At Fall gathering, CBF leaders urged to “stage an outbreak of grace”

By Aaron Weaver

DECATUR, Ga. — “If you feel a weight in your soul, you are not alone,” said CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley in his sermon Thursday opening the Fall meeting of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s governance bodies, including the Governing Board, Ministries Council, Missions Council and Nominating Committee. 

“It’s not just that you are in fellowship with a community of congregational leaders,” Baxley said. “You are in relationship with the Lord of your life, Jesus Christ himself, who also knows what that weight feels like.”

Preaching from Matthew 14, Baxley reflected on the weight of grief, injustice and fatigue that Jesus carried following the death of John the Baptist—grief, Baxley said, that mirrors the emotional landscape of many Cooperative Baptist leaders today.

“I have seen the look in many of your eyes, what I can only imagine is somewhat similar to the look in Jesus’ eyes on this day,” Baxley said. “You too are carrying the heavy weight that is stirred up by repeated, senseless, unnecessary acts of political violence.”

Drawing from recent travels across the Fellowship, Baxley described pastors and lay leaders across ideological lines who are overwhelmed by the burdens they bear: “Within 24 hours I stood in a conversation with one of the most progressive pastors in CBF life and then shortly later, one of the most conservative pastors…and I saw the same look in their eyes. I saw both of them break down and weep.”

That shared exhaustion, Baxley said, reflects the disciples’ own despair in the biblical story—those “at the end of the road” with nothing left in the tank or the lunchbox.

But Baxley pointed to Jesus’ invitation in that moment not to retreat, but to act.

“In the face of his own and their pain and exhaustion, he says to them, ‘You give them something to eat,’” Baxley said. “Not in denial of what they feel…He invites them to do nothing less than stage an outbreak of grace in that wilderness.”

Baxley emphasized that the miracle in the story didn’t happen before the disciples acted—it came as they distributed the food. “There is an outbreak of grace. The miracle happens as they act. It’s not like the miracle happens and then they act.”

In the same way, Baxley said, today’s leaders must resist the temptation to wait for strength or certainty before responding with compassion.

“It is when the people start stepping into the water, the water parts. The miracle happens in the going,” he said, referencing Exodus 14. “The miracle doesn’t happen in sitting back and watching and hoping. The miracle happens in stepping forward in faith and watching grace flow like water.”

Baxley challenged the congregational leaders to bring their remaining energy and faith—however meager it may feel—and trust that God still multiplies.

“We don’t have as much money as we used to have. We don’t have as many people as we used to have,” he said. “We don’t have this. We don’t have that. We don’t have the other thing. We got nothing. Jesus said, ‘No, I didn’t ask for that commentary. I said, bring me what you have.’”

Referencing theologian Sam Wells, Baxley reminded the gathering that “God always, in every place, gives God’s people more than enough of what they need to do what God actually wants done.”

He concluded with a call to action: “It’s time for an outbreak of grace, and it can begin here.”

The worship service, held at First Baptist Church of Decatur, opened the Fall meeting of CBF’s governance bodies, where Cooperative Baptist leaders gathered to ground their work in shared prayer, Scripture reading and hymns at the outset of their time together.

Moderator Remarks

CBF Moderator Tanya Parks opened the Fall meeting of the CBF Governing Board recognizing the significance of the two-day gathering and the leadership represented at the table.

“It is important to me and it matters to me that each of you are here for this time and for this place and for this work,” said Parks, who serves as co-pastor of University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La. 

Reflecting on the Governing Board officers’ meeting earlier in the day, Parks noted, “I was reminded again about the talents and the gifts and experiences that are in this room and are in the leadership of this group.” 

“Last year, CBF Moderator Juan Garcia brought his gifts and experiences, and this year I hope that I will bring my gifts and experiences to this place.”  

Executive Coordinator Report

Baxley reflected on the state of the Fellowship in his report to Governing Board members on Thursday, describing both a “fragile and powerful space” for CBF congregations. 

“My conviction that at our core, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship exists to invite congregations and individuals into deeper community with Christ and one another so that we can be equipped for bold faithfulness…is only stronger,” he said.

Baxley noted that CBF churches occupy a unique place in American religious life—marked by theological and political diversity in a polarized culture.

“Our congregations are a really unique witness,” he said. “Our fellowship is more culturally, racially, ethnically, linguistically, theologically diverse than it has ever been, and you can’t account for that by anything less than an act of God.”

He reflected on both the beauty and the burden of that diversity. 

“We are fragile because the winds that blow right now—the partisan rancor and the injustice around us—make it really difficult not just to be an echo chamber,” Baxley said. “But every Sunday, our congregations are finding a way to do something different. And that’s beautiful, and that’s a witness.”

Reaffirming CBF’s mission to serve and strengthen congregations, Baxley called for renewed focus on relationships and resourcing. 

“It is more important than ever that we be the kind of community that surrounds congregations and their leaders with the best kinds of resources we can provide,” he said, citing growing work in helping churches navigate changing financial realities and discern their callings through initiatives such as Dawnings and mission assessment tools that help congregations align resources with purpose.

Baxley also celebrated a season of transition marked by continuity and faithfulness in CBF Global Missions. 

“Although we previously announced the retirement of 13 of our field personnel, I’m pleased to report that over the last 12 months gifts for the Offering for Global Missions were the highest we’ve seen in the last five years,” he said. Baxley praised the “long-term presence” of CBF field personnel—many serving 20 to 30 years—as “increasingly rare, more beautiful than ever and more necessary than ever.”

Looking ahead, Baxley said CBF staff are focused on “increasing our impact” in a rapidly changing ministry landscape. 

“Even as we double down on our vision, we must do so with eyes wide open…so that we can be as faithful and proactive and prepared as possible.”

The two-day Fall meeting focused on collaboration and planning of CBF’s Governing Board, Ministries Council, Missions Council and Nominating Committee concludes on Friday. 

 

 

View a photo gallery from the 2025 Fall meeting here. 

The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is a Christian network of individuals and churches working together to spread the hope of Christ. With a deep respect for freedom, diversity and shared mission, CBF supports congregations, theological education, global missions and justice initiatives across the United States and around the world.

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