7 Things Baptist Associations MUST Do to Revitalize

4). Be the ‘bad cop’ to the pastor’s ‘good cop’ for revitalization. The reason most churches don’t change is because change is incredibly hard, encountering stiff resistance from power brokers within a church. It is difficult for a pastor to lead difficult change and still be employed at the end. The Association can come in and assist the pastor, communicating hard truths that the pastor could not. Let the Association be the ‘bad cop,’ allowing the local pastor to be the ‘good cop.’

5. Conduct church funerals. Some churches refuse to change, and so they are on life support. When it’s needed, the Association must have the courage to pull the plug and allow a local church to die, freeing up property and resources to church plants looking for a home. The Association must be the one to assess when a local church is effectively dead and preside over its funeral.

6). Truly encourage pastors. This is the one most commonly associated with an Associational Missions Director, and this aspect can never change. AMDs need to encourage local pastors through meetings, one-on-one interactions, and facilitating networks of local pastors. Most local pastors don’t participate in Associational meetings because they don’t see it as worth their time. A good Association will find a way to make it worth their time.

7). See gaps in ministry and lead the charge. One of the greatest benefits of an Association is that it can see the big picture. Not constricted to a local congregation, the Association can look at an entire region and spot the gaps in ministry, whether it’s an ethnic group with no church representation or a neighborhood with no local church, the Association is the one to spot the gaps in ministry and then lead the charge to ensure that those gaps get filled.

Baptist Associations can be revitalized for the 21st century. They don’t have to continue their slide into irrelevance. But it will take change, and it cannot remain as a legacy post for someone needing a few more years of income before retirement.