Learning Labs
Advocacy
Since 2013, CBF has been equipping congregations and encouraging church leaders to engage in ministries of advocacy. Recognizing that each congregation and community is different and yet confident that we have much to learn from one another, this track provides three workshops on congregational advocacy. These workshops, Advocacy in Preaching, Advocacy in Practice and Advocacy and Power will provide a well-rounded picture of how faith-based congregational advocacy can shape a more just world.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Advocacy in Preaching
A diverse panel of seasoned preachers explore the opportunities and responsibilities of advocacy from the pulpit. Come and learn how their unique approaches, born out of their own practices and convictions, match the diversity of the CBF congregations and communities they serve.
Moderator: Charles Hamilton is a CBF-endorsed army chaplain and pastor, New Morning Light Baptist Church, Conley, Ga.
Jesús E. García is lead pastor, Church of the City, New London, Conn.
Garrett Vickrey is senior pastor, Woodland Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas.
Carol McEntyre is senior pastor, First Baptist Church, Columbia, Mo., and a former CBF moderator.
Cheryl Moore Adamson is senior pastor, Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church, Conway, S.C.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Advocacy in Practice
A panel of faith-based practitioners, both clergy and lay leaders, who are effective advocates in their contexts and communities, will share best practices for engaged advocacy. Participants will hear first-hand stories, learn practical tips and discuss common mistakes.
Moderator: Cameron Mason Vickrey, San Antonio, Texas, is director of communications and development, Fellowship Southwest.
Heather Mustain is associate pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, helping mobilize the church to both think and act at the intersection of faith and justice.
Tamika McGhee is faith outreach and policy manager, Center for Responsible Living, Washington, DC.
Elket Rodriguez, CBF field personnel, is an attorney, minister and immigration policy expert, Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Kevin Pranoto is associate pastor of social work, Second Baptist Church, Downtown Little Rock, Ark.
Jennifer Hawks is associate general counsel at the Baptist Joint Committee, providing legal analysis on church-state issues and educating diverse audiences as to why Baptists value faith freedom for all.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Advocacy and Power: Coalition Building/Social Movements
Facilitators Cassandra Henderson and Amanda Tyler will share foundational elements of creating and sustaining social movements in today’s present realities. Participants will walk away learning key elements of building power and the how-to of organizing and mobilizing people in creating a more just society.
Moderator: Heather Mustain is associate pastor, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas.
Cassandra A. Henderson is executive director, Interfaith Children's Movement (ICM), Atlanta, Ga.
Amanda Tyler is BJC's executive director, co-host of the Respecting Religion podcast and lead organizer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign.
(Cooperative) Baptist Identity
With a complicated history and emphasis on freedom, “Baptists” can be difficult to define. Participants of this track will explore what it means to be a Cooperative Baptist by looking at the past, thinking about the present and together imagining the future. On this track, you will learn how to stand on the shoulders of CBF’s history of radical inclusion, hear how Baptists can counteract negative narratives, and discover the road to ministering in purple churches.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Baptist: A Radical Way of Being Christian
As Cooperative Baptists, we are often defined by what we are NOT rather than what we are. Looking over the span of Baptist history, participants will see how Baptists have been at the forefront of radical inclusion, religious tolerance, gender equality and social justice, exploring how today’s CBF churches can carry on the mantle of radicals.
Bill Leonard is founding dean and professor of divinity emeritus of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
Amanda Tyler is BJC's executive director, co-host of the Respecting Religion podcast and lead organizer of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Taboo: Expunging the Negativity of Being Baptist
Baptists have gotten a bad rap in the last few decades, often associated with social bigotry, political tribalism, and toxic masculinity. So how do we create a counternarrative and lead a new way of being Baptist? Join a panel conversation with a diversity of Baptist expressions throughout CBF. Sponsored by the CBF Podcast.
Veronica Martinez-Gallegos is a certified educator with Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center.
DeVontae Powell is a pastor in Flint, Michigan, and part of the millennial generation dedicated to enhancing inclusion, diversity and safety in churches and communities of faith.
Kristian A. Smith is lead pastor of The Faith Community, where he deconstructs harmful theology and builds (digital) beloved community.
Joshua James is lead pastor of The Restoration Project and an Old Testament scholar.
Isa Torres is a minister and writer who does content development for Buckner International.
Carol McEntyre is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Columbia, Mo., and is a former CBF moderator.
Damon P. Williams is senior pastor of the historic Providence Missionary Baptist Church in southwest Atlanta and co-director of the Baptist Studies Program at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Purple: Ministering in the Full Spectrum of Theological and Political Expressions in Baptist Churches
The cultural message is clear: pick a side. However, our congregations are diverse theologically and politically. Join an interactive design workshop geared toward helping you explore and put into practice ways to nurture your purple.
Preston Clegg is the senior pastor of Second Baptist Church of Little Rock, Arkansas.
Andy Hale is the associate executive coordinator of CBFNC and the host of the CBF Conversations podcast.
Stacy Nowell is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Huntersville, N.C., and moderator of CBF North Carolina.
Cultivating Calling
Who is called and what does it mean to be “called”? This lab track will lead us to reclaim the language of calling as a key mission of the Church for all people. Journey through not only the equipping of and the listening for call in the lives of those seeking to enter into the professional clergy, but also the particular role of the whole of the church in reclaiming the identity of calling for all who follow Christ. Three unique workshops will seek to (re)define calling, look at places where calling is being nurtured and offer resources to take back to local congregations with a renewed sense of focus on the role of communal calling in the growth of the Church.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
The Who, How and What that We May Have Missed
This session of learning and discussion will look at the evolution and importance of the idea of calling. We will walk together through different call stories and the environments involved in the recognition and affirmation of one's individual calling. We will examine how to find a better balance in the places in which we are called to nurture an environment that builds a culture of calling?
Kan’Dace L. Brock, with her husband Fredricc Gerard Brock, is lead pastor, The Message Church, San Antonio, Texas.
Caleb Foust is associate pastor, Emerywood Baptist Church, High Point, N.C.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Calling as Collective: How Communities of Faith Shape and Form the Calling
Some congregations have gotten very creative and very intentional about how they foster calling. Some have experienced a calling that has shifted and led them in a completely new direction than where they began, and some places recognize and encourage one another to lead where their giftedness awakens. Join for a panel discussion with pastors and laity who follow their calling into the equipping of ministry in daily life for all they meet.
Kan’Dace L. Brock, with her husband Fredricc Gerard Brock, is lead pastor, The Message Church, San Antonio, Texas.
Andrea Dellinger-Jones is a purpose and impact coach committed to helping leaders speak the truth and make the courageous decisions their callings demand.
Timothy Peoples is senior minister, Wilshire Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas.
Caleb Foust is associate pastor, Emerywood Baptist Church, High Point, N.C.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Remembering Your Own Call Story
When did you “know” you were called to something? Who saw that in you and gave you the language to nurture that? In this session, we will learn from each other as we look at what we can do, not only in our faith communities, but in our lives as a whole to be the community of called people who continue to call others.
Colin Kroll is director of vocation and leadership in the office of spiritual life at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.
Financial Wellness
Financial wellness is an important topic in today's world as congregations and individuals consider both their current contexts and the road ahead. In these three learning labs, we will look at financial wellness from different viewpoints, thinking through how to be better stewards of finances now and in the future, both as individuals and as congregations.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Financial Wellness for Women in Ministry
Women in ministry must practice self-care when negotiating benefits. Discover how saving for retirement is only one part of financial wellness. Be introduced to resources for salary negotiations during interviews. Learn from a practicing woman in ministry and seasoned personnel representing a benefits agency.
Virginia Taylor is minister of preschool and children, Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Chapel Hill, NC.
Beth Roberts is executive vice president/COO, CBF Church Benefits Board.
Rob Fox is president, CBF Church Benefits Board, serving ministers, church staff, congregations and CBF partner organizations with retirement and insurance benefits.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
What Do the Latest Trends in Religious Giving Mean for My Congregation?
Hear the latest trends in what we know about religiously-motivated givers from several national studies and leave with practical tools for applying best practices in faith-based fundraising in your community.
David P. King, is a CBF minister and Karen Lake Buttrey Director, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, and associate professor, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
When Going Green Gets You in the Black: The Fiscal Benefits of Environmental Stewardship
Buildings account for about 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. Churches with inadequate insulation, inefficient lighting and outdated heating and air conditioning equipment are “blowing” thousands of dollars in unnecessary energy expenses. Be introduced to low-cost solutions that will cut your utility costs and put your church on the road to saving our planet.
Mike Massar, a former senior pastor, is associate pastor, Woodland Baptist Church, San Antonio. Texas.
Global Missions
Do you know what our CBF field personnel do around the world? CBF Global Missions is dedicated to bearing witness to Jesus Christ and seeking transformational development among people and places otherwise forgotten and forsaken. This Global Missions Learning Lab track focuses on the global transformational work that field personnel and CBF churches are doing here in the United States and around the world.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Doing Missions with vs. Missions to
Doing missions has traditionally been thought of as ministry "to" a certain people group, where Christians "come and do." CBF field personnel are making transformational impact by doing missions alongside local organizations, churches and individuals. Join CBF field personnel working in three different places around the world as they share how they work alongside others to impact the lives of many.
Carson and Laura Foushee are CBF field personnel serving in partnership with the Japan Baptist Convention (JBC), Kanazawa, Japan.
Karen is a CBF field personnel appointed to pastoral ministry with the local Protestant Church in Northern Africa as they serve the needs of their vulnerable migrant and refugee neighbors.
Matt and Michelle Norman serve as CBF field personnel in Barcelona, Spain, where they assist local churches in connecting with their secular community as well as welcoming immigrants and refugees.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
GO PRAY GIVE: Ambitiously Engaging Congregations in Global Missions
Come and hear from large and smaller churches, each having innovative ways of going, praying and giving to support God’s work in their own communities and around the world. You will hear about practical proven methods that can be implemented in your church.
Terri Byrd is mobilization pastor, intersecting the paths of calling and missional engagement, Johns Creek Baptist Church, Johns Creek, Ga.,
Lawrence Powers is a current member of the CBF Missions Council and senior pastor, Benson Baptist Church, Benson, N.C.
Tony Vincent is associate minister, Trinity Baptist Church in Seneca, S.C.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Immigration, Refugees, Our Communities and Trauma-Informed Ministry
When immigrants and refugees arrive in the United States, even under the best of circumstances, there is a degree of grief and loss that follows them. But others experience traumatic events that have the potential to affect how they adapt to their new lives for years to come. This workshop puts a name and face on three families, explores some of the events they’ve experienced in their journeys, and discusses how we can adapt a trauma-informed approach to ministry with our neighbors.
Sue Smith is a CBF field personnel serving the first-generation Latino immigrant community through LUCHA Ministries, Inc., Fredericksburg, Va.,
Ministry Innovation
Learn how several groups are transforming their congregational problems into creative ministry opportunities. Hear from innovative practitioners and see how each of us can use proven tools to begin important conversations in our own contexts. Sponsored by CBF Thriving Congregations.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Reimagining in the Midst of Crisis
It’s no secret that churches today are facing problems, many of which were exacerbated by the pandemic. This workshop will help participants learn to reframe problems as opportunities, opening up possibilities for innovation in our congregations. Participants will leave with tools and methods to lead their congregations through similar conversations.
Andrea Huffman is senior pastor of Dayspring Baptist Church in St. Louis, Mo.
Joshua Hearne is a senior program officer with the Danville Regional Foundation in Danville, Va.,
Jessica Hearne is a CBF field personnel based in Danville, Va., serving with her husband, Joshua, through Grace and Main Fellowship, an ecumenical Christian community devoted to hospitality, prayer, nonviolent action and grassroots community development.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Collaborate to Innovate
One of the best tools for innovation is collaborating with others who have reimagined ministry in their own contexts. This panel discussion will provide examples of churches who successfully reframed their crises into catalysts, and will give participants an honest look at the process of leading a church toward innovative ministry.
Becky Caswell-Speight is minister of families, faith formation and connection at Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Tucker, Ga.
Ryan Busby is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Danville, Va.
Brittany McDonald Null is pastor of families and spiritual formation at First Baptist Church, Columbia, Mo.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Innovation Experience: Inclusive Worship Practices for Neurodivergent Worshipers
Participate in a variety of stations to help think through making your worship space inclusive for all people with specific attention to neurodivergent worshipers. Participants will be provided with resources regarding accessible worship and invited to think about how to expand their own contexts.
Harrison A. Litzell is on staff at the Baugh Center for Baptist Leadership at Mercer University, and is a member of The Faith Community.
Missions and Community
The Missions & Community Track speaks to the work you’re doing right in your own backyard. Working in your community requires deep roots and nourishment to sustain long-term ministry to your neighbors. Your work has long-term consequences, so good relationships with relevant groups in your community are key! This track should send you home with strategies for work that is relational rather than transactional; best practices for working with others; and new ideas to leverage your facilities for your community’s use.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Facilities as Assets
What if one of our biggest assets for outreach is already within our reach? Many congregations own under-used facilities, and utilizing our buildings might not mean the same today as it did 50 years ago. Hear from congregations who are using their spaces to meet community needs in innovative ways.
Paul Raybon is co-pastor with Reverend Melissa Hughes, Hominy Baptist Church, Candler, N.C.
Bradley Boberg is senior pastor, Ox Hill Baptist Church, Chantilly, Va.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
The Importance of Community Collaboration
If churches are truly invested in impacting the communities and congregations that they serve, they must understand and value the importance of collaboration and partnership outside of the ministry. Churches must learn how to tap into and cultivate meaningful relationships with community leaders and organizations that are already immersed in the work, supporting programs and outreach efforts to help increase their reach and put the true meaning of God’s love into action.
Allie Osborne is the minister of missions and children at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, Atlanta, Ga.
Leah Anderson Reed is minister of community, First Baptist Church, Raleigh, N.C.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Accompaniment
Many congregations meet needs through ministries that are often more transactional rather than those that build a sense of relationship and belonging between the church and community. Other congregations may have a history of relational ministry but desire to move more deeply into justice and advocacy by walking alongside other community organizations. This workshop explores the significance of Accompaniment as a model for ministry in which congregations are invited to practice intentional presence and focus on transformation through relationships versus predetermined outcomes.
Mallory Herridge is assistant director for the church and community impact (C3I), Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University.
Racial Justice
This “Good Trouble” learning lab is a triad of racial justice workshops that will equip participants to take sacred journeys, deepening their understanding the role racism plays in voter rights and how racial repair is a group process.
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Racial Justice Pilgrimage: The Power of the Journey
A panel will discuss variations of racial justice pilgrimages and the impact they can have on individuals and communities. Gain insights and resources for leading your own group or embarking on your own personal journey.
Danielle Ayers is a justice seeker, author, preacher and teacher, serving as pastor of justice, Friendship-West, Dallas, Texas.
Drew Hill is senior pastor, Memorial Baptist Church, Arlington, Va., and has focused on the relationship between religion and race, traveling the U. S. Civil Rights Trail from Washington to Memphis, and has led an ethnically diverse group including pastors, professors, attorneys, social workers and law enforcement officers to make that same pilgrimage.
Kendra Goodson Plating has served 15 years in ministry in both parish and chaplaincy roles. She is discerning ways to continue her call to help the Church be a place of true liberation for all God’s children, Asheville, NC.
Sharon Kirkpatrick Felton is associate pastor of students, Faith Baptist Church, Georgetown, Ky.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Voting Rights: Why Should We Care and What Should We Do?
This learning lab will demonstrate how voting rights is a racial justice issue and aims to equip individuals and local churches on how to increase voter turnout and defend voting rights.
Sabrina E. Dent, is director, BJC Center for Faith, Justice and Reconciliation, leading several of BJC’s educational programs and is editor and contributing author of the book, African Americans and Religious Freedom: New Perspectives for Congregations and Communities. She addresses the complexities of race, religious freedom, religion, public policy and American public life.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Racial Repair
Learn how the McCall Initiative is using a strength-based approach to engage and equip Black churches to lead repair work in their communities. Explore external and internal asset mapping along with Dr. Pamela Jolly’s NarrowRoad construct.
Pamela Jolly is CEO of Torch Enterprises Inc, and strategist for CBF’s racial repair work. is. Dr. Jolly is a best-selling author of five books on the topic of legacy wealth in the Black community.
Spiritual Care and Trauma-Sensitive Ministry
Participants will be guided into a foundational understanding of trauma and the ways in which trauma impacts individuals, families and faith communities, as they learn about pastoral care for persons from cradle to grave in light of trauma-sensitive frameworks; learn about the WHY behind good child protection and sex offender policies and how that culture shift creates safer, more trauma-informed church life; learn how protective/resilient churches can strengthen communities
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Trauma 101
Trauma impacts the lives of many in our congregations; and yet so many of us do not understand it and are ill-equipped to respond to it. This foundational track will examine what trauma is and how it affects our neurobiology as they become more trauma-informed in our ministry settings.
David Pooler is professor, Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University, with practice and research experience in clergy sexual abuse and working with abused children.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Considering Congregational Culture
Congregations striving to be trauma-sensitive need to not only have an awareness of trauma, but must also think through pertinent policies and organizational culture shifts. This session will discuss the necessary implementation of safeguarding measures for proper sex abuse prevention and response, as well as providing tips for helpful spiritual care.
David Pooler is professor, Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University, with practice and research experience in clergy sexual abuse and working with abused children.
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Beyond the Walls
From the impacts of gun violence, racism and spiritual abuse, our neighbors are experiencing the effects of trauma and are looking for sanctuary. We will dream together about how we might provide spiritual care beyond the church walls and how to be a refuge in difficult times.
Jay Kieve is CBF’s Abuse Prevention and Response Advocate and the Fellowship’s point person for connecting churches to resources for the prevention of clergy sexual abuse and clergy sexual misconduct.
Vida Hispana
Thursday, June 29
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Bienestar espiritual Personal
Ayudar a cada persona a vivir una espiritualidad desde una fe que genere una identidad sana consigo mismo y con su entorno. Desde un amor que le dignifique y desde una esperanza que genere un sentido potenciador de vida. Es bienestar espiritual que se adquiere por medio de un estilo de vida. Estilo que se conforma por ser discípulo de Cristo y esto, hay que apropiarse de manera personal, pero con visión de trascendencia, con un impacto eclesial y aún social.
Thursday, June 29
3:00 – 4:00 PM
Bienestar espiritual en el Hogar
La familia ha de reflexionar y hacer conciencia de su capacidad de generar el potencial o deterioro del desarrollo espiritual de sus miembros. Por ello, la visión de ser matrimonio y de ser familia ha de entenderse en esencia, como una comunidad de amor. Y el fin es que sus miembros alcancen la plenitud del amor a Dios, a su prójimo y a sí mismos (as). Es una espiritualidad que nos capacita para ser familia de otra manera: por un lado, sanando las heridas familiares recibidas y por otro, construyendo el bienestar con una visión enriquecedora del diario caminar, dónde se ejercitan los valores del Reino que Jesús nos mostró
Friday, June 30
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Bienestar espiritual en la Iglesia con enfoque a nuevas generaciones
La iglesia está llamada a ser una comunidad alternativa, ubicada entre la familia y la sociedad, que nutre y sostiene a la primera, así como cuestiona y desafía a la segunda. Ha de llegar a ser el espacio donde se genere un desarrollo espiritual que se traduzca en un verdadero bienestar, en modelo de salud integral. Ha de forjar una genuina humanización, en especial para las nuevas generaciones. Para ello, hemos de capacitarse para conocer la nueva realidad en que viven tanto adolescente como jóvenes para acompañar y desafiarlos a vivir con la plenitud de vida, que Dios nos mostró en Cristo Jesús.
Moderadora: Pastora Ruth Cuellar, Iglesia Bautista El Buen Pastor, Newnan, Ga.
Sergio Ulloa Castellanos, pastor y consejero, es cofundador y profesor, Instituto de Fe y Psicología, México.
Pat Contreras-Ulloa, pastora, consejera y psicoterapeuta, es cofundadora y profesora del Instituto de Fe y Psicología de México.