As of June 1, 2024, The Affirming Network (AFN) of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) merged with The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (AWAB), becoming one consolidated organization under AWAB’s name.
This pivotal decision follows a period during which AFN confronted leadership transitions and operational challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a concerted effort to uphold AFN’s foundational principles and sustain its impactful inclusionary initiatives, leaders from AFN, CBF, and AWAB engaged in over two years of deliberations to chart a path forward, ultimately concluding in a merger.
“In 2018, LGBTQ+ leaders and allies founded the Affirming Network with a vision of inclusion at all levels of our Fellowship. Rather than merely making space around a table for LGBTQ+ folk, AFN advocated for a whole new table in Cooperative Baptist life,” comments Rev. Jordan Conley, AFN leader and CBF Pastor.
Conley concludes, “This merger unifies the voices of LGBTQ+ clergy and allies within CBF life at a time when the Spirit’s call to bear witness to the inclusive mission of Jesus could not be more urgent. Our country is experiencing a heartbreaking rise in hate crimes, discriminatory legislation, and hostile rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community. This landscape highlights the urgency of churches coming out as communities that embrace the expansive mission of Jesus Christ. AWAB is uniquely equipped to walk alongside CBF churches as they discern, affirm, and advocate for LGBTQ+ folk and allies.”
Rev. Dr. Paul Baxley, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Executive Coordinator, adds his words of affirmation,
The Affirming Network was begun by congregations and individuals who share a deep commitment to inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in congregations and our Fellowship. Because that guiding conviction is only shared by some in our Fellowship, the network has provided community to its members, particularly LGBTQ+ Baptist Christians drawn to our Fellowship.
After much prayer and reflection, the Affirming Network’s leadership has decided to merge with the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. This decision reflects the founding commitments of the network while also demonstrating a spirit of collaboration that we see as a growing value across our Fellowship’s life.
In a culture bursting with religious strife and political polarization, most conversations about matters of LGBTQ+ inclusion have been increasingly characterized by fear, demonization, and dehumanization. Our Fellowship is increasingly unique as we serve congregations and partners with different positions of conscience and practice on these matters – not because we think these matters are insignificant and certainly not because we all agree, but because, in true Baptist fashion, we honor the consciences of all. We still believe the power of Christ casts out fear and calls us to treat one another with love so that we might offer the church and the world a more excellent way.
Concerning this merger AWAB Board Chair Bob Sittig remarks,
“The relationship that has been established between AWAB and CBF churches is a significant step forward in the advocacy of the full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community into Baptist life. All of us have been made in the image of God, and the strength of this partnership will continue to ensure that this message is not forgotten as we strive to create God’s kin-dom here on Earth. I look forward to our work together.”
From their founding, AWAB and AFN have advocated for the full inclusion of individuals in Baptist life. Now merged, this work of welcome and affirmation seeks to to bear witness to the Spirit’s call across Baptist landscapes.