Leading a Baptist Association in God’s changing world
Used with permission
No organization goes beyond its leadership and a house built on sand will fall. Building on human skills is like creating a home of walls without a foundation. An effective leader must ask what and why about the organization before how. One who leads a portion of the body of Christ should understand what the Word says about the family of God in order to guide them in the way. Church is God’s family to redeem his world, not a business for profit nor an organization for power.
How do you use a saw if you think it is a hammer? That workman who does not recognize he is tool cannot do the job and will destroy the tool. An association is not a church but it is of the church. It exists to help us churches. Unless the leader understands the true nature of the Association he will fail as a leader regardless of the organizational procedures used. Unless built on a rock, the house will fall.
Composed of churches an Association has as its model the family, not business or just organization. What is an association? It is a voluntary fellowship of congregations. Why is the Association? It exists to unify the congregations of believers in God the father of Jesus Christ who is creator and redeemer. Therefore, the task of the Association is to be making things new and to redeem her churches - to help them fulfill their calling. Because the kingdom of God is at hand our Lord does not say “remove not the old landmarks” but “be repenting”, that is, be changing because God’s world is always changing. Our faith is built on the Solid Rock but we cannot do what we did yesterday and serve Him today for He is making all things new. God does not change but his world does and those who live in his world must change with it. For example, an airplane going from New York to Los Angeles must change course frequently to deal with changing turbulence, finish the flight and reach its destination.
The Association is the Baptist response to Paul’s explanation of the church in his letter to the Ephesians. That is the “what” and our Lord’s commission is the “why”. The leader must unify the churches as family to do their work of ministry. His “how” is to enable the family to be redemptive of their changing environment, not to just do what they’ve always done, because their world is not what it was. The leader of an association must recognize that he is not the pastor of a church but leading a fellowship of churches designed to edify one another unto good works. He must cultivate the family of God, not run a business of the world. If he doesn’t first recognize the tool with which he has been entrusted he will misuse it regardless of training in leadership skills and organization. The house must have a good foundation for the scaffolding of the walls to survive.
F. Russell Bennett, Emeritus Executive Director, Long Run Baptist Association 10/22/16
How do you use a saw if you think it is a hammer? That workman who does not recognize he is tool cannot do the job and will destroy the tool. An association is not a church but it is of the church. It exists to help us churches. Unless the leader understands the true nature of the Association he will fail as a leader regardless of the organizational procedures used. Unless built on a rock, the house will fall.
Composed of churches an Association has as its model the family, not business or just organization. What is an association? It is a voluntary fellowship of congregations. Why is the Association? It exists to unify the congregations of believers in God the father of Jesus Christ who is creator and redeemer. Therefore, the task of the Association is to be making things new and to redeem her churches - to help them fulfill their calling. Because the kingdom of God is at hand our Lord does not say “remove not the old landmarks” but “be repenting”, that is, be changing because God’s world is always changing. Our faith is built on the Solid Rock but we cannot do what we did yesterday and serve Him today for He is making all things new. God does not change but his world does and those who live in his world must change with it. For example, an airplane going from New York to Los Angeles must change course frequently to deal with changing turbulence, finish the flight and reach its destination.
The Association is the Baptist response to Paul’s explanation of the church in his letter to the Ephesians. That is the “what” and our Lord’s commission is the “why”. The leader must unify the churches as family to do their work of ministry. His “how” is to enable the family to be redemptive of their changing environment, not to just do what they’ve always done, because their world is not what it was. The leader of an association must recognize that he is not the pastor of a church but leading a fellowship of churches designed to edify one another unto good works. He must cultivate the family of God, not run a business of the world. If he doesn’t first recognize the tool with which he has been entrusted he will misuse it regardless of training in leadership skills and organization. The house must have a good foundation for the scaffolding of the walls to survive.
F. Russell Bennett, Emeritus Executive Director, Long Run Baptist Association 10/22/16
