In part one of this series I put forth historically what the purpose of the Baptist association is. The history and purpose of the association is well documented (well beyond what I have documented here). My working definition of a Baptist association is “a collection of churches who share common beliefs that come together along specific geographic boundaries and voluntarily cooperate together in carrying out the Great Commission”. In much the same way that the local church is challenged in carrying out its purpose, the Baptist association is as well. I have been involved in the local Baptist association for over ten years. I have seen some good things where the association was able to fulfill its purpose. I have also seen some bad things where the association struggled in fulfilling its purpose.

Through my years of associational involvement, I have seen, and am seeing, certain challenges plaguing the local association. Let me say right here that I am not anti-association. Just the opposite. I want desperately to see the association succeed. I also believe in being honest. Introspection can be a positive and helpful thing. I want to share what I feel are the challenges facing the Baptist association today.

Challenge #1: The training and support that is offered to the local church at the associational level is readily available at the state level.

For the most part, the local Baptist association has ministry areas that closely mirror those of the church. The association may contain departments such as Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Music, Youth, Men’s Ministry, Women’s Ministry, WMU, and others. From time to time the association may offer training and resources to help the local church to be better equipped in these areas. This same type of training and resourcing is available to every church at the state convention level. Often times this training and resourcing is available quicker, in greater volume, and from staff with years of specific experience. The church has to make a decision. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “If it becomes necessary to receive some of my training and resourcing from the state convention, why would I not receive all of it from the state convention?”  This is the challenge of assistance. The association faces the challenge of being an effective and consistent avenue of training, support, and resource.

Challenge #2: The local Baptist association may not be able to adequately resource and support the local church with the ministries that are specific to their own community.

This is not the same as challenge #1. As local churches explore their community, as they determine felt needs, as they identify new and specific ways to communicate the gospel, there will be a need for specific help and support. Churches are discovering new and emerging fields of ministry in the community that reflect segments of the population. These segments could include multi-housing ministry, skateboarders, resort and vacation settings, and the military. Each one of these fields requires specific support and even specific training. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “Once I have identified ministries specific to my community, where is the best place to go for training and support?” This is the challenge of relevance. Can the association, in its present form, be of real and lasting help to the church? To be fair, the association cannot be “all things to be all people”. But, if the church determines that business as usual will not reach people with the gospel, the Baptist association faces a decision as well.

Challenge #3: The local Baptist association taking on ministry that is the responsibility of the local church.

I was once part of an association that felt that if the churches in the association were not doing ministry at a level they thought was acceptable, the association would sponsor that ministry. Instead of encouraging the churches to develop a comprehensive men’s ministry, the association sponsored the event. Instead of providing training on how to do it, the association just did it for them. That may seem fine on the surface. That may work for a time. However, it is not profitable for future ministry. Here is what I mean. In the event the association was no longer able to sponsor this type of ministry, the local church had not been equipped and empowered to do it. I witnessed this same practice in the area of youth ministry. Instead of bringing in training and empowering the church, the association just did the ministry. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “Is the local Baptist association capable of performing ministry for the church instead of strengthening the church for ministry and hope to remain needed? This is the challenge of priority. Here is the struggle as I see it. Can the association do ministry, of course. But, the association has the responsibility to first assist and equip the local church to better conduct ministry.

Challenge #4: The local Baptist association faces financial challenges as their sole source of support is the local church.

Associations have budgets. These budgets are met by contributions from the local churches that cooperate in the association. Each church determines how much money is forwarded to the associational level. This amount usually either a percentage or a specific amount. The challenge for the association is to encourage and persuade the local church to give in a consistent manner.  There are times that the vision and priority of the local church and church pastor do not match up with the vision and priority of the associational leadership. Southern Baptist churches have a desire to cooperate. It is in the very DNA of the church to do this. It is not always easy for the local church to support everything the association does and plans to do. There are times when differing visions of purpose strain the cooperation between the church and association. Churches want to see the funds used in a meaningful way. Churches want to see real life-changing ministry taking place. As a pastor, I have to answer a question much like this one, “Am I able to stand before my congregation and assure them that the money that is sacrificially given to the Baptist association is being used for the furtherance of the gospel?” This is the challenge of accountability. Right or wrong, when visions differ at the associational level, churches don’t give as much or they reduce their giving. This is challenging to the association because, again, their entire source of funding comes from the church. If the church decides to re-route their giving to what they deem as meaningful, the association still has a budget to meet and must make up the difference.

In my next post, I will share what I feel is the future of the association.

I am not a theologian. I don’t claim to be. I am not an excellent Greek or Hebrew scholar. I don’t claim to be. I am simply the pastor of a Southern Baptist church. I care deeply about the local church. I care about the people who make up the New Testament church today. Therefore I care about the things that affect the church that I pastor. The basis for this series of posts is to simply share my thoughts about the local Baptist association as I see it based on my personal experiences. I have been part of four associations (three in Florida and one now in South Carolina) and have served in leadership positions there. I will begin with the purpose of the association, move on to the challenges facing the association, and finish with the future of the association.

The reality of the local Baptist association is not foreign to Southern Baptists. In fact, the great majority of all Southern Baptist churches are members of a local Baptist association. This is their choice to make. When considering the purpose for the association, you may find many different viewpoints. For example, the members of the local church have their own thoughts as to why the association exists. These vary from congregation to congregation. The pastors of local churches have their own thoughts as to why the association exists. These thoughts vary from pastor to pastor. The leadership of the association has their own thoughts as to why the association exists. These views vary from association to association. The state conventions have their own thoughts as to why the association exists. Again, these thoughts differ from state to state. In order to find some kind of cohesive purpose for the local Baptist association, we must take a look at what this purpose has been historically.

Next to the local church, the Baptist association is the oldest unit of Baptist life. The Baptist association had its’ beginning in the United States in 1707 with the formation of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. From its’ beginning the association has served at least three fundamental purposes. Although there may be other purposes that have emerged over the years, there seems to be three at the center. Those three are fellowship, missions/evangelism, and doctrinal integrity.

1. Fellowship: In those early colonial days in the Philadelphia Baptist Association, the local Baptist churches struggled with their own individuality. These churches were weak financially and in weak in terms of resource. They were isolated from each other by distance. This led to a solitary existence. Churches were also very fragile due to all the circumstances occurring in colonial America just prior to the birth of a new nation.  Churches were few, small, and in need of mutual support. The Baptist association gave these churches the opportunity to come together, work together, and be encouraged by one another. The association would also give credibility in their area by identifying them with other churches who were like-minded. This same thought of fellowship has continued and evolved through the years. Today, the association still offers this much-needed fellowship between like-minded churches. The Baptist association offers churches the opportunity to come together under the same banner and fellowship together and be strengthened by each other. Under the umbrella of fellowship is that of churches helping each other. Dr. Jimmy Draper, past president of Lifeway Christian Resources made the following statement about this fellowship and cooperation, “It is the essence of our faith that the stronger help the weaker, that the greater help the lesser, that the larger help the smaller. In that sense we need to heed the Lord Who served with a towel in His hand.” Dr. Richard Harris, Director of Missions for the Santee Baptist Association in Sumter, South Carolina wrote, “There is a need for fellowship. None of the things listed above [accountability, encouragement, counsel, support] can happen if we remain isolated and separated from one another. We can be a mighty force and army for God, or we can go our separate ways, be disjointed and ineffective, weak, and powerless.”

2. Missions/Evangelism: Across Southern Baptist life there is a statement that we all know very well, “we can do more together than we can do by ourselves”. It is this thought that leads us to cooperate together and work together for our common faith. Historically, the association has been involved in mobilizing the local churches to be involved in mission work, church planting, and reaching beyond themselves. Again Dr. Draper writes, “In the latter half of the first century of the Philadelphia association, that entity turned from inward matters to outward matters of religious liberty and ministerial education. As the churches standardized their own internal life, the inevitable role of the association was to help them look out beyond themselves to the emerging world in Colonial America.”  Dr. Harris again wrote, “There is a need to be involved in a purpose greater than oneself. To avoid growing introverted, selfish, and ineffective, churches need exposure to ideas, methods, and opportunities for kingdom growth beyond their own church family.”

3. Doctrinal Integrity and Accountability: I believe in doctrinal integrity and accountability. I believe that all churches who choose to cooperate together in an association of churches should have certain agreed upon doctrinal positions and commit to hold to them. This is the reason for the Baptist Faith and Message. The BFM is our statement of faith as Southern Baptists that provides a comprehensive outline as to where we stand biblically on important doctrinal positions. Local churches “join” a Baptist association based on the promise to cooperate together and uphold those agreed upon biblical positions (BFM for example). Through the membership at the associational level, the church affiliates with the state and national convention. So, there is a sense that the Baptist association exists for this purpose doctrinal accountability. Dr. John Sullivan, Executive Director of the Florida Baptist Convention wrote, “The association is the theological watchdog of Southern Baptists”.  Dr. Harris wrote, “There is a need for accountability. Pressures from the culture, changes in current thinking, challenges from within church membership can cause compromised beliefs to become accepted. Knowing that there are standards for common beliefs and practices help keep the stresses of the moment from misguiding the church.” The Baptist association historically has been on the “front line” of doctrinal accountability, as seen in Dr. Draper’s statement, “But those earliest churches needed one another in other ways. In the absence of any seminaries, national or local denomination, in the pristine days of the emergence of our nation, they needed help with everything. The minutes of the Philadelphia Association reveal constant questions about baptismal doctrine, ordination, church disputes and other theological issues. The first Baptist association in America was a clearing-house of information on church polity and doctrine. The fellowship of an association is grounded in the unity of faith and practice. Each association may differ from others in particular doctrinal matters that are important to their fellowship and the amount of diversity tolerated on those issues. However, the association is, by its nature, a doctrinally based fellowship.”