Associations Should Broker Regional Ministry Resources
A perspective for local denominational organizations/judicatories on how they best empower their churches to serve from the base of their local context.
Synopsis: Churches are the foundational building block for Christian ministry. Everything else should complement and support church ministry, says George Bullard, who has spent 45 years in denominational ministry.
Rundown: Articles on Baptist associations are often applicable to the local denominational organizations/judicatories of various denominations. They may be called associations, districts, classis, synods, and by other names. They are typically organisms more than organizations. Relational more than functional. Regional and national expressions of denominations are more organizational and functional.
GBJ Blog Post 109 includes—a Column, personal Reflections from George, and questions for your Reaction.
(This column appears this week in the digital and print edition of The Baptist Paper. Access the column in the digital edition HERE. The Baptist Paper is a publication of TAB Media. Request a free trial HERE. See all TAB Media columns written by George Bullard HERE.) (Subscribe to this Substack Blog using the “Subscribe now” button below.)
Associations Should Broker Regional Ministry Resources
I once recommended to a Baptist state convention (like a regional denominaitonal organization/judicatory) that the financial support they send to ministry organizations such as colleges and universities, retirement homes, children ministries and news journals be disrupted.
Instead of financial support for the core programs of ministry organizations, funds should go to efforts by these organizations that directly empower churches.
Churches are the foundational building block for Christian ministry. Everything else should complement and support church ministry.
The leaders of the ministry organizations were not happy with my recommendation. It was too radical. It never happened. But it should have.
Think about it. Ministry organizations of Baptist state conventions typically have a staff person focused on relationships with churches. Too often these people are housed in the financial development office.
The ministry wants more resources from churches. They want more than money. They want volunteers to serve as board members, physical work crews and spiritual mentors for people served by their organization.
Why? Because the focus of ministry organizations is on what churches can do for the ministries rather than on what these ministries can do for churches.
I contend that associations can play an important role in brokering the resources of ministry organizations to empower churches. When empowered, these churches often return the favor in ways not known until the benefits of the ministry are understood.
(Continue reading HERE.)
Reflections from George:
Do denominations serve churches or do churches serve denominations?
This is a relevant question regardless of whether denominations have a congregational polity or a denominational connectional approach to core functions.
Structurally denominations can be either. While at the same time realizing denominations exist to add value to the glocal (global and local simultaneously) mission of the people/congregations who form the churches of the denomination.
The motto I used for years is—Real Denominations Serve Congregations.
Meaning—real denominations add value to the glocal mission of congregations gathered in local churches.
That is why denominations form programs, processes, projects in and through organizations and institutions who carry them out. But never should the success of the organizations and institutions be the goal.
The goal is to empower, increase, broaden, and amplify the capacity and sustainability of programs, processes, and projects to expand and extend the ministry of churches.
As exceptional programs, processes, and projects develop, a major part of their focus should be to enhance the ministry of churches.
These organizations and institutions enhance the ministry of churches rather than churches existing to enhance the ministry of the organizations and institutions.
When organizations and institutions do not enhance the ministry of congregations, these entities drift away from the denominational movement that founded them. They no longer understand the churches whose wider mission they supposedly serve.
The organizations and institutions gain an independent life of their own and believe they are to be served. They leave their denomination because the denomination pushes them out. Or to survive by reaching a broader audience. Or they to raise funds from a larger donor base.
I realize my perspective is a radical departure for many denominations. Yet it is just the kind of radical approach needed to reboot the depth and breadth of ministry of Christianity.
I also admit it is not very likely to happen in a majority of denominational families as we have entered a post-denominational era.
Reactions:
You are invited to share some reactions (comments) to this article and my reflections. Here are three questions to guide your reaction:
Should associations or other local denominational organizations/judicatories be the primary brokers of regional ministry resources?
If so, how is this happening in your denomination?
If not, what is your alternative?
I did not know that the SBC was a denomination. I thought that the SBC was a convention of churches.