Jen Van Camp and Bruce Gourley attended the national CBF Coordinating Council in Atlanta, February 18-19.
Bruce was placed on the Advancement Committee. The meetings focused primarily on the technologies that CBF is using for online promotion, and a new software system that is being used to analyze partnerships with local congregations.
The Advancement committee also discussed the dynamics of how national and state/regional organizations are relating. The use of national joint field reps in states appears to be more and more of a trend.
In an address to the Coordinating Council as a whole, Daniel Vestal focused everyone’s attention on five items:
1) the evolving relationship between national and state organizations
2) ethnic, racial, cultural diversity (he does not think CBF has yet figured out how to do a good job in this regard)
3) partner organizations (CBF national is having a retreat in late April with heads of some partner organizations)
4) financing: how can CBF strengthen financial ties with local churches?
5) church planting: how does CBF help churches start new churches? (much improvement is needed, but how?)