Applications Open May 1 for the Helping Churches Thrive Shared Learning Cohort It doesn’t take long in a conversation with church leaders today to hear a common realization: the world around the church has changed—and many congregations are still learning how to respond. Across North Carolina, churches are navigating shifting participation patterns, widening generational gaps,…
We asked participants in the 2025-2026 Helping Churches Thrive Shared Learning Cohort to share some insights about how the new initiative is helping their church. Read below what participants from Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, NC had to say. Why do you think the Helping Churches Thrive Shared Learning Cohort is right for your…
The College Readiness Mentorship Program at Duke University started as a pilot in 2025 with four high school students. These students were members of newcomer families who arrived as guests in our Triangle Welcome Houses. They met with a small group of Duke University students at Temple Baptist Church to discuss ways to support the…
We asked participants in the 2025-2026 Helping Churches Thrive Shared Learning Cohort to share some insights about how the new initiative is helping their church. Read below what participants from First Baptist Church in Elkin, NC had to say. Why do you think the Helping Churches Thrive Shared Learning Cohort is right for your church? Through…
How? How can we pursue the Great Commission to “make disciples of all nations” in our own communities? How can we fulfill the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor? How can we welcome the stranger in our midst, and thus find our places on the right hand of the King at the Great…
This past weekend [February 21–22], I experienced a reality that I never anticipated. Someone decided to make a post about our church, First Baptist Church of Albemarle, and very specifically about me. The author of the post clearly stated his disagreement with our church’s belief that women can serve as pastors and preach. To make…
Last October, a group of 13 clergy had the extraordinary opportunity to participate in a spiritual pilgrimage to the sacred Isle of Iona, situated off the western coast of Scotland. The pilgrimage allowed clergy to immerse themselves in the holiness of the “Cradle of Christianity” in the United Kingdom. Each day was filled with meaningful…
Mending the Fracturing Church Invites Congregations to Face Conflict with Courage and Hope Rev. Dr. Andrew Hale’s Mending the Fracturing Church: How to Navigate Conflict and Build Trust for Thriving Communities Releases February 5, 2026 Across the life of the church, many congregations are feeling the pressure of a changing world. Differences across generations, decline…
When Shared Learning Meets Timely Need: Reflections from CBFNC’s Helping Churches Thrive Creative Workshop Retreat In November, more than 120 congregational leaders and clergy from across North Carolina and Virginia gathered for CBFNC’s Helping Churches Thrive Creative Workshop Retreat—two days designed to do one essential thing well: equip churches for the real challenges they are…
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina is one of five partner organizations collaborating with Campbell University in a $10 million grant-funded “Cultivating Cultures of Calling” initiative from Lilly Endowment Inc. The grant will support Campbell University Divinity School’s (CUDS) efforts to prepare and support pastoral leaders now and in the future, renewing the communal…