The CMBA Visionary Leadership Community (VLC) met Tuesday, February 15, at North Point Community Church to conduct business and share ministry updates. Vice Moderator and North Point Pastor Freddy Johnson welcomed the group, as previewed last week in CMBA’s VLC Member Spotlight.
VLC members heard an update on the Denominee Journey from Executive Director George Bullard, one of eight team members working through the process. The team anticipates their work will produce a vision casting framework for CMBA’s next season of ministry and intends to time the final details of the process to include participation from the next executive director, when an individual is named. Bullard explained Denominee concepts and shared the ideas and preliminary statements the team has been crafting. VLC members affirmed this early work and agreed that it reflects their understanding of the ministry and existing CMBA church partnerships.
In other news, Bullard announced plans for a racial reconciliation conversation to be held Friday, March 18, from 2:30-5p.m. at Spring Valley Baptist. Dr. Emmanuel David Goatley, scheduled speaker for CMBA’s 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration canceled due to COVID concerns at the time, will participate in the conversation along with South Carolina Baptist Convention Executive Director-Treasurer Gary Hollingsworth and members of the CMBA racial reconciliation taskforce.
VLC members heard Team Huddle reports from its subgroups regarding ongoing work with CMBA churches through Our One Priority to “start and strengthen congregations to serve as vital and vibrant missional communities.” These targeted ministry area reports included engaging leading-edge missional churches, CMBA’s Church Planting Fellowship, Our Family Stories and recent Impacting Communities projects which included health kit and food collections, block party trailer rentals and the Woman’s Missionary Union spring meeting scheduled for March 14 at Belmont Baptist.
The VLC approved Hunger Ministry Grant requests from the Eau Claire Baptist food pantry and the NorthStar Christian Center of Hope. Members also approved a grant recommendation to support the new Haitian congregation meeting at First Baptist Columbia.
VLC members heard an update from the Executive Director Search Committee which has narrowed the applicant pool to three individuals. The committee is now working to check references and conduct in-depth interviews. In the coming weeks the committee will meet with Bullard to gain understanding of the nature and scope of his role and be formally introduced to the Denominee Journey process and progress.
The CBMA Bylaws Revision Team, chaired by David Waganer, anticipates having a draft by mid-summer for VLC to finalize before presenting revised bylaws for adoption by Messengers to the CMBA Annual Meeting in October. As a reminder this team is tasked with reviewing CMBA’s current constitution and turning it into a bylaws document that is in keeping with the South Carolina Non-Profit Act.
Treasurer Brenda Sheets reported on CMBA’s continued financial stability during the meeting.
VLC will reconvene March 15.