By Aaron Weaver
DECATUR, Ga. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has named 13 ministers serving congregations in 10 states as CBF Fellows for 2026-27. The group includes seven ministers in the early-career Fellows program and six mid-career Fellows.
The CBF Fellows program equips clergy with connections and resources that help them cultivate the traits of thriving in ministry. For ministers early in their careers, relationships with mentors and fellow ministers offer encouragement and support as they serve their congregations.
“This is a remarkable cohort of Fellows” said Kelly Adams, CBF Director of Clergy Support. “Their giftedness and passion for ministry is evident, and they have quickly formed bonds over the joys and challenges of ministry. Having early- and mid-career ministers in the same cohort for the first time and seeing them learn from and with one another has been a joy.”
Early-career Fellows are serving within the first five years of their initial full-time congregational ministry position. The 18-month experience brings participants together five times, including two CBF General Assemblies, and offers continuing education and individual coaching. Participants work on personal and professional goals while getting to know CBF staff and the resources available to support their ministries.
Mid-career ministers have 10-12 years or more of full-time congregational ministry and receive individual coaching as well. Their pilot cohort is a 1-year experience with four gatherings, including two General Assemblies.
Participating congregations encourage their ministers, make time available for cohort activities without penalty and cover the cost of attending General Assembly during each summer of the program.
CBF launched Fellows in 2012 with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help ministers make a healthy transition into their first congregational calls. The program has connected ministers with peers, experienced clergy and coaches as they learn and serve in local churches. The program is currently funded by CBF’s Thriving in Ministry initiative and the operating budget.
Fellows is part of CBF’s broader clergy support work which includes Peer Learning Groups and supports state and regional clergy events and elements of the annual CBF General Assembly, which will be held this year in Dallas. These programs offer support to pastors across the vocational lifespan and seek to provide clergy with tools, resources, and opportunities for professional development.
“CBF is committed to supporting clergy in every stage of ministry,” Adams said. “The addition of mid-career Fellows to help pastors with longer tenures in ministry make new connections, share hard-fought wisdom with one another and early-career Fellows, and have access to new tools (or refresh old ones) is part of that commitment and we hope to keep expanding these opportunities in sustainable ways.”
The 2026 Fellows serve in a range of congregational roles, including senior and lead pastor positions and ministries with youth, young adults and families. The Fellows are:
Traditional Fellows
- Beth Bailey, Minister with Youth and Young Adults, Fredericksburg Baptist Church, Fredericksburg, Va.
- Jeremiah Banks, Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation, First Baptist Church of Corbin, Corbin, Ky.
- Taylor Edwards, Associate Pastor to Families and Faith Formation, First Baptist Church, Wilson, N.C.
- Jonathan Hall, Minister of Community and Student Discipleship, Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist, Atlanta, Ga.
- Kyle Hodge, Associate Pastor for Families, Ball Camp Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tenn.
- BJ Meyer, Associate Pastor of Age Ministries and Outreach, Central Baptist Church, Daytona Beach, Fla.
- Rachel Mumaw-Schweser, Senior Pastor, Union Church of Lake Bluff, Lake Bluff, Ill.
Mid-Career Fellows
- Scott Capshaw, Pastor, First Baptist Church, Tahoe City, Calif.
- Frederick Culbreth, Pastor, First Baptist Church (Moore Street), Fayetteville, N.C.
- Juan Garcia, Associate Pastor/Hispanic Pastor, First Baptist Church, Newport News, Va.
- Melissa Hatfield, Lead Pastor, First Baptist Church, Jefferson City, Mo.
- Michael Ramsey, Senior Pastor, Cane Creek Baptist Church, Hillsborough, N.C.
- Carrie Veal, Senior Pastor, Second Baptist Church, Lubbock, Texas.
Learn more about CBF Fellows at cbf.net/congregational-ministries/fellows-programs/ or contact Kelly Adams at kadams@cbf.net.
–30–
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