November 8, 2025
On a recent Friday night, I was invited to bring a message of encouragement to an associational gathering of some of our finest pastors and their spouses. While it would seem odd for any of those pastors to get together to show appreciation for themselves, it was completely appropriate for their local Baptist association to plan and execute this gathering.
We enjoyed a good meal, prayed for one another, took a group picture, gave away gifts to those in attendance, and laughed like teenagers. It was fun and it was good for our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Friendships were strengthened, and leaders were encouraged. Local associations of Baptist churches are well placed for events like this one and so much more.
Baptist associations started in Georgia in 1784 with the founding of Georgia Baptist Association. Other associations soon followed and eventually, in 1822, the Georgia Baptist Convention was formed. Today, Georgia has 84 local Baptist associations, which were created to help churches do together what they would be unable to do alone.
Why is it important for Baptists to continue to work together through local associations?
1. It glorifies God: Jesus prayed for us in John 17:21, “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” When sister churches work together in the context of a local association for gospel-advancing purposes, God is honored and glorified.
2. It has a return on investment: “Better Together” is not just a tagline, it is a biblical value. Ecclesiastes 4:9 reminds us, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” When a network of sister churches cooperates to plant churches, reach the community and serve their neighbors, then we get more bang for our buck.
3. It increases our joy: People who serve together in ministry—whether on a mission trip, a disaster response, building a wheelchair ramp, or any number of things—often form deep and lasting friendships. It is a great joy to work with God’s people in advancing the Great Commission. Baptist associations are ideally suited to be catalytic leaders in this type of work.
4. It encourages other believers: I attended an association annual meeting recently and saw followers of Jesus from multiple generations and various sized local churches spending time together in an encouraging atmosphere. These leaders and church members were not isolated in a group with their own church members, but were together in conversation and a good meal. These settings get us out of our own local church and help us see what God is doing in other places.
5. It stewards our resources: The guiding purpose of Baptist cooperation, and the underlying purpose of Baptist associations, is that we can do together what one church may not be able to do alone. When sister churches strategize together, pray together and labor together for the gospel, we are making the best use of limited resources to spread the gospel.
6. It communicates a message: When sister churches and their leaders partner to impact a county or community, or to help a struggling sister church, or to provide a needed service for a community, or to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit for revival — we are demonstrating that we are not in competition with each other, but instead we are in cooperation with each other for the glory of God and the good of people.
7. It addresses the world’s greatest problem: Our International Mission Board President, Dr. Paul Chitwood, reminds us that the world’s greatest problem is not a health problem, or a political problem, or a financial problem, but a spiritual problem. The world’s greatest problem is lostness, and we have the solution to the world’s greatest problem. Sister churches are providentially poised by the gracious plan of our sovereign God to address the world’s greatest problem by organizing to impact their communities with the gospel.
Associational leaders, pastors, elders, deacons, and other lay leaders can take the lead to help us continue the original vision for Baptist associations, which is to work together to advance the gospel in our communities and around the world.
___
Todd Gray is executive director-treasurer of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. This commentary first appeared in Kentucky Today. This column was modified to reflect Georgia associations.
Share with others
