ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship will gather for its 20th annual General Assembly June 23-26 in Charlotte, N.C., where the historic celebration will include new events designed to equip and empower individuals and churches.www.thefellowship.info/assembly.
"Within the Baptist family 20 years ago the Holy Spirit quickened, awakened, aroused and empowered Baptists to dream, act and organize in creative new ways so as to give witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ," said CBF executive coordinator Daniel Vestal. "Our 20th General Assembly is a marker of God’s goodness."
Among the new events at this year’s historic meeting is a special missions emphasis June 24 called "Discover Your Passion." Led by CBF field personnel and other ministers, the event will challenge attendees to explore and connect with specific areas of CBF missions ministry, such as poverty, justice, education and faith sharing.
Another all-new event is the Essentials Conference. Designed for church leaders, including deacons, staff, teachers and committee members, the Essentials Conference offers four 75-minute learning sessions on 14 practical topics, including deacon ministry, stewardship, evangelism, pastoral care skills, church planning, age-group teaching and more.
The Assembly theme, "And so we are…" (1 John 3:1-2), will be explored in evening worship services, which feature preaching by Bill Leonard and Lauren Winner, both from North Carolina. Leonard, dean and professor at Wake Forest University Divinity School in Winston-Salem, will speak June 24 about Baptist life. Winner, the author of Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath and Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity, will speak June 25 about the future of mainline churches. Winner, who teaches at Duke Divinity School in Durham, will also lead a morning prayer retreat on June 26.
Other Assembly highlights include:
Internationally-recognized speaker Alan Roxburgh will lead the Leadership Institute, set for June 23, 1-4:30 p.m. With the topic "Leading Missional Congregations," the event will focus on leadership challenges faced as congregations discern their connection to God’s mission.
At the Global Missions Commissioning Service, new field personnel will be appointed for missions service around the world. The June 23 service starts at 7 p.m. at Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in downtown Charlotte. A reception follows.
Loving Your Muslim Neighbor is a seminar to help Christians minister among Muslims. The June 23 all-day event includes sessions on basic beliefs of Islam, common misperceptions, and a question and answer session with Christians who were former Muslims as well as CBF field personnel.
The Charlotte Sessions for college students is June 21-25, featuring missions activities, conversation learning and the opportunity to participate in General Assembly.
Explore Charlotte is a fellowship opportunity on the afternoon of Saturday, June 26. At the Assembly, attendees can sign up to visit Charlotte-area attractions with other Fellowship Baptists.
CBF Community in Worship is an opportunity for Assembly attendees to join in worship with local CBF partner churches on Sunday, June 27. Information about Charlotte-area CBF partner churches will be available at the Assembly.
As in previous years, the Assembly will offer auxiliary events hosted by CBF partners, events for children and youth, state and regional CBF organization meetings, a resource fair, workshops, business sessions and more. The Assembly will be held in the Charlotte Convention Center and the Westin Hotel, both in downtown Charlotte.
While registration for the Assembly is free, some events require advance paid registration. More information about the Assembly, including online registration and hotel discounts, is available at
Formed in 1991, the Fellowship celebrates its 20th anniversary at next year’s General Assembly June 23-24, 2011, in Tampa, Fla.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.