CBF: Organization vs. Principle

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                  Vol. XVII, No. 9, Nov/Dec 2004

The January 2004 issue of Baptists Today, a liberal Baptist publication, carried an interesting article by Ron Crawford discussing the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s future as impacted by its organization. Crawford writes,

“Organizational structures in the CBF ... were determined in large measure in counter-distinction to the moderate Baptist experience of ‘losing the Southern Baptist Convention’.

“We created freestanding seminaries so they could not be taken over by angry fundamentalists. We created an insulated Coordinating Council to hold the balance of power from the masses. ...

“The way CBF is currently structured, the Coordinating Council is our presbytery. The balance of power in the CBF rests with the Coordinating Council, not with those who attend the General Assembly [CBF’s annual meeting] and not with local churches. ...

“Specifically, the power of the Coordinating Council needs to wane as the General Assembly increases in influence in the organization. Why not give the General Assembly real decision-making power? Why not let nominations for moderator and vice-moderator come from the General Assembly floor?”

Crawford is right. CBF touts their devotion to the priesthood of the believer and to the autonomy of the local church, but their system flouts both. Real Baptists are not attracted to an organization which operates contrary to Baptist principles.