Baseball.  It’s America’s favorite pastime.  And, it’s exciting, isn’t it?  Watching the duel that develops between the batter and the pitcher.  The pitcher, fixing his hat, stepping on and off the mound, blowing on the ball.  The batter, checking and rechecking the batting gloves, in and out of the batter’s box, adjusting his stance.

A 300 batting average is considered good, excellent even.  It’s good if you win the duel with the pitcher three times for every ten times you make the attempt.  But what if your coach notices something when you’re batting and asks you to make a small change to your stance when you are in the batter’s box?  It’s a small adjustment, and it can be hard to break patterns and habits.  Do you scoff and stubbornly refuse to change something so small when you’re a great batter anyway or do you work to make the adjustment?  What if that small tweak changes your batting average to 350?  Who wins then?  The obvious answer is everyone: the team, the coach, the fans and you.       

A ministry team wants and needs to perform at its best too.  Support staff members report to certain ministers, certain ministers report to the pastor, and the pastor reports to an assigned committee within the church.  We all have “coaches”.  And those coaches can help us make changes that allow us to perform better.

Supervision shouldn’t be seen from a negative standpoint or even be viewed as someone “watching us.”  We could dig our heels in and refuse to make changes thinking we are good enough already.  But if we are open enough to continue learning and to accept that all of life is an ongoing growth process, we have the opportunity to give even more good to the ministry with which we are affiliated.  When handled properly, supervision can be a positive and guiding aid that helps each member of the ministry team to reach his/her full potential.  And when that happens, everyone wins.

Promptings

If someone asks you to tell them about your faith in Christ, what do you say? Note the way I phrased the question. The hypothetical person is not asking you how to become a Christian but instead about your own faith in Christ. I find that’s where most people start these days. They are not yet ready to become a Christian, but they often are curious to hear the stories of those who are Christ followers.

So…what do you say? My hunch is we find the question challenging. Our faith in Christ is not in question, but we have not thought through how to cast it into words that hold together. The results are predictable. We fall back on formulas or generic phrases, freeze up, or in desperation send our friend to a professional (i.e. clergy).

How might we do better? Start by asking God to fill you with a desire to understand and articulate your experience with God. Carve out some time to reflect on the matter. Write down words, phrases and impressions as they spring to mind. Don’t rush. Instead allow your individual story to take shape. As it does, write it out, leaving plenty of space for deletions, additions and edits. Ask yourself again and again: Is this accurate, true, and real. Do not settle for any story other than your own. Read aloud what you have written. Sooner or later, you will find and write and speak your own story of faith.

That’s the story others want and need to hear.

Mike Smith
Pastor
Central Baptist Church, Fountain City

In case you ever doubted that we are a living network, being a Fellowship is not an abstract concept or a thin framework of fragile connections. We are a real, breathing, living community of brothers and sisters in Christ forming our lives through common love and faith. We have been building congregations and families of care for more than 20 years.

In the past month, it has been an inspiring experience of blessing to be in 15 Fellowship churches in 6 states. Each is so beautifully unique, yet we sing a clarion song of strong, common presence. Here’s a snapshot of the vitality that is energizing me.

At Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson, Miss., I find a sweet reunion of dear friends where Chuck Poole leads an active congregation that is intentionally and positively exploring its future call with inspired and committed lay leadership.

At Kensington Baptist Church in Kensington, Md., Bill George takes me through his warm hospitable church with Saturday preparations for Sunday’s church-wide baby shower. Coming around the corner, there are large covered timpani in the hallway – who knew? A metaphor for the divine surprises that are in all our churches.

In the Mid-Atlantic region with Cameron Edgar, Kasey Jones, pastor of National Baptist Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., prays us into the presence of God with a sure conviction of faith and an uncompromising call to action.

In Richmond, Va., Jim Somerville inspires the historic First Baptist Church and the city of Richmond with his blog about the Kingdom of Heaven, asking people to text and tweet where they encounter God. Somerville is a leader and an engaging witness for Christlike living.

In an evening supper meeting at Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, Va., Steve Jolly and his congregation welcome pastors and laity from the region – the fellowship so congenial and conversational that everyone lingers until the nursery workers finally let the children loose. There is a quality of friendship here that nurtures and sustains.

At Fredericksburg Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Va., Larry Hahn warmly recognizes a recent immigrant member who is the featured chef for a delicious luncheon and he rousingly celebrates her many accomplishments. Chaplains, college ministers and recent seminary grads join the crowd.

At University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Va., Michael Cheuk sets a CBF luncheon in the midst of mission madness, tables circling the dining room ready to repair, paint and refurbish homes around the city. Rob Fox of CBF Virginia, and Cheuk are currently in China visiting CBF field personnel.

At Rosalind Hills Baptist in Roanoke, Va., Brad Smith gives his inspiring witness of community, and expectation and hope for the future of a robust Fellowship family. He is joined by Nelson Harris of Virginia Heights Baptist Church and his wife Cathy, also on the Rosalind Hills staff, who multitasks between the active afterschool program and Wednesday night children’s missions.

Activity levels are also busy at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., where Kyle Reese hosts Ray Johnson and CBF of Florida, as well as the weekly athletic teams and pastors from the Caribbean. The blend of cultures and real community presence are a signature of this beautiful congregation.

Attending a regional meeting at First Baptist Church of Asheville, N.C., Guy Sayles welcomes us all and brings his Doctor of Ministry students to lunch, an example of the many generous mentoring and teaching responsibilities of our dedicated pastors who are partners with the 15 seminaries and divinity schools of the Fellowship.

Arriving at Peace Haven Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C., we join several community groups already meeting at the church building where Nathan Parrish provides a staff model for three Wake Forest Divinity School students, so that practical ministry complements their academic work.

It’s homecoming for Larry Hovis of CBFNC, at The Memorial Baptist Church in Greenville, N.C., where Greg Bowers is gregarious and energetic and leads this congregation through inspiring worship to city outreach and mission service. Before leaving Greenville, we visit the apartment complex and community garden owned and operated by Oakmont Baptist Church, where chaplain Layne Rogerson and pastor Greg Rogers have helped transform the neighborhood.

In the capitol city, First Baptist Church of Raleigh is a strong leading congregation across from the state capitol. Chris Chapman, the capable staff and FBC members are living out a full mission to their community, sustaining CBF field personnel across the world and have covered the walls of their fellowship hall with support for youth auction items, so there is barely a space available.

I ended my tour in two signature congregations. St. John’s Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C., where  Dennis Foust shows us the apartment facilities in the church for families in crisis, and we pray for the associate pastor, Martha Kearse, who will return to Sudan for the ongoing partnership there.

The last stop is Ball Camp Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., for its 216^th anniversary. Led by Ed Sunday-Winters, Ball Camp’s mission teams are reporting from North Africa, Ukraine, Together for Hope in Ky., and Family Promise. There is a dedication of a long-awaited and precious adopted son and the baptism of his older sister. We sing “I’ll Fly Away” and no one wants the celebration to end.

Being a Fellowship is the common experience of more than 20 years of principled missions, reflective and inspiring preaching, intentional spiritual formation and a focus on building healthy churches. Yet, because of our culture of call and the centrality of our autonomous congregational identity, each church expresses itself in a beautifully uncommon way.

Common faith, uncommon expressions. That’s a Fellowship.

Suzii Paynter has served as the executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship since March, 2013.

I recently asked Larry and Linda to share their thoughts on how CBF can express boldness as a movement. The theme of the upcoming CBF General Assembly is “With Great Boldness,” following 2 Corinthians 3:12 which states: “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”

Below are their responses:

Though in theory we have always known that the “headquarters of CBF is not in Atlanta, but in churches scattered all over the country, in practice we have often looked to Atlanta as the source of answers and resources.

The 2012 Task Force vision provides us with a structure to live into our principles like never before.

As the Atlanta office moves to a new location, let’s leave the sign that says “resource center” in the old location, and put up a new sign, “networking center.”

CBF is not a centralized denomination, but a network of mission and ministry networks consisting of individuals, congregations, state and regional CBF bodies, field personnel, chaplains, and partners of all shapes, sizes and configurations.

The answers and resources we need to be faithful to God’s mission are to be found, not in Atlanta, but scattered throughout our Fellowship. We need our Atlanta leadership not to meet all of our needs, but to serve as “networking engineers,” creating effective, efficient, creative ways for us to connect and communicate with one another in order to leverage the tremendous assets that exist throughout our vast Fellowship.

Then, we would live into the original vision of our founders, embrace our size and scale, serve as a model for other faith groups, and fulfill the mission of God to which we have been called.

And it will take great boldness to make it happen.

-Larry Hovis, CBFNC Executive Coordinator

We need to partner and collaborate not only with each other but with other organizations and movements.

There are many organizations and churches trying to discern our culture, where God is working and how to join God in new and fresh ways!

Let’s do it together, boldly!

-Linda Jones, CBFNC Missions Coordinator

…………………………………..

How do you connect with the 2013 CBF General Assembly With Great Boldness theme?

If you are planning to attend the General Assembly in Greensboro, we’d love to hear from you! Please e-mail any reflections to Aaron Weaver – aweaver@thefellowship.info – and we will share here at CBFBlog.com.

See previous posts from this Great Boldness blog series:

Steering Committee members look forward to upcoming CBF General Assembly in Greensboro, N.C. (June 26-28) [April 29, 2013]

Seminary student reflects on 2013 General Assembly theme—With Great Boldness [May 6, 2013]

CBF leaders reflect on General Assembly ‘With Great Boldness’ theme [May 8, 2013]

Greetings from Kampala, Uganda!! I hope and pray that you all are doing well! It has been a wonderful and very busy month in Uganda and I have now begun settling into life in Uganda. I have seen many prayers answered. I found and moved into a house. After four months of living out of suitcases, it is SO wonderful to finally unpack and begin settling into my life and work in Uganda. I have begun setting up the foundations of the program, learning Luganda ( the local language spoken in Central Uganda) and meeting with female members of our community.
In the midst of these transitions, it has been a season of goodbyes and hellos. Two weeks ago, Sarah and her brother moved to the UK to live with their Aunt. This was a very very difficult goodbye but also caused me to reflect about God’s profound work in her life. Sarah came to Uganda shortly after becoming an orphan. She was severely traumatized and timid when she first arrived. Sarah left Uganda a smiling and vibrant young woman. Her life is a reminder of the impact of God’s profound hope.
Just a week later, I met Hannah. Hannah is the youngest sister of one our community members. Their mother was murdered one year ago in Somalia. At the time, Hannah was the only person who remained home with her mother. In the midst of the ensuing conflict, a soldier forced Hannah into a marriage. He beat and raped Hannah continually for four months. During the fourth month, Hannah realized that she was pregnant. As soon as she shared this news with her husband, she was thrown out onto the streets. Hannah remained homeless for nearly eight months. Her son was born on the streets. Without adequate shelter, nutrition and medical care, her son died within the first few months. Hannah was left alone, severely traumatized and without hope. She was only fifteen years old.
Miraculously, Hannah managed to reconnect with a family friend who knew her sister’s phone number in Uganda. Hannah was able to call her sister after not talking for over a year. The family collected funds and networked with remaining friends in Somalia and managed to safely bring Hannah. Hannah came to my office on Monday morning and shared with me her tragic story. Still, in the midst of this despair, there is hope. We serve a God who is able to do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine ( Ephesians 3) .I am confident that God will continue bring healing and restoration to Hannah’s life. Hannah and so many others like her, are the reason that I am in Uganda. Thank you for your prayers and financial support which enable and empower me to minister with and among female refugees in Uganda.

Im grateful for your partnership in ministry.

Blessings,

Missy Ward

Prayer Requests:
Over the last month that I have been in Uganda, I have felt your prayers and have seen God answering many prayer requests including providing the remaining funding for the ministry shelter through the first year!!! Amazing!

I would appreciate it if you would keep the following items in your prayers this month:
·      * Hannah
·      * Sarah and Said as they settle into life in the UK
* Women and girls within our community who are in violent or vulnerable situations.
* Shelter: This month I will be continuing with foundational meetings with other local organizations in order to open the shelter sometime in    June. Please pray for these meetings as well as discernment and direction for the right location and the right support staff for the shelter.
* Me: Please pray for me as I continue to settle into life in Uganda as I settle into my house, learn how to drive in Kampala and learn Luganda, etc).

I had the privilege of attending Selah Vie, an end of the summer retreat for Congregational Collegiate Interns, Student. Go missionaries, and Passport Camps staffers, in August of 2012 for the first time after working a summer as an intern at my home church in Madison Heights, Va. During my summer I had many wonderful experiences such as preaching, sitting with families during their loved one’s surgeries, and serving our community members in various ways. My time spent as an intern consisted of many priceless moments that will forever be engrained in my soul as I become a minister, but at the end of the summer, I felt as though I needed something more that I had not received. A week after my internship ended, I headed to Alabama where that something more that I was looking for was revealed.

Selah Vie is a midwife because it helped me to birth my narrative from the summer through putting words to my experiences. One of the main themes of Selah Vie this past year was the emphasis that was placed on story. Throughout the week, during corporate worship times, different students were given space to share an experience from the summer where they saw Jesus at work. It was beautiful to see how different and unique each person’s story was.

Selah Vie is a midwife because it allows students to come, bring their stories whether beautiful or ugly, joyful or painful, and work through them to create new life. Through listening to people’s stories and sharing part of mine I truly understood that the conception and pregnancy of our narratives is not always pretty. There are moments when we don’t see beauty because the journey is painful and dark. Selah Vie offered space for new life and new outlooks to be brought into the stories of our hearts.

Selah Vie is a midwife because it brought people together to celebrate and support us as we birthed the narratives of our journeys. Adults from all areas of ministry came together to love us, listen to us, offer insight when needed, laugh with us, and simply spend time with us and be present as we processed through what we had seen and done during the summer. The adults who celebrated our lives and validated our stories helped to make Selah Vie such an awesome week.

After a summer of planning events, working long hours, and constantly pouring myself out to the members of my congregation and community, the midwifery of Selah Vie was a breath of fresh air because for once, all I had to do was follow a schedule that had already been prepared for me. Stories that have been growing inside of us had the ability to be birthed and to be given life because there was fertile soil at Selah Vie and there were gardeners who through listening to our stories were able to offer sunlight and nourishment to the new life that had been birthed in order that it could grow and flourish.

I thank God for the midwife known as Selah Vie for helping to birth new life through our stories into the world.

Each August, I get really excited because I know that it is almost time to go to Selah Vie to reflect and retreat with old and new friends about our exciting summer opportunities–this past summer was no different. I hopped out of the passport van and greeted many friends from camp and even a few friends from my home church. As I began to experience the weekend, I realized that there were several reasons that I was looking forward to Selah Vie.

Selah Vie, or pause life, is exactly what I need after a hectic and life-giving summer as a camp counselor. I really need to pause my life because I go straight from a long school year into Passport ministry mode. I love camp—but it certainly does require much of my time, effort, and energy. By the time it is over I feel drained and saddened. Selah Vie is usually a great re-energizer for my faith, my spirit, and my connection to young people in CBF life, especially my Passport teammates.

The best part about my experience at Selah is that in the pause of life I get to experience God and see just how God has moved in the lives of so many hundreds of young people around the world! As a professional summer minister, it is easy to get lost in the busyness of creating space for other people’s spirituality to grow that I can loose sight of my own. Selah is great because we get to worship, play games, and go to events that we didn’t have to plan—such a relief!

This summer at Selah, I really experienced the Spirit of God moving in me! Our pastor, Roger, and our worship band led by Eric, did an amazing job at creating the space to know God more intimately. I especially felt this in Roger’s messages about the role that our generation could play in the revitalization of the church. For the first time in a long while, I felt energized about the work of the local church. I seriously latched on to the idea that we were indeed apart of a rummage sale in the Christian tradition that was paramount to the Reformation. Each time I have grown weary with my studies as a seminary student this year, I remember the joy and energy I felt from my work this summer at Passport, and the re-energy I felt from Selah. I can truly say that Selah was an amazing aspect of my summer that properly allowed me to debrief the many feelings I had after camp while also allowing me to continue to hear and know my call more fully. I am grateful to this experience because it has taught me how to Selah Vie.

Molly Shoulta (furthest right) enjoying the lake Selah Vie

I will have the privilege of working for Passport Camps for the third summer in a row beginning in early June.  I believe strongly and firmly that the thousands of youth, kids, chaperones, and community members Passport staffers come into contact with throughout the summer have their lives changed.  As a Bible Study Leader, I loved watching the 6’4” senior football players humbled before God on the last night during the invitation, and found just as much joy in the middle school girl that found confidence in her faith by end of the week.  Last summer, I was blessed to lead worship and from that unique angle, watching God move in an auditorium-turned-sanctuary was remarkable.  I would watch teenagers file down the aisle into the embrace of their Bible Study Leaders, who seemed to be the only ones who could make sense of the emotions, the hurt, and the call they felt to embark on a renewed journey with their Savior.  But, oddly enough, my favorite faces to watch were the ones that were stuck, unable to leave the rows of seats, not because they couldn’t maneuver around friends, but because they didn’t quite know what they were feeling.  Inquisitive faces revealed pondering hearts not quite ready to take the next step.

At the end of both summers, I have attended Selah Vie, a program open to staffers and leaders participating in Passport, CCI, or student.go ministries throughout the summer.  Experiences ranged from inner city youth work to stepping into a pulpit weekly.  Students came together to share experiences, worship together, and reflect on a summer that challenged and grew their own faith as they sought to cultivate the faith of others.

It was in the worship services at Selah Vie that I truly felt my summer had served a purpose in the lives of others.  It was within the litanies, the sermons, the testimonies from the summer, sure.  But the one piece of Selah worship that I have taken with me and even been able to pass on was the idea of planting seeds of faith in others.  Singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson’s “Planting Trees” describes the need for tending faith even at the earliest stages so that one day, even in many years, that small seed will be a blessing to others.  His lyrics read,

So many years from now,

Long after we are gone,

These trees will spread their branches out

And bless the dawn.

I guess I wonder too often about the teenagers stuck in the seats.  I wonder if I had reached out to them one more time during the week, or maybe if they would have heard a song one more time, or maybe if the pastor’s sermon would have dug a bit deeper, or what if the owner of the home they’d been doing mission work on during the last week had been more appreciative, maybe then they would have realized God’s love for them.

I will never be the gardener my Dad is because I will never be meticulous enough to understand which seeds get planted when.  There’s something with Easter flowers, but the tomato plants have to be planted in the early summer, and but we can grow herbs year round.  But his diligence in tending to each plant means that each one, individually and in its own time, will bloom.  And perhaps this is my best understanding as I look forward to another summer of cultivating deeper roots of faith within teenagers.  Not all immediately bloom, not all will understand the grace of Christ in only one week, but all will receive some TLC that will one day be able to be extended to others along the faith journey.  I am grateful for the experience at Selah Vie and being able to understand the intentionality of each and every interaction that may nourish a new or ignored faith.  I am but small part in the Kingdom of God, but am excited about the seeds planted and the blooms yet to be seen.

Let go of all that’s passing,

Lift up the least of these.

Lean into something lasting,

Planting trees

Several weeks ago, when my wife preached a sermon on prayer, I was impressed with her illustration concerning a peach tree that we have growing in our garden.  We transplanted it last year, and before long it died.  It stayed dead throughout the summer, fall, and winter.

We thought, for sure, it was a goner, so we made plans to toss it this summer. Until, one day, my children were playing outside and noticed leaves on it.  Green leaves.  The first signs of life.

All this time, while we were assuming that the thing kicked the bucket, that little resilient peach tree was growing a root system and gaining the nourishment it needed to survive.  All of it happened below the surface, conforming to the seasons and demands of its surroundings one day at a time.

This metaphor is a perfect one for living the spiritual life because when it comes to our growth in Christ–our very faith formation–much of the work is accomplished below the surface, in a mundane routine that carries us from one day to the next.

Ours is a society that thrives on fast food, ever faster technology, and instant gratification.  We live life as if each day determines whether the next one will exist.  We feel that if we miss a meeting, fail to make the grade, oversleep every now and then, and–God forbid it–lay down in the grass, waste time, and watch the clouds, that the apocalypse will come upon us.

That peach tree taught my family and me that God does not need help keeping the cosmos in motion.  Life finds a way: yesterday comes and goes, today is half-way over, and “I wonder what I will eat for dinner tomorrow night.”  In the midst of busy thoughts and anxious hearts, the rotation of the earth still takes a full 24 hours, and New Year’s Eve will eventually fall on the 365th day as scheduled.

“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10): That is what spiritual formation is all about.

Spiritual formation seems like a lofty word, but it is not as intimidating as it sounds.  In the words of Robert Mulholland, it is simply the “process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others.” It’s the process–sometimes intentional, some times accidental–of growing in Christ, learning from our mistakes along the way, and finding that God is working around us all the time despite whether we join that mission or not.  God works even when we fail to see fruit…or leaves for that matter.

God only calls us to do the hard work of living out our salvation on a day-to-day basis where our jobs, families, neighborhoods, and hobbies intersect. We put one foot in front of the other in the midst of messiness and conflict, fragile families, dysfunctional relationships, and failing economies.  We travel through the valleys and hope that the next mountain-top experience is not too far on the horizon.

Spiritual formation is like practicing scales repeatedly on a musical instrument.  It is tedious work, but it allows a student to master both the instrument and the notes.  By the time the student performs, she knows those notes so intimately she makes playing a score look easy.  The regimen of a committed life fully transforms random notes into prayerful music–a work of art made in honor of art’s Master.  Not to mention that she also learns how to play (and play with) the silences.

In a little story told in Luke 7:18-23, John the Baptist sent messengers to ask Jesus whether or not Jesus was the messiah, God’s anointed one, who would usher in a new era of salvation.   Everyone back then, John included, expected the messiah to come on the scene in a blaze of glory, raising an unstoppable army to overthrow the Roman Empire.

John had his doubts about Jesus because Jesus neither recruited an army nor campaigned for funding from the aristocracy.  Rather, Jesus spent time with the poor and powerless.  There weren’t any demonstrations of military power, only an anticlimactic Gospel message that emphasized reconciliation and forgiveness over violence and retaliation.

Poet Emily Dickinson once wrote, “The truth must dazzle gradually, or every man be blind.”  Jesus’ brand of truth unfolded at a sluggish pace.   After all, it took Jesus thirty years to prepare for a three-year ministry.  While the four evangelists only recorded the most exciting moments in this short history, we can’t help notice that the majority of Jesus’ life and ministry consisted of daily grind stuff.  That’s how Jesus chose to do it, though: with baby steps and a simple dedication to God’s will “for the sake of others.”

We often rush from one experience to another, overdosing on entertainment, gigabytes, and sugar-highs.  The Christian life, however, is one lived out in conformity to a God that is not always so exciting.  As 15th-century saint, Thomas A’Kempis, once noted: “Thou art called to endure and to labour, not to a life of ease and trifling talk.”  That’s good advice in an age tall on fads but falls short on long-term commitment and deep discipleship

screenshot of new CBF-LeaderConnect website

On Thursday, May 16, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship launches a new version of the CBF-LeaderConnect system to assist in matching minister and staff candidates with suitable positions in CBF congregations.

“The new system is simpler, more user-friendly and more accurate in matching the needs of a church minister search to the qualifications of candidates. It is our hope and prayer that the new CBF-LeaderConnect system will enhance our ability to serve ministers and churches,” said Clarissa Strickland, CBF’s networking specialist.

Beginning on Thursday, May 9, both the new and old CBF-LeaderConnect sites will be available on the Fellowship website at www.thefellowship.info/leaderconnect. At that time, individuals and churches who are already using the CBF-LeaderConnect system can enter their information on the new site, as information and documents from the old system will not be automatically transferred to the new platform. No matching will occur before May 16, when the new system is open to new and current users.

“We are excited about this newly designed tool for churches and clergy leaders. The ability to help churches and candidates discover one another will be much more reliable and robust. This is going to be a helpful tool for all of us,” said Bo Prosser, CBF’s coordinator of missional congregations.

CBF’s reference and referral service is provided to CBF churches and individuals at no cost. In addition to matching congregations and candidates to one another, the reference and referral service also provides resources for churches as they form search committees and begin the process of looking for a new minister.

“We believe that a church which has found the particular person God intends to serve as a pastor or in a staff leadership role is poised for great ministry and witness in the community, in the nation and around the world. That person will, in turn, be a great blessing to that local church and its ministry and witness,” said Strickland.

The new CBF-LeaderConnect system can be found at www.thefellowship.info/leaderconnect. All questions regarding the system should be directed to Clarissa Strickland at cstrickland@thefellowship.info.