“Exactly what kind of Baptist is this church?” Newcomers to First Baptist often ask some version of this question. Our congregation affiliates with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Alliance of Baptists, two groups that emerged from the Southern Baptist Convention in the late 1980s and early 1990s in response to the SBC’s turn to fundamentalism. Our congregation contributes financially to CBF and Alliance to support their community service projects, resource development, and continuing education initiatives. Think of our membership with CBF and Alliance like two Baptist co-ops!
Last month, other First Baptist Greenville members and I had the privilege of representing us at the annual gatherings for the Alliance of Baptists and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina. Each gathering included worship, breakout sessions on ministry topics (I attended sessions on intergenerational discipleship, creative ways to use church buildings, and confronting Islamophobia in the church), business meetings reviewing the budget and committee work of each group, and time for friendship. Both events were fabulous!
Want to learn more about our Baptist affiliates? Attend CBF Global’s General Assembly in Jacksonville, FL, this June 17-19! Registration is FREE, and First Baptist Greenville has funds to help church members attend. Call the church for more information.
—Camille Loomis Rehnborg, Minister of Spiritual Formation and Outreach
