Beliefs of a CBA Church

Churches of the Columbus Baptist Association are autonomous thus offer a variety of worship styles and traditions. Commonalities, however, that you are sure to find at each one include love, community, biblical teaching, and a desire to be evangelistically missional in their neighborhood and around the world.

The Columbus Baptist Association affirmed its approval of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 by adopting it into the Association’s Constitution. This document serves as a written testament of our beliefs and practices.

The Cooperative Program synergizes our purpose and efforts by linking the Columbus Baptist Association with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board and the Southern Baptist Convention, thus partnering us alongside the North American Mission Board, the International Mission Board, and our Baptist colleges and seminaries.

Our Core Values

Because of the core values shared by partner churches, certain principles for an effective partnership begin to emerge. Partnerships committed to these principles have a great potential to experience the activity of God in the lives and ministries of all those in partnership.

Because partnerships are expressions of being on mission with God, it is imperative that the Spirit leads the partners, and that the partners are sensitive to the Spirit’s urging or prompting. Partners who are led by the Spirit are faithfully obedient to the Word of God because the Spirit does not lead contrary to God’s Word. Through the Spirit’s leadership, partners come alongside each other to bear one another’s burdens while carrying out the responsibilities of the partnership.

A vision for God’s kingdom drives the best partnerships. Such a vision builds God’s kingdom and drives partnerships toward a God-sized task past shortsighted and personal kingdoms. A partnership with a kingdom vision glorifies God and testifies to His empowerment of those with His vision.

Determining the difference between a good thing and the best thing is difficult. In a partnership, determining what is strategic depends on keeping the kingdom vision in clear focus and working to accomplish it intentionally. Such strategic thinking, planning, organization, and implementation generally result in a partnership accomplishing a kingdom vision.

One key to an effective partnership is valuing people with different backgrounds, skills, talents, experiences, and so forth. Partners need to be careful not to judge the other partner’s motive or activity but to receive them as God’s choice instrument in the work that He has called you both to accomplish. One aspect of valuing people involves leaving personal agendas at home. All partners place the accomplishment of God’s vision over the attainment of personal agendas.

Good communication is vital to a partnership from its beginning to the end. Effective communication is intentional, not accidental. Good communication involves open, honest discussions that are clear and frequent. When working as partners in missionary groups, clear and thoughtful communication is vital so no one misunderstands another.

Success of a partnership depends on it being a cooperative effort. A cooperative spirit should permeate teams and partners. Cooperation depends on trust. Partners join partners. Partnership means that we have the opportunity for growth in Christian fellowship, discipleship, and united mission work. Partnership is all about going to do with one another rather than going to do for yourselves.

For a partnership to work well, intentionality is a must. To keep the vision in focus, to work strategically, to be led by the Spirit without going off course, a partnership must have intentionality. Without intentionality, flexibility can be perilous to accomplishing the strategic objectives that lead to reaching the kingdom vision of the partnership.

Flexibility is the ability, tempered by intentionality, to adjust to changing needs and circumstances without losing sight of the kingdom vision. The partner’s commitment to the gospel, its content, and commands is not flexible; however, partners should be flexible and adaptable in the method, manner, and mode of carrying the gospel to the lost.

The call of God on partners’ lives creates an accountability to be faithful in His tasks. A standard of excellence should exist in all partnerships: i.e. mission and ministry work, administration, as well as love and unity among the partners. Anything less than the best brings reproach on God.