Paul Fulton’s letter (May 13) raises a critical question concerning the role and validity of the local Baptist association. As an associational missionary, or director of missions, I would like to respond.
First, his question concerning the role of local associations in relationship to several “unaffiliated” new churches is a valid question. Local associations are autonomous bodies and can admit or reject member churches for any reason. Most of the time the reasons are related to doctrinal issues. It has been the traditional role of the local association to examine a prospective church to determine if it is indeed doctrinally correct by New Testament standards.
However, sometimes methodology or polity become the issue, and some new church starts are rejected because they are considered too far out of line with traditional Baptist methods or polity to have “fellowship” with member churches.
In my 20 years in associational ministry, I have most often seen that a new church considering membership in the association will get wind of the controversy their application has caused and will simply withdraw quietly, not wishing to create conflict or experience any attempt at control or change in methods the association may seek to require for membership.
Most of the new or so-called “contemporary” churches that have not affiliated with a local association have other groups they affiliate or fellowship with that have similar vision, polity and methodology as themselves. Thus they find the fellowship, support and Great Commission collaboration that traditionally have been the role of the local Baptist association in other groups outside the traditional SBC channels, while maintaining a tacit connection with the SBC through a small contribution to the Cooperative Program. Much of what these new churches are doing is designed to reach a postmodern generation, and they represent the future church in North America. Wise associations will find ways to overcome these structural and traditional barriers to fellowship, support and Great Commission collaboration.
This brings me to Brother Fulton’s other question concerning the validity of the local Baptist association. First, let me say that there will always be associations of Baptist churches! As I alluded to above, Baptist churches will always find other churches to associate with for fellowship, support and Great Commission collaboration. They may not look or act like our established Baptist associations – they may be loose confederations of like-minded churches with very little organizational structure – but they will exist. In fact, considering the cataclysmic culture shift we are experiencing, the reorganization of the Southern Baptist denomination is probably inevitable, and that will include local associations.
I am convinced that those associations willing to be reshaped will survive and thrive. Why? Because the local association is the foundational structure for Great Commission collaboration in the Southern Baptist denomination. It is the only mission organization in the SBC that reaches all four of the elements of the Great Commission. Most SBC churches can reach their Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth through a ministry of their local association. (My association has numerous local outreach ministries for York County, the state of South Carolina, Pennsylvania and other mission states, as well as Turkey, Romania and other countries.)
It is the close proximity of Baptist churches to one another that sparks Great Commission collaboration. It was out of a gathering of Baptist associations that the first state conventions were formed, and as the SBC becomes leaner and more streamlined it will be the local association that is best positioned to address the missional need in North America. Even now, most North American Mission endeavors and church planting are driven by the local association (as well as 99 percent of all church strengthening and support for established traditional churches).
With all the focus on the Cooperative Program, the Great Commission work of the local Baptist association is often overlooked, but I believe when average Southern Baptists examine all their association is involved with, they will discover that the local Baptist association is the best kept secret in Southern Baptist life! When that happens, the Southern Baptist Convention will be healthier for it.
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