About Us

The David S. Dockery and Timothy F. George Center for Baptist Renewal is a group of orthodox, evangelical Baptists committed to a retrieval of the Great Tradition for the renewal of Baptist faith and practice. The work of CBR is grounded in an affirmation of the supremacy of Scripture and guided by historic Baptist distinctives. While we do not require a specific confessional subscription of our board and fellows, we revere the rich heritage of Baptist confessions of faith, such as the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1677/89) and the Orthodox Creed (1678) in the seventeenth century, and the Baptist Faith & Message (2000) in the twenty-first. 

Mission

The Center for Baptist Renewal seeks to equip today’s Baptists with the resources of the Baptist and broader Christian tradition so they might incorporate these beliefs and practices into the life of the local church.

Vision

We envision Baptist churches in which

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are embraced as the only inspired and inerrant written revelation of God.

2. The Creeds of the historic Christian church are affirmed as faithful summaries of Christian belief, symbols of our unity with the broader body of Christ, and resources for catechesis and worship.

3. The two Sacraments, or ordinances, of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are celebrated, along with prayer and the preaching of the Word, as the ordinary means of grace and the central acts of Christian worship.

4. Historic Baptist distinctives—especially the notion of a believers’ church, believers-only baptism, congregationalism, and freedom of religion—are practiced as the most biblically faithful way to order the church of Jesus Christ, but do not prevent Baptists from welcoming the riches and fellowship of other Christian traditions with humility, gratitude, and gladness. 

Goals

1. Build awareness among Baptist church leaders of the value and relevance of the traditions of the historic church.

2. Provide leaders with resources and tools necessary to implement elements of the Christian tradition in their churches in ways that are meaningful and edifying.

3. Encourage leaders by fostering relationships in which mutual learning, mentorship, and collaboration can take place.

Baptist Catholicity

What do we mean when we use the term "Baptist catholicity"?