Many associations within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) are facing a decline in support and growing doubts about their relevance and value to member churches. From 1993 to last year, there has been an 11.6% decline in the total number of associations affiliated with the SBC, dropping from 1,217 to 1,076.
The critical question all associations are facing is “why do we even need an association?”
Over the past two years, your Administrative Council made significant efforts to tackle this question in the Northshore. During a series of listening sessions conducted from January through May 2023, Northshore leaders gathered to help identify a new rationale (a compelling set of purposes) for working together. In effect, they said “this is the kind of church network that we want to be part of.”
What was the new rationale that emerged from those conversations? Together, we said that the Northshore Baptist Association should be a group of churches:
“Working together to fulfill the Great Commission in the Northshore and beyond by encouraging the spiritual vitality, ministry competencies, and the personal wellbeing of pastors; promoting church health through collaborative learning and best practices; and developing and communicating opportunities for cooperative ministry efforts.”
During our 2023 Annual Meeting, messengers adopted the new operating rationale and directed the
Administrative Council to “finalize a new organizational plan and documents for the Northshore churches during the July meeting of the Administrative Council. If approved, this will be submitted for adoption by the Executive Board (August 2024) and the annual meeting of the Northshore Baptist Association (October 2024).”
After the Annual Meeting, the Administrative Council created two workgroups that dedicated time to
exploring the most effective ways to implement various aspects of the rationale. They discussed ministry
plans, available resources, and hosted or sponsored multiple events. As a result of the hours they put into a workgroup strategy, the components of a new organizational design began to take shape.
We realized that a new “wineskin” for the Association should:
- leverage our people and financial resources to serve the priority ministries identified by the
Association; - avoid “busyness” by simplifying the administrative structure of the Association;
- maximize the best use of available volunteer hours by eliminating unnecessary meetings and
commitments; - increase the flow of communication of available resources and service opportunities across the
Association; and - create new pathways for more individuals and churches to become involved in the priority ministries
of the Association.
To this end, and as requested by the Association in their 2023 Annual Meeting, the Administrative Council is proposing the adoption of a preliminary Operations Manual and a 2025 Budget to launch and fund the new associational ministry model for the period October 7, 2024 through March 10, 2025.
Please note that:
the adoption of this proposal will temporarily suspend our current guiding documents in order to (1) allow
time to implement the new organization and (2) to re-write our Constitution, Membership Standards,
and Personnel Policies to align with the new Operations Manual;
the adoption of this proposal extends the term of service for the current leadership until the Nominating
Committee can provide a list of nominees for the positions described in the preliminary Operations
Manual; and
on March 10, 2025 the Association will hold its first Spring Semiannual Meeting and the Administrative
Council will propose a final set of guiding documents for adoption by the messengers.
This proposal will be explained further during our Executive Board meeting on August 6th. On October 7th it will be presented during our Annual Meeting for consideration by the messengers.
Let me offer one final observation concerning this proposal. We believe the functional role of any new
organization is to support the working of God in and through His people – in the same way that “new
wineskins” support the expansive power of “new wine” (Luke 5:37-38). This proposal is primarily about
the “wineskin” that is the Northshore Baptist Association – but what we most need is the “new wine” of
the presence and power of Jesus – directing and empowering His people as they move into His harvest
fields.
Please pray with me for His manifest and majestic Presence among us in the Northshore.
Don