WHAT IS A BAPTIST ASSOCIATION

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WHAT IS A BAPTIST ASSOCIATION?
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WHAT SOUTHERN BAPTIST ORGANIZATION?...

• Gets no money from the Cooperative Program
• Provides regular training programs for its local
  Churches
• Provides your Pastor a regular opportunity to
  work and fellowship with other Pastors
• Assists Church Planters in starting new churches
• Provides a forum for concerns of belief and
  practice
• Is distinctly local in its mission focus.

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• Your
• Baptist
• Association!

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ENGLISH BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS--1624
FUNCTIONS

• To Have Fellowship
• To Carry on Evangelistic Work
• To Meet the Needs of the Churches

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BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS IN AMERICA- 300 YEARS

• 1707 The Philadelphia Association became the
  first Baptist Association in the U.S.
• 1751 Charleston Baptist Association in South
  Carolina became the first Southern Baptist
  Association.
• 1842- The Florida Baptist Association was
  organized in the Tallahassee area.
• 1932- Pinellas County Baptist Association (now
  Suncoast) was organized.

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DID YOU KNOW?

• The Baptist Association was the first
  Denominational body outside the local Church.

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SOUTHERN BAPTIST TIMELINE

• 1682- The first Baptist church in the south was
  at FBC Charleston, SC.
• 1751- The first Southern Baptist Association was
  organized in Charleston, SC.
• 1821- The first State Convention in the south
  began in South Carolina.
• 1845- Southern Baptist Convention formed in
  Augusta, Georgia.

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MAJOR ROLES OF U.S. ASSOCIATIONS- 1700S

• Promote Fellowship among the Churches.
• Give Counsel Assistance to the churches.
• Maintained Uniformity in Polity and Belief.
• Coordinated Cooperative Mission Efforts.

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GROWTH OF S.B.C. ASSOCIATIONS IN U.S.

• 1760- 4 Associations
• 1770- 7 Associations
• 1780- 13 Associations
• 1800- 48 Associations
• 1814- 125 Associations
• TODAY- More than 1,200

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ROLE OF ASSOCIATIONS IN THE EARLY 1800S

• Providing an organization through which Churches
  could cooperate in Missions, Education and other
  endeavors.
• Prime Movers in Promoting Sunday School.

• Before State Conventions and the National
  Convention, the
  Associations carried the entire load of Outreach,
  Missions, and Ministries among Baptists
  beyond the Local Church.
  
  
• (1st South Carolina State Convention in 1821)

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CHANGING ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATION

• From 1935 to 1960 the role of the Association was
  to represent the Denominations programs to the
  churches.
• From 1960 to 1974 as individual Associations
  began to grow in strength and employ staff to
  lead them, the generalized Denominational
  Promoter role began to shift to a more
  self-determining local mission strategy.
• Since 1974 the Association has become more and
  more a full partner in Baptist life.

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CHANGING ROLE OF THE ASSOCIATION

• 1963-1989 Several National Convocations on
  Associational Missions were held in an attempt to
  further clarify the role of the Baptist
  Association.
• A new philosophy developed that included such
  phrases as
  
  (a) separate, yet inter-related
  organization
• (b) fellowship of churches, not promoter of
  programs
• (c) develop a comprehensive mission strategy
  for its area.

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SHIFTING ROLES OF ASSOCIATIONS

• 1940S Starting New Missions and Churches and
  Promoting Baptist Work.
• 1950S Enlisting Churches for Denominational
  Programs.
• 1963 Meeting the Needs of Churches.
• 1974 Building a meaningful Mission Strategy
  to Win Our Nation to Christ, and began to
  emphasize Missions as an Associational
  function.

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J. N. BARNETTE

• No other Denominational Agency has an equal
  chance with the District Association in bringing
  the majority of the Churches up to the high
  standard which some of them have reached. It is
  the most extra-church organization Baptists have.
  More good can be done to a larger number of
  Churches... Through the right kind of
  Associational work than through any other Agency
  that Baptists have.

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RUSSELL BENNETT

• The Association is not a society to serve the
  churches but a fellowship through which the
  churches, in the spirit of Christ, serve one
  another.

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SBC STATEMENT ON ASSOCIATIONS IN 1976

• The Association should be broadened and
  strengthened as a Missionary Organization.
  It should understand that its churches
  are on mission for Christ. Its chief service to
  the Churches and the Denomination is as
  Coordinator of the Local Missions and Outreach of
  the Churches.

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NORTH AMERICAN MISSION BOARD BROCHURE- 2002

• The Baptist Association is...
• a Self-Governing Fellowship of Churches on
  Mission.

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THE EMERGING ASSOCIATION-Associational
Think-Tank 1996, NAMB

• Is Theologically Historically based.
• Is Purpose-Driven
• Is Contextually Relevant
• Is Congregationally Focused and Service Oriented.
  
• Is Uniquely Positioned in the Denomination/nearest
  the Churches.

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THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

• It assists Churches to fulfill their mission
  encourages and provides leadership for mission
  projects beyond the local Church and serves as a
  venue for doctrinal integrity. Baptist
  Associations lead Churches to work together and
  to accomplish more for the Kingdom of God than
  any one church can do individually. Ed
  Gilman- 1999

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GEORGE BULLARDKINSHIP

• Relationship of a National Denominational
  Identity (42,000 churched)- ACQUAINTANCE.
• Relationship of a Regional Perspective (1,500
  churches)- FRIEND.
• Relationship of an Association
  (30 TO 90 churches)- FAMILY .

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J.C. BRADLEY 10 Ways the Association assists the
churches

• By providing a mutually supportive fellowship of
  churches
• By encouraging agreement on doctrinal and
  practical issues that are basic to fellowship and
  consistent with mission
• By encouraging a commitment to mission, both as
  individual churches as churches together
• By helping each church fulfill its mission
• By extending the work of the churches through
  cooperative activities

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J.C. BRADLEY 10 Ways the Association assists the
churches

• By facilitating communications between the
  churches and the conventions- state national
• By providing a basis for mission strategy for the
  Associational territory
• By providing a channel of missions and other
  services for church members as church groups or
  individual Christians
• By providing a voice or representation to other
  denominations and to the social, educational,
  economic and political structure of the
  communities
• By supporting the pastors and other staff members.

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SOUTHERN BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS TODAY

• 58- have 29 or less churches
• 38- have 30 to 74 churches
• 4- have 75 and more churches
• 65- are rural
• 25- are metropolitan
• 10- are megapolitan (more than 1 million)

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ALLEN GRAVES

• The Church cannot be the church, in the full
  sense of being and doing all that Christ
  intended, without involving itself along with
  other Christians who share a common faith and
  perspective.

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WALTER SHURDEN

• As long as Associations think globally and act
  locally, they are not rigid, tradition-ridden,
  passive bodies. Rather, they are flexible, fluid
  and responsive to the leadership of the Spirit of
  God..... The general purpose of Associational
  ministry is clearly established in Associational
  history. The specific ways in which an individual
  Association achieves that purpose are left open
  to its own creativity and courage.
  Associational Bulletin, 1983

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FOR FURTHER STUDY

• Our Baptist Story- Pope Duncan, 1958
• The Fellowship of Kindred Minds- Russell
  Bennett, 1974
• The Baptist Association- EC Watson, 1975
• Principles of Administration for A Baptist
  Association- Allen W. Graves, 1978
• A Baptist Association Churches On Mission
  Together- JC Bradley, 1984

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SUNCOAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION MUST HAVE

• 1- Passion for the Kingdom.
  God is
  working, we must join Him.
• 2- Prayer for Empowerment.
  We must have
  the power of God to accomplish His agenda.
• 3- Partnership Among its Churches.
  Together we can do
  much more than anyone alone.
• 4- Provision for a Team-based Organization.
  People on teams are motivated
  because they are serving in the area of their
  passion.

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SUNCOAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION MUST HAVE

• 5- Partnerships with Outside Groups.
  Our
  state and national conventions are ministry
  partners.
• 6- Planting Churches as a Priority.
  New churches tend to
  reach the unchurched more effectively.
  
• 7- Positioned itself in a Servant Role.
  It must maintain
  regular, intimate contact with its churches.
  
• 8- Promote Cooperative Mission Ministry
  Efforts. It must emphasize local and
  global evangelism.
  
  
  
  

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SUNCOAST BAPTIST
ASSOCIATION- 1978

• Encourage Christian Fellowship
• Provide Leadership Training
• Inspire Doctrinal Harmony
• Encourage the Planting of New Churches
• Promote Mission Concerns Ministries

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SUNCOAST BAPTIST
ASSOCIATION- 2007

• Serve and Strengthen Existing Churches,
• Start New Congregations,
• Stimulate Cooperative Mission/Ministry,
• Support Pastoral Leadership.

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What does the 2,000 Suncoast Baptist context look
like?

• Over one million total population (1,056,908).
• Most densely populated area in Florida. (3,208
  per sq mile)
• Anglo 84.5, Afr Amr 8, Hispanic 4.5, Asian
  2, Others 1 (only 20 native Floridians, 80
  from elsewhere)
• On any given Sunday, only 25 attend church
• That means that over 750,000 people are
  unchurched.
• Anglo population is only one church for 20,287
  people. (state average 1
  per 7,200)
• 2nd in Florida for number of multi-housing units
  (Pinellas County is 51
  apartments, condos, mobile homes).
• Almost 80 of SBA churches are plateaued or
  declining.

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SUNCOAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION- MISSION
Suncoast Baptist Association is a family of New
Testament churches, partnering together, to
fulfill the Great Commission both locally and
globally.
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SUNCOAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION- CORE VALUES
Serving Suncoast churches, under the Lordship of
Jesus Christ, with integrity, relevance,
excellence, and innovation building strong
relationships as we partner together to reach our
communities for Christ.
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SUNCOAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION- VISION
To join God and each other
in the making of new
disciples
and the
multiplication of new churches
for His Kingdom,

until every person on the
Florida Suncoast
has had the opportunity to hear and
respond
to the life-changing gospel of Jesus
Christ.
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SUNCOAST BAPTIST ASSOCIATION- STAFF

• ASSOCIATIONAL DIRECTOR- Ed Gilman
• CHURCH PLANTER STRATEGIST- Lewis McMullen
• ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT- Ron Chin Sue
• STRATEGIST ASSISTANT- Nancy Kline
• BOOKKEEPER- Kitty Green
• MINISTER TO PASTORS- Don Ralston
• RESOURCE CENTER DIRECTOR- Emily Allen