Baptist groups adopt guidelines for dually aligned

ATLANTA — The American Baptist Churches USA and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship have adopted guidelines for starting new churches that are affiliated with both groups.

“New church planting is a mandate from God and bigger than any fellowship or denomination,” said Ken Giacoletto, chair of the American Baptist New Church Planting Vision Community.

“This covenant with our brothers and sisters in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship recognizes our common goal that individual lives will be touched and changed as a result of these new communities of Christ.”

Gary Baldridge, co-coordinator of Global Missions for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said he was looking forward to the new partnership, American Baptist News Service reported.

“We find that we have much in common,” he said. “In those areas of the country where American Baptist and Cooperative Baptist efforts overlap, we will be able to work together in aggressively pursuing church planting.”