DECATUR, Ga. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship announced that Laura Davis and Stephen Cook will share leadership of Dawnings, its congregational discernment initiative. 
They succeed Rick Bennett, former field coordinator of Tennessee CBF, who recently concluded his service with CBF to become senior pastor of Monte Vista Baptist Church in Maryville, Tenn.
Davis, co-coordinator of CBF Virginia, will serve as Dawnings officer. Cook, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., will serve as Dawnings specialist. Both bring experience helping congregations use Dawnings to discern their calling and respond to opportunities for ministry.
“Rick led the Dawnings work faithfully and with excellence, and while we are sad to see him go, we are excited for his next chapter at Maryville and ours with new leadership albeit from familiar faces,” said Brian Foreman, CBF’s coordinator of congregational ministries.
Bennett helped shape Dawnings from its beginnings, serving as a team leader in its conception and development. He served as CBF’s director of missional congregations from 2004 to 2012 before becoming pastor of First Baptist Church in Elkin, N.C. In 2016, he became field coordinator of Tennessee CBF.
Laura Davis
Introduced at CBF’s 2013 General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C., Dawnings grew out of work by CBF’s Leadership Institute and testing with congregations. Its emphasis on spiritual discernment invited churches to consider how they could participate in God’s work in their communities.
A team of practitioners revised Dawnings between 2021 and 2023, with the updated resource released in June 2023. Bennett and Cook served on the production team alongside Brian Harfst and Devita Parnell, helping prepare the resource for a new season of congregational ministry.
Davis brings experience in missions and congregational support across Virginia and North Carolina. Her work with CBF Virginia centers on advocacy, education and partnership, including supporting ministers and church members as they discern their calling. She earned her Master of Divinity and doctoral degrees from Campbell University Divinity School. A Dawnings guide, Davis participated in a retreat for guides earlier this year focused on accompanying congregations through discernment.
Stephen Cook
Cook has served Second Baptist Church since 2010, following ministry in North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. Alongside his work developing Dawnings resources, he has seen the process take shape in his own congregation. A Dawnings retreat helped Second Baptist recognize opportunities to deepen relationships with the people and organizations using its campus.
“Laura and Stephen will help us further integrate Dawnings resources into the larger work of ministries for and with congregations,” Foreman said.
Dawnings begins with a leadership retreat comprising six sessions that introduce the process and prepare the team to lead. Four subsequent sessions invite the broader congregation to share stories and discern individual and congregational calling. The leadership team listens, reflects and helps the church respond to what it has discerned. Congregations can adapt the resources to their local context, with CBF available to provide assistance.
“Congregational retreats are still available to churches by contacting dawnings@cbf.net,” Foreman said.
Churches arranging retreats will now cover the costs associated with Dawnings guides, including their honoraria. To learn more about Dawnings, explore sample materials or request assistance, visit cbf.net/congregational-ministries/dawnings or email dawnings@cbf.net.
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Led by the love of Christ, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship invites churches and individuals to partner in transforming God’s world, working together as a global community to spread good news, justice and hope through impactful ministries, missions and resources.