Baptist Fellowship aims for unity of generations

Thirty years ago, young worshippers wanted special services created for their tastes, and music that sounded like what they listened to in their cars.
So when the leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina announced that they wanted to focus on young people at this year's general assembly, they were surprised at the reaction. The younger members of the assembly's planning committees said they didn't want to be singled out, but to be viewed as part of the whole group, said Larry Hovis, the state CBF's executive coordinator.


"They, in a sense, didn't want special favors," said Rev. Brandon Hudson, who served on the planning committee for worship. Hudson, 30, is the pastor of Northwest Baptist Church. "They wanted to be seen as routine and normal and be a part of the fellowship."

The state CBF, which is meeting today and Saturday at First Baptist Church on Fifth Street, decided to focus instead on a theme of "Generations Connected." More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the meeting, Hovis said.

The national CBF is made up of individuals and about 1,900 affiliated churches. The CBF also partners with theological schools, state and regional organizations and ministry organizations worldwide.

The CBF was formed in 1990 after 10 years of tension between moderate and conservative members of the Southern Baptist Convention. The state CBF office, which opened in 1994, is in Winston-Salem. The CBF supports women in the ministry, and it does not have an official position on homosexuality and other social issues.

Reaching many generations under one roof is a challenge for all church leaders, said the Rev. David Hughes, the pastor of First Baptist.
"Church leaders kind of drive themselves crazy trying to find the right menu that will speak to this intergenerational mix," he said. "The alternative is just to become a one- or two-generation church.... I don't think that reflects the biblical view of church. It's multicultural and multigenerational."

Hughes served as the first state CBF moderator in 1994.
The Rev. Will Watson, the pastor of United Baptist Church, served on a planning committee for the assembly. He said that Gen X worshippers differ from their baby-boomer parents in seeking a connection to the early church. They tend to favor candles, he said, and less ornate structures that are more in keeping with the meditative mood of the early church.

People tend to look for authenticity regardless of their age, he said, and everyone wants to feel that they have something to offer.

Too often, Hudson said, targeting particular groups breaks up the church and creates generational divisions.

"I believe there's a history and tradition present among various age groups that's important for the longevity of faith," Hudson said.

He said that younger people are looking for a sense of history and tradition that is meaningful in modern times.

Source: Journalnow