At the end of June of this year, the American Baptist Churches USA biennial will be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The central piece of business will be a second vote on a proposed restructuring (by-laws changes) of the denomination.  You may recall that CBC became a vocal part of a reaction of concern from various segments of ABC life that defeated the proposed restructuring at the 2009 biennial in Pasadena, CA.  We have anxiously awaited the new proposal, which ABC has released and which is available at this link: http://tinyurl.com/3v33u7k

In response to these proposed changes, CBC has prepared a statement of concern to be read at the 2011 biennial gathering.  The drafted statement is available at  abcbylaws.blogspot.com, where we invite your comments.  We have created another document, "What American Baptist Congregations Need to Consider Before Voting on the Proposed Bylaws," also available for your comments.

An article summarizing the implications of this latest restructuring proposal for CBC, welcoming and affirming churches, and for the denomination is also available on the blog site, as well as an article on the principle of non-creedalism in Baptist life and why we should be concerned about the proposed bylaws changes.

As we continue to reflect upon and respond to the proposed changes in the denominational bylaws, you are invited to read the articles and participate in the discussion by leaving comments.