Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Template:Short description Template:Infobox Christian denomination
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is a Baptist Christian denomination in United States, established after the conservative resurgence within the Southern Baptist Convention. It is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance, and headquartered in Decatur, Georgia. According to a census published in 2023, the CBF claimed 1,800 churches and 750,000 members.<ref>Baptist World Alliance, Members, Baptist world, USA, retrieved May 5, 2023</ref>
History
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has its origins in a meeting in Atlanta in 1990 of a group of theologically moderate churches within the Southern Baptist Convention disagreeing about the control of the direction of the convention by fundamentalists, as well as the opposition to the ordination of women.<ref>William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2021, p. 169</ref><ref>Richard Leigh Walker, Southern Baptists: Moderates Form Alternative Fellowship, Christianity today, USA, June 24, 1991</ref> The denomination was officially founded in 1991.<ref>Greg Garrison, Cooperative Baptists, ‘different kind of Baptist,’ meet at BJCC, AL, USA, June 22, 2019</ref>
By 1996, the fellowship had 1,400 churches and was still affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.<ref>Randy Frame, Cooperative Baptists Reject Formal Break with SBC, Christianity today, USA, August 12, 1996</ref> In 1998, it began ordaining chaplains.<ref>Aaron Weaver, At 25, CBF still building something new, Baptist news, USA, June 23, 2016</ref>
In 2002, it officially left the Southern Baptist Convention and became a member of the Baptist World Alliance.<ref>Deborah G Leste, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship joins World Alliance, Goupstate, USA, July 19, 2003</ref> By 2018, the Kentucky Baptist Convention within the Southern Baptist Convention proceeded with the disaffiliation of churches having a dual affiliation with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, due to a relaxation allowing hiring of non-executive LGBT staff.<ref> Bob Allen, Kentucky Baptist Convention formally excludes churches dually aligned with CBF, baptistnews.com, USA, November 14, 2018</ref>
Since the first quarter of the 21st century, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship officially partnered with the National Baptist Convention of America,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> similar to the American Baptist Churches USA and Progressive National Baptists fellowship agreement of 1970.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Organization
There are CBF-affiliated churches in 43 out of the 50 states.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alongside the national CBF, there are 19 state and regional organizations that are affiliated with CBF and help provide churches with local resources.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The CBF has a missionary organization, Global Missions.<ref>CBF, Global Missions, cbf.net, USA, accessed July 24, 2024</ref>
It has 1 affiliated theological institute, the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky;<ref> Bob Allen, Kentucky seminary celebrates commencement, accreditation, baptistnews.com, USA, August 11, 2015</ref> it is also the official seminary partner of the National Baptist Convention of America. The CBF also has a humanitarian organization.<ref>CBF, Disaster Response, cbf.net, USA, accessed July 24, 2024</ref>
Beliefs
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, like the Southern Baptist Convention from which it split, does not enforce particular beliefs upon congregations, as is congruent with traditional Baptist theology; however, the denomination has a Baptist confession of faith.<ref name = who /> The CBF's "understanding of Baptist faith and practice is expressed by [their] emphasis on freedom in biblical interpretation and congregational governance, the participation of women and men in all aspects of church leadership and Christian ministry, and religious liberty for all people."<ref name="who">Template:Cite web</ref>
The CBF also ascribes to the "Four Fragile Freedoms" as developed in The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms by Walter Shurden. CBF leadership interprets these freedoms as: soul freedom, Bible freedom, church freedom, and religious freedom.<ref name="who" />
Affirmation of women in ministry was one of the founding principles of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.<ref>2 Jan 2010 About Us, CBF Template:Webarchive</ref> Most CBF members agree that both men and women may be ordained as ministers or deacons and serve as pastors of churches.<ref name= CBF&SBCdiff>Template:Cite web</ref>
On social issues, the CBF does not issue position statements. CBF members agree that as it is a fellowship of autonomous churches, issuing statements would be beyond its purpose. It does have an organizational policy on homosexual behavior.<ref> Bob Allen, Analysis: A timeline of CBF’s LGBTQ debate, baptistnews.com, USA, July 7, 2016 </ref> However, CBF policies are not binding on individual congregations which make their own decisions regarding any issue; neither can a congregation be excluded from the CBF for disagreeing with core values or policies.
In 2016, the CBF co-sponsored a conference on sexuality and initiated the "'Illumination Project' approved by the Governing Board (formerly the Coordinating Council) to develop models for the Fellowship community to air differences not only about the hiring ban but also other hot-button issues dividing churches, denominations and society". In 2018, the Affirming Network for full LGBTQ inclusion and affirmation was founded.<ref> Bojangles Blanchard, Breakfast at CBF Launches Network for LGBTQ Inclusion, goodfaithmedia.org, USA, June 21, 2018 </ref> In 2024, the Affirming Network and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists announced they would merge.<ref>Jeff Brumley, AWAB and CBF’s Affirming Network merge, Baptist News Global, USA, June 17, 2024</ref>
References
External links
Template:US baptist denominations Template:Baptist World Alliance Members Template:Authority control