68 PARTICIPANTS
Fellowship Southwest, CBF Advocacy and CBF Global Missions have begun to work more closely with those struggling at the U.S.-Mexico border through a multi-faceted ministry.
15 NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
10 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
SUPPORT FOR MINISTERS IN NEED
$3,000 ASSISTANCE FOR HIRING AGRICULTURAL WORKERS IN THE CARIBBEAN
200 HOURS OF PASTORAL ACCOMPANIMENT AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTION WITH LATINO CLERGY 74 STUDENTS 16 ONLINE SESSIONS 11 COUNTRIES 20 FULL SCHOLARSHIPS
1,500 POUNDS OF MEDICINE FOR PASTORS’ FAMILIES IN NEED IN THE CARIBBEAN
YOUNG BAPTISTS
NURTURING FUTURE GENERATIONS
Resourcing and networking Young Baptists for the Christian journey is at the heart of the Young Baptist Ecosystem. Through experiences, internships, ministries, programs, connections and local church support, CBF is encouraging and creating an environment in which students and young adults can thrive, be energized and have opportunities to give life to the world around them as they use their gifts in service of God and others. Young Baptists matter to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and CBF is being shaped by their presence among us.
47 SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2023-2024 ACADEMIC YEAR
$202,000
SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT IN 2023-2024
CBF recognized the 2024 Vestal Scholars, Meg Rooney and Jordann McMahan, at the 2024 General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C.
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
YOUNG BAPTISTS AND BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP OF THE NORTHEAST
A young adult retreat sponsored by Baptist Fellowship of the Northeast (BFN) and led by CBF staff served as a prototype for future regional retreats and experiences for young adults across the Fellowship.
FELT ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE WITH CBF IN THE FUTURE
FELT ENCOURAGED TO PRACTICE THE WAY OF JESUS
89%
100%
NEXT GENERATION
WHY DO YOU ENGAGE WITH CBF?
“CBF continues to support and advocate for women in ministry and that is hard to find in many Christian circles.”
“I have met a lot of people through CBF who support me and my life journey, and I haven’t really had that before.”
“I enjoy the faith freedom to express, be curious, and engage with folks across the spectrum of Baptistic expression.”
CULTIVATING A CULTURE OF CALL
Callings is a framework of initiatives and resources encouraging local congregations to explore the role of discipleship in developing a culture of calling of all Christians to be the presence of Christ in the world.
IDENTITY & EXPERIENCES
BUILDING CONNECTIONS
At the heart of our Fellowship is our work together to embrace our calling to support the thriving of congregations, participate in Jesus’ mission and offer a Christian public witness. Connection and community thrive among the people and churches of this Fellowship when we invite each other into relationships of equipping as we seek God’s transformation of the world. Fellowship gatherings, including General Assembly, held across CBF life, as well as the production of timely information, publications and resources help communicate the values and identity of CBF.
157,078 ANNUAL CIRCULATION
MAKING CONNECTIONS
631 NEW FOLLOWS
229.8K REACH ON FACEBOOK
32.5K REACH ON INSTAGRAM
11.3K FOLLOWERS
10.3K PAGE LIKES
2.1K FOLLOWERS
8.2K ENGAGEMENT
309 NEW FOLLOWS
45,000 REACHED PER WEEK PER EPISODES
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
SELAH VIE IN VAN, TEXAS
Selah Vie is a retreat for college students and young adults to press pause in their lives in order to listen to God, connect with each other and reflect on God’s purposes and direction in their lives. CBF Global and CBF Texas worked together to bring Selah Vie to Van, Texas, in a model for future event collaboration.
CHURCH BENEFITS
YOUR BENEFITS ARE OUR MINISTRY
The Church Benefits Board, Inc. (CBB), is a ministry of CBF, created in 1998 by the General Assembly to provide retirement benefits for ministers and staff members of churches that are affiliated with CBF, along with CBF field personnel serving worldwide. Our mission goes beyond delivering a robust and comprehensive retirement plan benefit. CBB can help its clients maintain their benefit packages, including life and disability benefits, as well as provide medical insurance for international missions. CBB also recently launched the Financial Wellness Initiative to assist ministers in tackling debt and building a financial plan.
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
FINANCIAL WELLNESS EDUCATION EXPERIENCES
Working with States and Regions and other partners, Church Benefits Board offers Financial Wellness Education Experiences for clergy. Through dialogue with financial wellness experts, peer-to-peer learning and practical tools to build a financial plan, these educational events explore what it means to retire well.
1,460 PARTICIPANTS
$4.4
317 EMPLOYERS
A true sign of the health and strength of a retirement plan is increased year-over-year employer and employee contributions. Since 2018, CBB churches and individuals have increased their respective contributions by over $330K on average each year, with retirement contributions totaling between $4M to $5M each year. Now that’s staying power.
STATES & REGIONS
SERVING THE FELLOWSHIP NATIONWIDE
Fifteen autonomous state and regional organizations serve people and churches across the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. These SROs harness the geographic proximity they share with people and churches to form vital relationships. They provide grants to churches and organizations to support ministry, equip pastors and lay leaders, provide opportunities for growth for young Baptists and support pastors and churches across a lifetime of ministry service. CBF Global has sought to work alongside SROs and build their capacity to serve congregations and our Fellowship even better.
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
CBF’s SROs worked together quickly and closely in the aftermath of the hurricanes this fall, stretching across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
STATES & REGIONS AND DISASTER RESPONSE
Working closely with state and regional leaders, CBF Disaster Response exists to equip Christians and churches to serve communities affected by disaster. SROs are well positioned to leverage the resources of the Fellowship toward long-term community transformation.
MAKING AN IMPACT CLOSE TO HOME
1,158
1,903
1,375 CLEANUP BUCKETS
CBF Disaster Response and its state and regional partners invited churches and individuals to prepare Cleanup Buckets for delivery to specific disaster recovery sites. In response to flooding from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, more than 1,375 buckets were sent to help families in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
CBF FOUNDATION
SUPPORTING YOUR MISSION AND MINISTRY CAUSES
The CBF Foundation’s mission is to work alongside individuals, churches and organizations to cultivate, receive, invest and steward long-term sustaining assets and legacy gifts to support CBF mission and ministry causes. Through partnership with HighGround Advisors, it offers a comprehensive array of investment, legal and gift-planning expertise and services for churches, nonprofit organizations and individuals. Funding the Great Commission and the Greatest Commandment within the Fellowship is the vision and ministry of the CBF Foundation.
Shauw Chin Capps, CBF Foundation President and Chief Development Officer, speaks at the Business Session at 2024 General Assembly.
COLLABORATING FOR IMPACT
CULTIVATING GENEROUS CONGREGATIONS COHORTS
In partnership with the Lake Institute for Faith and Giving, this interactive seminar demonstrates how to unearth and energize congregational generosity by creating lasting cultural change within a congregation.
“I gained a much deeper understanding of current challenges of fundraising, as well as the tremendous opportunities for developing effective stewardship strategies.”
- CHURCHES $10.1 MILLION INCREASE FROM 2023 44 NEW ACCOUNTS CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF GENEROSITY IMPACT
$69 MILLION TOTAL FUNDS UNDER MANAGEMENT
FUND ACCOUNTS
In challenging days both for churches and the communities they serve, our Fellowship has been seized by a holy ambition for Christ’s mission, the necessity of our ministries and the unique witness of partner congregations.
Now is the time for us to be a different kind of denomination—one necessary for the thriving of congregations and faithfulness to Christ’s shared mission in the world. One passionate and committed to stepping boldly into God’s holy ambition for the Church and for the healing of the world.
You can quicken and expand these dramatic strides with your financial support of this Fellowship.
IMAGINE THE IMPACT
YOUR INVESTMENT COULD MAKE IN THIS FUTURE
EXPERTISE AND INITIATIVES TO MEET THE MOST URGENT NEEDS OF CONGREGATIONS
Through a strategic process engaging much of the Fellowship, we were able to identify navigating change and financial strain as among the most urgent needs of churches. We require added expertise and ministries to assist congregations with these needs, as well as to identify and nurture new generations of lay leaders and create new habits around collaborative decision making among staff and lay leaders.
CULTIVATING GOD’S CALL TO MISSION IN NEW WAYS, FOR A NEW
GENERATION
If we are to nurture a new generation of Global Missions field personnel, we must invest in cultivating God’s call to mission among a much more diverse group of young people—diverse in race and ethnicity but also in primary gifts. Field personnel of tomorrow will be social workers, entrepreneurs, agricultural specialists and health care workers, alongside pastors and church starters and people with theological education.
We must invest in new kinds of partnerships with congregations and undergraduate institutions to meet a much wider network of youth and young adults who will not only be our next generations of field personnel but also pastors for our churches and lay leaders for those congregations.
EXPANDING SUPPORT FOR SEMINARY STUDENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS IN THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION
Theological education is changing. While those pursuing theological education were once mostly full-time residential students removed from congregations, with online and hybrid formats, those called to ministry now are serving congregations full time while they study. This shift brings opportunities and challenges. We must expand our funding to support the preparation of ministers not only so we can offer more scholarships to reduce student debt but also to forge partnerships with congregations and seminaries to improve curriculum and harness opportunities these shifts create.
FOSTERING GENUINE RACIAL JUSTICE, RECONCILIATION AND REPAIR
Cooperative Baptists said prior to the pandemic that their congregations desire genuine racial justice and reconciliation. To help the Fellowship live into this vision, we’ve developed resources and launched the Emmanuel McCall Racial Equity Fund. But we must do more, including the development of additional resources and repair opportunities for CBF Global, CBF state and regional organizations and local churches with and for the Black community.
EXPANDING ADVOCACY EFFORTS TO EQUIP CHURCHES AND THEIR LEADERS
A resounding percentage of Cooperative Baptists affirmed that churches should be active in raising a faith perspective to the important social concerns of our day. CBF’s Advocacy is rooted in the same spirit and call that motivates our mission endeavors: to demonstrate the love of Christ to our neighbors most neglected and marginalized by the world. We must redouble our efforts to promote opportunities for impactful advocacy among our partner churches and pastors and offer strategic support to ever-increase their effectiveness.
FINANCIAL REPORT
HOW WE STEWARD OUR RESOURCES
CBF GLOBAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR OCTOBER 1, 2024 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2025
$17,457,203
At the heart of our mission, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship brings together a diverse and dynamic network committed to transformation—of individuals, communities and the world. This work is fueled by the generous gifts of time, talent and financial resources from our partners and supporters.
CBF’s budget is supported by both unrestricted and restricted revenue, which ensures the sustainability of our mission and ministry efforts worldwide. Unrestricted revenue comes from the generous contributions of congregations and individuals without any designation, while restricted revenue funds specific projects and initiatives based on donor designations or grants.
On the expense side, we remain diligent in directing resources where they are most needed. This includes prioritizing congregational ministries, critical infrastructure for Global Missions and disaster response, as well as Baptist identity resources and experiences such as our annual General Assembly.
The pie chart provides a visual breakdown of our expenses, illustrating how every dollar supports our shared mission.
Yosenderi, a Venezuelan migrant who arrived in the U.S. with her husband and daughter in 2023, organizes volunteers for Ministerio Golan, supporting asylum seekers in Texas. Elket Rodriguez, CBF’s Global Missions Advocate, helped connect her with the nonprofit.
