Does Your Baptist Association Have High Expectations?
A perspective for local denominational organizations/judicatories on how they best empower their churches to serve from the base of their local context.
Synopsis: The is the seventh in a series of at least eight columns about various types of Baptist associations (with implications for local denominational organizations or judicatories in many denominations). A series of FREE video conferences are offered to support and dialogue about this typology.
To sign up, send a message to George Bullard sharing your desire to participate and provide your email.
Read the overview column on this associational typology HERE.
Read the columns on Soaring Associations, Strong Associations, Stumbling Associations, Struggling Associations, and Spiritless Associations by clicking on the titles/links.
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.
(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.)
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Does Your Baptist Association Have High Expectations?
What does it mean to be categorized as a soaring, strong, stumbling, struggling or spiritless association? Is your association stuck in a virtual escape room because of its assessment?
The challenge in learning about a typology of associations as shared in recent columns is that it may not raise hope about the future. It may lower hope. (See the series of columns here.)
If you are soaring, are you too proud and therefore about to lose your way? If spiritless, are you too embarrassed or depressed about your situation? If strong, are you angry, do you want a recount or would you willingly shift from a focus on church growth to Kingdom growth?
If struggling, are you looking for a quick fix or a long-term solution? If stumbling without a clear empowering vision, how do you plan to address this?
Do You Have a Clue or Are You Clueless?
Either way, I have a significant clue about your future. It has to do with expectations.
If your family of congregations has high expectations for one another, then you have the ability to soar with faith. If it has low expectations then you may always stumble, struggle or be spiritless.
High expectations are relevant to every context of associations. I believe our God wants nothing less. The content of high expectations must be worked out individually for each association.
A ministry colleague of mine often said, “Each associational situation is different.”
Your situation may have many common characteristics with other associations, but because of your context and family of congregations, you need to listen as God uniquely speaks into your specific situation.
God’s mission for every family of congregations is the same. God’s expectations for your particular family of congregations are emotionally and spiritually exciting.
(Continue reading HERE.)
Reflections from George:
How high are your association’s expectations? Are they high enough to make a Kingdom difference? Or are they so low that a long-term, high-expectation future for your association is doubtful?
I consider myself an “all-in” Christian. Anything worth doing for the Kingdom of God is worth everything we have to offer. Spiritual gifts. Life Skills. Personality preferences.
Now that I have completed posts on the five types of Baptist associations—Soaring, Strong, Stumbling, Struggling, and Spiritless—I unapologetically declare that only Soaring and Strong are acceptable. With Soaring being the ideal.
I am committed to help every association willing to do so, to take a spiritual and strategic journey toward serving as a high expectation association. The Kingdom of God deserves nothing less.
Let me hear from you if you want to talk about this.