Cooperative Baptist Fellowship statement on Nov. 13 Associated Press story
Recent Associated Press accounts of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina’s meeting Nov. 10-11 have characterized the national Cooperative Baptist Fellowship as “gay friendly,” “liberal” and “does not support the belief that the Bible is entirely without error.” These are gross exaggerations based on comments made by Fellowship opponents on the floor of the Convention.
These reports are examples of bad journalism. Associated Press presented a one-sided and inaccurate description of the Fellowship. No member of the Fellowship was contacted before the stories were distributed. When national CBF staff contacted AP to correct the misinformation, much of the inaccurate descriptions were left in the story, and the new story that was distributed the next day included only an additional comment about the Fellowship’s hiring and funding policy on homosexuality.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. More than 5,000 churches have contributed to the Fellowship since it was founded in 1991.
These churches and individuals are Bible-believing, evangelistic, socially-conscious and committed to resolving difficult doctrinal and cultural issues for themselves through interpreting the Scriptures under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Fellowship’s staff does not speak for the Fellowship’s partnering congregations nor dictate Biblical positions.
Headquartered in Atlanta, the Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission. Supported by more than 1,800 churches and an additional 3,500 individuals, the Fellowship has 163 field personnel serving around the world, partners with 15 theology schools and has endorsed more than 600 chaplains and pastoral counselors.
The Fellowships’ core values include the Baptist principles of soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom and religious freedom; biblically-based Global Missions; the resource model; justice and reconciliation; lifelong learning and ministry; trustworthiness; and effectiveness. The Fellowship acts on these values through four initiatives – faith formation, building community and networking, leadership development and global missions.
CBF has a priority commitment to the local congregation. By providing resources to enhance the ministries of the local church, the Fellowship lives out its vision for being the presence of Christ in the world. Spiritual formation, Missional engagement, and ministerial readiness are at the heart of the work of the Fellowship. Today more than ever, the local church needs trusted resource providers that will help enhance outreach and enrich fellowship. CBF is committed to being such a partner.
CBF has existed for eighteen years. While still in a formative period, the Fellowship continues to seek God’s guidance and direction. CBF remains committed to the core values that formed it. Additionally, several patterns of effectiveness have emerged.
A strong commitment to partnering – CBF does not intend to own buildings, publishing houses, or delivery systems. CBF seeks partnerships that can extend the ministry of the Fellowship while bringing new relationships into the Fellowship movement. In addition to more than 1,800 partnering churches, CBF collaborates with more than 150 different partnering agencies to expand its reach.