who is cbf? getting to know the cooperative baptist fellowship

Who is CBF?

Getting to know the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Who is CBF?

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great

Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice.

Made up of individuals and more than 1,800 partner churches, the Fellowship has an annual budget of

approximately $16 million and a foundation with an additional $37 million to provide resources for

churches and send global missions field personnel to the most neglected people groups in the world.

Fellowship PartnersThe Fellowship partners with 15 theology schools and seminaries with a combined

enrollment of about 2,000 students.

More than 600 chaplains and pastoral counselors are endorsed by the Fellowship. These ministers serve in a wide variety of

specialized settings.

The Fellowship has a paid staff of about 65 employees in addition to the 163 Global

Missions field personnel.  

The Fellowship considers the Atlanta Resource Center to be its home office. The Fellowship also partners with 18 state and regional CBF organizations with combined

budgets of more than $3 million.

Some independent agencies supported by CBF include the Baptist Center for Ethics,

Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty and the Baptist World Alliance.

The Fellowship partners with churches and organizations around the world in carrying

out its goal to work among the most neglected.

What are the Core Values of the Fellowship?

• Baptist Principles• Biblically-based Global Missions• Resource Model• Justice and Reconciliation• Lifelong Learning and Ministry• Trustworthiness• Effectiveness

Who is CBF?

Identity, Vision, and Mission

Identity, Vision, and Mission

We are a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great

Commission of Jesus Christ and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice.

Our Vision: Being the presence of Christ in the world

Our Mission: Serving Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission

CBF Global Missions

Ministering among the most neglected

Global Missions

The goal of Global Missions is to empower the most neglected: the people who are

unevangelized and marginalized, those with the greatest needs and the fewest resources.

Holistic missions and ministries

In as many ways as there are cultures and contexts within which we work, we…

• Present the Good News and hope for change in individual lives and communities• Demonstrate integrity in our daily ministry• Recognize the dignity of and show respect for the people with whom we work• Are faithful stewards of all personnel, material, physical, and spiritual

resources• Facilitate reproducing church-planting movements

Team Model

CBF Global Missions is a team driven organization. This means decisions are made at the point closest to

the action. We view our work as taking place in a “world without borders” meaning teams may include

personnel in different countries, even continents. Teams reach decisions by coming to consensus and

team members hold each other accountable through a monthly reporting template and six month covenants. Twice a year, our teams gather for face to face team

meetings.

Give and Go

CBF believes that each Christian is called to

give and go. We are each called to

embrace the world.

There are many ways you can join with CBF either through your church or as an individual

supporter.

ConnectingIndividuals and churches can connect

with

CBF by:

Serving through one of CBF’s many projects, such as disaster relief, new church starts, or international short term

projects.

Giving as an individual donor, or by designating gifts through your church.

Praying for Global Missions field personnel.

Telling others about the work of CBF.

CBF Congregational Life

Resourcing congregations and Christians as they discover and fulfill

their God-given mission

Faith Formation

The Missional Church – When sharing in evangelism and outreach opportunities, the individual Christian seeks ways to share his/her passion on purpose in being the presence of Christ.

Spiritual Formation – As we respond to the need of each individual, we encourage the on-going development of the core of who we are as individual believers.

Building Community

CBF Congregation Life seeks to build community through focusing on the following areas:

• Congregational Health • Baptist Identity and Relationships• Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue and

Reconciliation and Justice • Marriage and Family• Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, and Ministers in

Specialized Settings

Connecting CBF and Churches

Congregational Life also works to assist churches through the following initiatives and

programs:

New Church Starts

The Hispanic Initiative

Providing Church Resources

CBF Leadership Development

discovering, developing and nurturing those who are called out to

professional ministry

Over 2,000 Baptist students are now preparing for ministry at one of the 15 seminaries, theology schools or Baptist studies programs in CBF's network of ministry

partnerships. The Fellowship provides financial support for these schools for Masters of Divinity degrees through

its Leadership Development Initiative Team

CBF Leadership Development

The Fellowship’s partnering theological schools:

Chaplaincy & Pastoral Counseling

CBF endorses chaplains and pastoral counselors to hospital and military service, and provides endorsements for membership in various professional organizations, such as the

Association of Professional Chaplains, American Association of Pastoral Counselors and the

Association for Clinical Pastoral Education.

Initiative for Ministerial Excellence

The Institute for Ministerial Excellence provides resources for new and established ministers through their:

• Sabbatical Program

• Peer Learning Groups

• Ministerial Residencies and Teaching Congregations