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.
The clue about high expectations
During my years consulting with congregations and denominations throughout North America, I discovered that expectations are the clue. Vitality, vibrancy and vision fulfillment happen because congregations, associations and other denominational organizations have high Kingdom expectations of one another.
Once associations are well grounded in their understanding of God’s mission, then they need a God-given vision for their spiritual journey.
Resourcing this vision, living into this vision and fulfilling this vision require high expectations of success, significance and surrender regarding a long-term associational journey. It will require high expectations of prophetic missional ministry by every congregation.
It requires every possible congregation to realize the Kingdom impact of the full family of congregations. It is greater than the sum of the impact by the individual congregations. The synergy of efforts is real.
It involves every congregation celebrating the Kingdom advancement of every other congregation. Every congregation is absorbed in understanding God’s unique vision for them that results in local and global missional engagement.
Which are high expectation associations?
High expectation associations start with their context. They feel a deep sense of Great Commission and great commandment responsibility for their Jerusalem, but not to the exclusion of Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world.
They expect their family of congregations to be more concerned about Kingdom growth than church growth. They want every congregation to be on mission and to experience spiritual vitality and vibrancy.
The focus is on growing people as disciples and focusing on the mission field locally, regionally, nationally and globally.
They want every person, family, household, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class and lifestyle group in their associational fellowship area to know Jesus as their personal Savior. They want them to have a congregation through which they can grow in God’s grace.
The family of congregations develops a God-inspired strategy to reach their Jerusalem. Member congregations are asked and offered assistance to develop the capacities needed to engage their context missionally.
Congregations should be encouraged to adopt a geographical missions field or a people group within their associational fellowship area.
Is this a tough challenge? Yes. Is it possible with God’s leadership and a Kingdom growth mindset? Absolutely!
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?
EDITOR’S NOTE — George Bullard spent 45 years in denominational ministry. He served on the staff of three associations, was a key staff person working with associations in two state conventions and served on the association missions division staff of the former Home Mission Board of the SBC. He retired in June 2022 as director of Columbia Metro Baptist Association in South Carolina. He has led strategic planning processes in more than 100 associations and has written extensively in this area. Bullard now serves as a strategic thinking mentor for Christian leaders through his ForthTelling Innovation ministry and a correspondent for The Baptist Paper.
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