By Aaron Weaver
DECATUR, Ga. — “I dream of a day whe
n people will not believe that the word Baptist and the word beautiful are antonyms,” CBF Executive Coordinator Paul Baxley told members of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s governance bodies Thursday afternoon.
Baxley shared that dream during an invitation to commitment at the opening worship service of CBF’s Spring governance meetings, connecting the Fellowship’s 35-year history to a renewed call for bold and holy ambition.
“I dream of a day when people young and old will experience the life of our congregations and the ministry of our chaplains and the ministry of our field personnel and see all those ministries as an embodiment that God is loving and ambitious and beautiful,” Baxley said.
The April 23-24 gathering at First Baptist Church, Decatur, Ga., and CBF’s offices brought together members of the Governing Board, Missions Council, Ministries Council and Nominating Committee. The joint worship service was led by CBF staff and CBF Moderator Tanya Parks, co-pastor of University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, La.
“I want to thank you for doing something as radically countercultural as investing in the leadership of a denomination right now,” Baxley told the governance bodies. “You’ve got to have some kind of ambition.”
Saying “YES” to CBF’s future
Baxley invited governance leaders to help lead the Fellowship’s 35th Anniversary Campaign, which celebrates 35 years of saying “YES” to Christ’s holy calling. The campaign is a bold effort to raise $3.5 million over 18 months to strengthen congregations, cultivate leaders, expand mission and advocacy, deepen racial justice and repair efforts, and grow ministry in areas of new opportunity.
To learn more about the 35th Anniversary Campaign and make a gift, visit www.cbf.net/holyambition. Through May 30, every gift to the campaign will be doubled up to $200,000 through a special matching gift opportunity, offering a timely chance to make an even greater impact on the future of CBF.
Baxley asked leaders to consider making a meaningful gift, sharing the campaign and encouraging others with capacity to support CBF generously.
“We’re going to trust that to your own prayer, discernment and autonomy,” Baxley said. “As you reflect on what’s meaningful to you, think about your holy ambitions.”
“What still motivates me to giveto CBF is not that I’m on the payroll,” he added. “What motivates me to give to CBF is that I am a Baptist Christian because of the way this Fellowship has invested in me.”
Baxley asked leaders to imagine what might be possible if CBF’s generosity matched the boldness of its witness and ministries.
“I think it’s closer to that day when people say, ‘Being Baptist is beautiful,’” he added. “You’re already leaning toward holy ambition, and your congregations and your ministry settings are remarkable. What’s your next step?”
Leading toward holy ambition
Baxley said the founding of CBF 35 years ago was itself an act of holy ambition.
“There is no doubt that, contrary to rumors, the God we serve is remarkably ambitious,” Baxley said. “God is an ambitious God. And God has an ambition for our world and for our congregations and for our ministries that is abundantly far more than all the Google searches in the world can testify.”
“The founding of this Fellowship 35 years ago was not a natural instinct,” Baxley said. “It was a participation in God’s holy ambition.”
“What would have come naturally was give up, go home, be autonomous and independent, and never try cooperation again because when you cooperate, you can get burned,” he continued. “They responded to a devastating breach of trust by trusting again. That’s ambitious.”
A prayer for boldness
Earlier in the service, Rev. Laura Ayala, CBF Coordinator of Global Missions, preached a sermon titled “Bold & Holy Ambition,” drawing from Acts 4 and the believers’ prayer for courage amid threats.
“What has been your boldest prayer?” Ayala asked. “During our first love as Christians, we dare to do things that evolve as we grow in knowledge of the word and we are discipled, not only into Christianity, but into a denomination and into a church.”
“In other words,” Ayala continued, “our boldness is considerably reduced as we continue our faith journey.”
Ayala called CBF leaders to pray as the first believers prayed: “Enable us as God’s servants to speak Jesus’ word with great boldness.”
“That is holy ambition,” Ayala said, “deciding to trust God and believe even if we don’t.”
“What’s your bold ambition?”
Following Ayala’s sermon, Carrie Harris, CBF Director of Identity & Experiences, led a time of response titled “What’s Your Bold Ambition?” inviting participants to share examples of bold and ambitious ministry from their congregations and communities.
Harris said Cooperative Baptists are called “to live into ourcall to be a boldly faithful way of being Baptist, using our voices for prophetic witness, telling stories of mission and ministry impact, and moving toward innovative ways of thriving.”
“Celebrate your bold ambitions from across the Fellowship represented by your communities,” Harris said. “How are you cultivating through your relationships, engaging in mission in your community, advocating for those on the margins, creatively sharing your space, approaching difficult conversations?”
CBF’s governance bodies are continuing their Spring meetings through Friday.
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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.