A spiritless Baptist association is possible. In my opinion, a spiritless association emerges when an assortment of primarily uninspired congregations make up the majority of its membership.
These congregations are so culturally bound that they cannot see the new thing God is doing in their midst. More than 80% of these congregations are plateaued or declining.
Many are simply holding their own. Each year they do the same things they did the previous year, and a spiritually passionate movement for Church and Kingdom growth is missing.
RELATED: For more stories on the ministry impact of Baptist associations from George Bullard, click here.
The idea of the association as a family of congregations is an unknown concept. Many congregations do not see why they need an association. They like their associational missionary and are glad he can fill the pulpit from time to time. They enjoy a periodic inspirational gathering or joint project.
In a spiritless association, the number of financially contributing churches is decreasing. Only a few still seek out the association for ministry services. The rest are members in name only or out of tradition.
The resources are limited in a spiritless association. Therefore, congregations often choose to bypass the association and connect with their state convention or regional denominational office — or maybe even a field representative from the national level.
Like struggling associations, spiritless associations represent up to 25% of all associations.
What are key factors in the location or situation of these associations?
These associations are often located in rural and small-town areas, perhaps far from a major metropolitan area or isolated by geographic barriers such as mountains, rivers or lakes.
One characteristic is that two-thirds or more of the churches have fewer than 65 people in average worship attendance. The demographics of these churches are heavily weighted with empty nesters and older adult households.
Many times, families with children are focused on contemporary, multicampus or nondenominational churches. These multicampus and nondenominational churches may be negatively impacting the vitality and vibrancy of older congregations.
Some of these associations are located in state or regional conventions outside the states where Southern Baptists are the dominant Christian group. Their state or regional group never developed the finances, organization and resources needed to support congregations following major financial and other shifts that took place at the national level for Southern Baptists.
In these areas of the country, congregations are often too far away from one another to have the true fellowship characteristic of a family of congregations.
And in some cases, denominational rifts led to more customized forms of connections with some congregations still connecting through their association first and then on from there while others bypassed the association (and possibly state convention) and connected directly to a national entity or other group.
No matter what the reasoning, when the spirit of the association is diminished, it makes them more spiritless and uninspired.
Do spiritless associations have a future?
In my opinion, it is doubtful that spiritless associations have a future. In the economics of denominational life, several things shifted.
First, the financial support many of these associations once received from the national level is gone because of the strategy of the Great Commission Resurgence plan adopted by Southern Baptists in 2010. This financial support once allowed associations to have a full-time staff leader, but now field representatives from various entities provide ministry services once provided by associations.
Second, the financial supplement previously received from their state or regional convention may also be gone in locations where associations are being de-emphasized.
Third, there is an issue regarding where congregations get their resources in the 21st century. An extensive survey I conducted showed that 80% of the resources congregations utilize are coming from outside their denomination.
Choices for spiritless associations
One choice is to cease to exist or at least to no longer have a staff leader and office. The association could become an all-volunteer association for any essential services congregations desire.
A second choice is to relaunch. Just like congregations reach a point where they must replant or die, the same is true of associations.
Third, an association can merge with another association to provide essential resources, programs and ministry empowerment that the congregations desire from their association.
Let’s talk
I am continuing to host several free videoconferences into the fall. We dialogue about the associational typology of soaring, strong, stumbling, struggling and spiritless Baptist associations.
I ask you to complete brief feedback forms I send you so I can improve the typology and make it helpful to all associations.
To get the link to these videoconferences, send your request to BullardJournal@gmail.com.
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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