Trying to escape shadow of Southern Baptists, moderate, liberal Baptists plan joint ministries
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Over the last 25 years, they have watched with growing concern as their conservative Southern Baptist brethren came to define the religious tradition for the general public.
Now, these other Baptists, who are spread among many different denominations, are slowly pooling resources on humanitarian work and evangelism, hoping they can have a bigger impact.
This Friday in Washington, two of the larger groups _ the American Baptist Churches and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship _ will worship together for the first time. They plan to commission two missionary couples who will represent both groups, and will organize a national Islamic-Baptist dialogue to improve relations with Muslims.
``It is an effort to celebrate our common heritages as Baptist Christians and to affirm our commitment to work together more collaboratively,'' said the Rev. Daniel Vestal, national coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. ``The Baptist witness is much richer and more nuanced than is characterized so often in the public square now.''
In January, an even broader group of Baptists will host an Atlanta meeting ``to speak and work together to create an authentic and genuine prophetic Baptist voice in these complex times,'' according to a joint document they issued called a ``North American Baptist Covenant.''
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