A Baptist Association Perspective on the Great Commission Resurgence
A Column in the Baptist Associations Series with Applications for all Local Denominational Organizations
(This column appears this week in the digital and print edition of The Baptist Paper. Access the column in the digital edition HERE. The Baptist Paper is a publication of TAB Media. Request a free trial HERE. See all TAB Media columns written by George Bullard HERE.)(Subscribe to this Substack Blog using the “Subscribe now” button below.)
A Baptist Association Perspective on the Great Commission Resurgence
By George Bullard
The Great Commission Resurgence Evaluation Task Force is currently studying the effectiveness of the resurgence. One lens they must use is the perspective of Baptist associations.
They should look at one strategic factor, one spiritual factor and one learning factor.
The strategic factor is collaboration. The work of the Holy Spirit is the spiritual factor. Capacity building is a learning process.
Collaboration Outshines Cooperation
Baptists talk about cooperation, especially when giving money through the denomination to national and world missions. The Cooperative Program continues as the primary missions-giving vehicle through which we support the Great Commission.
This funding stream’s title and other historic uses of the word “cooperation” imply that everyone is cooperating with everyone else. When this is the case, the use of this word is helpful and reassuring.
Yet the word “cooperation” sounds different when uttered by some regional and national leaders. Do they mean for everyone to cooperate with them?
Implied is that associations should cooperate with regional and national initiatives rather than every dimension mutually cooperating with one another.
If this is true, we need a fresh word to talk about our mutual Kingdom strategy. I offer the word “collaboration.”
In our denomination we must use all resources to catalyze a radical spiritual difference in the lives of people, using every church and all three dimensions of our denominational system to make this possible.
This means associations, state and regional conventions and the national and international agencies would be in full collaboration. They would be equal partners empowering God’s mission through churches.
(Continue reading HERE.)