“The Challenge Of Cooperating Churches”

I have given the association five challenges for our 07-08 year. We have begun to address several of those through training sessions, conferences and various committees. I would like to journey with you this month around the challenge of being a church that is engaged in missions, outreach, and spiritual development and yet stays connected to other churches to work together to achieve Kingdom goals.

The first evidence of this cooperative spirit was found two hundred years ago, in the formation of local associations of individual Baptist Churches coming together and working toward common goals of mission and evangelism.  What they discovered was a revelation, I believe, sent to them by God.  Out of that fledgling beginning, a new

vision, spirit and harmony was born that would propel Southern Baptists to become the largest Protestant body in the world with the greatest missionary effort being made in the history of the modern church.  The Cooperative Program, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and Annie Armstrong Easter Offering were born, which today raises millions of dollars to support the cause of reaching a lost world with the Gospel.

It is important to note that prior to this, individual churches supported individual missionaries and some were

successful, most were not, and many missionaries labored under great hardship and constant challenges to their health, the education of their children and the disaster of emergencies. By local churches coming together, many of these problems were solved and thousands of missionaries gave their full ministry careers to a field of service. It is even more important to note that no local congregation gave up its autonomy or freedom of choice to achieve

Kingdom Work.

There is an increasing movement among Baptists today to return to hands on, local support of missionaries, and much can be said about the impact on the local church by personal missions contact and experience.  I have done this myself on thirteen occasions.  I am a strong advocate of sending our people on mission and having them come home and tell the story.  Also I believe God lays certain areas of missions on individual and congregational hearts.  Most of you know there is a special place in my heart for South Africa.

I would like to advocate not for one way of doing missions as opposed to the other, but for both.    I would strongly suggest we should NOT cut our cooperative giving through Associations and Conventions in order to support an

individual cause of mission or effort, but rise to the challenge of increasing our mission giving to do all God has given us opportunity to join Him in doing.

Cooperative giving, I also believe, involves cooperative fellowship. There is a trend for Pastors and Churches to drift away from one another and to see themselves as not needing each other. The genius of Baptist life is we can have the best of both worlds – The freedom to function and worship as individual congregations and the strength and support of each other.  I sometimes consider our brothers who are in the “Independent Church” movement.  Make no

mistake; I respect their right to fulfill their calling as the Lord has given it to them.  I attempt to work with them whenever and wherever I can to accomplish something for the Lord and His Kingdom. But never let it be said that Cooperating Baptists are not free to do their own choosing! 

For two hundred years we have chosen to do missions together.  Our greatest testimonies are when we are together and the Lord is glorified.  Our saddest days are when we pull apart and do not support or work together for the Lord.  This is not the time to be moving away from each other.  The fields are whiter than ever, and the challenges are greater than ever.  In a spirit of love, respect and unity we need to be moving closer together more than ever before in our history as a people of God.

Blessings.

Dennis

Current UBA Office