News & Updates
Blog – CBFVA Resource for the Post-Pandemic Church by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator
I think most people engaged in congregational leadership know we are NOT going back to church as it was before the pandemic. That version of church doesn’t exist anymore. A protracted COVID-19 season of disruption invites us to re-imagine church—not in order to...
Haven’t We Given Enough? Reflections on preparing for Lent by Rachel Jones
“Ash to ash. Dust to dust.”[1] Familiar sayings during this time of year as we enter Lent, the 40-day season (not including Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and the day before Easter. The word "Lent" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "lencten", which means "lengthen" and...
What I am Learning about Poverty in Appalachia during our Pandemic by Keith Stillwell
Captain Obvious would say, “I am learning that people who did not have enough income to meet their basic needs before the pandemic, are facing even greater challenges during this pandemic.” Years in an economic system that employed many at low pay, benefited some...
Blog – Radical Candor by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator
As an image-conscious Enneagram Pattern 3, I confess radical candor is not my best gift. My tendency to shape-shift to be what the context demands sometimes means I shy away from boldly speaking truth. My son knows my tendency to be and play nice. After reading...
Reflection: Pastors’ School 2021
Reflection by Kris Aaron, Senior Pastor, FBC Bristol On January 28, CBFVA held its annual Pastors’ School. The speaker, Dr. Anna Robbins, and the theme, Recalibrating Faith & Culture in a Post-Pandemic World, were both especially timely and helpful. Dr. Robbins...
Kingdom Work = “Soul” Work Megan Fullerton Strollo, CBFVA Theologian in Residence
I, like many of you I’m sure, tuned in this past Wednesday to watch the inauguration of now President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. An inauguration is an historic occasion any year, as our country progresses ever more toward becoming that “more perfect...
Our Plumb Line Moment by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator
I was a teenager the first time I used a plumb line. My grandparents’ home in Owens Crossroads, AL, blew up when propane gas filled the house. Both my Dad’s parents were outside on opposite sides of the building when the blast occurred, and both ran inside to check on...
A Biblical Basis for Advocacy Work
Art Wright, Williamsburg Baptist Church What was Jesus up to during his earthly ministry? It is a question that all Christians must wrestle with as they try to understand what it means to follow him. We often read stories in the Gospels of what he said and did . . ....
Reflecting on 2020—Lament & Celebration
by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator The opening words of almost every Christmas card and letter we received this year sounded similar: “2020 has been a difficult year.” I lament the devastating impact of COVID-19 – severe illness and death, physical distancing...
Pastors’ School: January 28 at 10AM (plenary session); 1:30 (dialogue)
CBFVA invites all clergy to participate in this year’s edition of Pastors’ School on January 28. We are excited to welcome Dr. Anna Robbins as our keynote speaker. CBFVA’s Coordinating Council very purposefully invited Dr. Robbins because of her expertise and...
“People of God, what are you waiting for?”: Reconsidering the Advent of Christ
By Dr. Megan Strollo, CBFVA’s Theologian in Residence “While [Jesus] was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. They said, ‘Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who was...
BSK & Flexible Theological Education in Virginia
BSK & Flexible Theological Education in Virginia Grateful for the Invitation Last year, a group of Virginia pastors and state CBF leaders began meeting to discuss theological education in Virginia, BSK was excited and honored to be invited into that conversation....
A Baptist Experience at Union Presbyterian
By Ben Brown “So, tell me what kind of Baptist you are…” It was orientation day for the DMin program at Union Presbyterian, and we were channeled into breakout groups for brief introductions. I had introduced myself, and I was the only Baptist in the small group. “Not...
PODCAST: Nurturing Faith in Community (with Terry Maples)
Art Wright talks with Terry Maples about Nurturing Faith in Community, a new CBFVA resource for congregations. Nurturing Faith is a curriculum written by Terry, in which he proposes a paradigm shift for the way in which Christians and congregations approach spiritual...
BLOG: Presence by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator
I could not believe my eyes or my ears! As I drove down the highway and switched to radio station 100.9 Jack FM (variety hits), I realized the format had changed. The name of the new format….wait for it….is Short Attention Span Radio. Nope, I’m not joking. A format...
Pastors’ School 2021 with Dr. Anna Robbins
January 28, 10 am CBF’s annual Pastors’ School is set for Thursday, January 28, 2021, starting at 10:00 am. Because of the continual spread of the coronavirus, we are converting Pastors’ School to a virtual experience via Zoom. The theme for Pastors’ School...
CBFVA YouTube Channel!
CBFVA Resources on YouTube Channel CBFVA is pleased to announce we have launched our YouTube Channel to make resources available to clergy and congregations! Click the button for the link!Here are excellent resources ready for your use: Shop Talk Sessions with...
PODCAST: Anxiety, Faith, and Caring for Ourselves and Others in the Pandemic
Art Wright is joined by Jason and Dena Hobbs, authors of the new book, When Anxiety Strikes: Help and Hope for Managing Your Storm (Kregel Publications, 2020). They discuss what anxiety is, the intersection of anxiety and faith, and how we can care for ourselves and...
Advocacy: the natural next step in missions
Mark Snipes CBFVA Coordinator Let’s say that you and your church go on a mission trip. On that trip, you learn about the inequality of hunger around the world. During your 10-day adventure, you get your hands dirty, you cry tears of sorrow for those living in these...
Anxiety and Scripture by Dave Guion
This effort to look at anxiety through the lens of Scripture and psychology was born of conversations in Sunday School, correspondence with a seminary professor, Dr. Steve Stratton, and the lives of some of my counseling clients who identify as Christians and have...
BLOG: Inside Job by Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator
Have you noticed how many crime novel and movie plot characters there are on the inside of an organization helping criminals gain access to the valuables? Every time a bank is robbed, investigators automatically ask employees questions like, “Do you have huge debt?”...
Shop Talk for Senior Pastors with Mike Smith
CBFVA recognizes healthy leadership is key to thriving faith communities. By investing in the ongoing education and formation of pastors, CBFVA seeks to support efforts of congregations to build beloved community, engage in God’s redemptive justice in the world, and...
Nurturing Faith in the Community
Terry Maples has written and designed a six-session series exploring the nature of faith and faithfulness. Each lesson addresses current critical congregational needs. Click the button below to explore what Christ-followers must unlearn or re-frame before embracing...
Staff Evaluations During a Pandemic By Terry Maples, CBFVA Coordinator
Many churches designate autumn as the best season to do staff evaluations. How is this important task even possible during a pandemic? I believe unprecedented times demand a different process. As a vocational minister for three churches over a period of 27 years, I’ve...
Leaning into the Tension: What Happens When a Local Church Talks Openly about Things “We Aren’t Supposed to Talk About”? Sterling Severns, Pastor, Tabernacle Baptist Church, Richmond
God has blessed us with a metaphorical bookshelf, full of diversity, wisdom, and grace. Each book reveals something about us and something about God. Think of each sensitive issue, the ones we tend to ignore, as books that God deliberately placed on the shelf, right...
Christian Citizenship in 2020 by Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Jesus’s teaching to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s is particularly relevant in this election season like no other. How do we maintain our dual citizenship in God’s kingdom and the United States of America without...
Joy and Loss in the same sentence: by Melissa Fallen, Pastor of Glen Allen Baptist Church
Hypothetically speaking, have you experienced loss lately?! Well, of course we all have! Melissa Fallen, pastor of Glen Allen Baptist Church, relates her own experience of loss to the current days the Church is facing. She helps us name some of the losses we've...
Caught in a Liminal Space: by Barrett Owen, Pastor of Waynesboro Baptist Church
We are caught in a liminal space. Do you know this word? Liminality? It means “a threshold of consciousness.” Theologically speaking, liminal space refers to the moment we become conscious of a transition. Like standing in a doorway, we’re between one space and...
A Mission Small Enough to Fit on a License Plate, Big Enough to Change the World by Jim Somerville, Senior Pastor, Richmond’s First Baptist Church
In this Ted-ish Talk Jim Somerville explains the mission of First Baptist Church: “Bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to Richmond, Virginia,” or, as he often abbreviates it, “the KOH2RVA” (which is, actually, his license plate). When he came to First Baptist in 2008 Jim...
General Assembly
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