During an online video call, a pastor candidate asked a church search team a question they did not expect.
“Tell me about your association? What type of association is it? Does your association help your church reach its full Kingdom potential?”
No one knew the answer. They had not thought their association would be a consideration of a pastor prospect. However, they discovered it was important to this candidate.
The call was in preparation for an upcoming face-to-face meeting. He asked them to find out what they could about their association and share their results with him when they met.
He already knew a partial answer. He and their associational mission strategist had talked. He discovered the church was not very involved in the association. The pastor candidate told the AMS he was going to ask them to talk with him.
What type of association did they discover?
An associational typology
In the case of associations, a typology is a classification of an association according to various criteria. The criteria used for this typology is the capacity and readiness of an association to serve a family of congregations on mission to fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandments.
How well is the association doing this? To what extent does it have a clear vision about helping congregations achieve their full Kingdom potential? Is the family of congregations making progress? Do the congregations feel their associational relationship is making a positive difference in their ability to thrive in response to God’s leadership?
Over the next seven columns — beginning with this one — I will address this issue. I will describe each of the five types of associations. Finally, I will describe steps that associations can take to be more effective based on the typology.
The five types
As I describe the five types of associations, please be aware of two things.
First, the titles for these five types are the same titles used in my congregational segmentation. I choose to use parallel language.
Second, every association wants to have a pleasant and positive title that describes their association. That is not always possible. It is difficult to move forward without clearly defining reality. That often means we must hear tough words.
A soaring association is exceptional in its understanding of its mission and vision as a family of congregations. The churches are the association. Continual innovation is a hallmark as the association helps congregations to soar with faith.
A strong association has praiseworthy clarity about its mission and vision. It works hard for congregations to see the association as a family of congregations. Unrealized potential exists regarding the gospel impact of this family of congregations.
A stumbling association is cautious. It lacks mission and vision clarity. It asks congregations to support the associational organization and its projects. The congregations want to know more about how their association adds value to their ministry.
A struggling association is overwhelmed by their past-to-present culture with an internal focus on making tomorrow a return of yesterday. Financial resources provided by the congregations may be plateaued or declining.
A spiritless association is a group of primarily unexceptional congregations that are so culturally bound that they cannot see the new thing God might be doing. It is primarily the codependent congregations and pastors that proactively seek out the association.
Let’s talk!
Do you want to know more about this typology and how to serve as a soaring association? Do you want to affirm or challenge this typology? Do you want to discover helpful approaches for each type?
Several times this summer, I will offer an online video dialogue about this typology. Everyone who sends me their email address will receive the link to attend and ask questions. Each person will receive a link to the recording of these sessions.
I want to learn from you. It is a two-way street. I already have feedback from a gathering of associational leaders in one state convention.
These video conferences and the recordings are free. I only ask you to complete brief feedback forms I send you so I can improve the typology and make it helpful to all associations. I invite associational leaders to collaborate with me.
My email is BullardJournal@gmail.com.
This is a free service to you from The Baptist Paper.
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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