Dual—and sometimes dueling—state conventions often present a challenge for associations of churches.
In keeping with Baptist polity, associations are autonomous, stand-alone organizations, just as Baptist churches and state and national conventions are. But in practice, associations have maintained close ties to state conventions—often sharing funding and even staff positions.
Until recently, the Baptist General Convention of Texas's Executive Board based its members on representation from associations. The Baptist General Association of Virginia's Mission Board still does, and associations actually nominate the representative. It's not unusual for the average church member to regard—albeit inaccurately—the association as a local chapter of the state convention.
So, when Baptists in a state form a second convention, associations find themselves walking a fine line—especially when significant numbers of their churches affiliate with the new convention.
In the past five years, conservatives in Texas and Virginia have organized new conventions, while in Missouri, moderates formed a new state body. In each case, theological and social issues precipitated the separation from the older state convention, which complicates an association's ability to work with churches affiliated with both conventions.
In Southeast Texas, Golden Triangle Baptist Association deals not only with churches that relate to competing state and national conventions, but also with churches in the same city that relate to different associations.
Golden Triangle Baptist Association includes churches that relate uniquely to the established Baptist General Convention of Texas, uniquely to the newer Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and dually to both state conventions, Director of Missions Montie Martin said. For the most part, churches with varying state convention affiliations have worked together harmoniously in the association, he noted.
However, some congregations formerly associated with Golden Triangle Baptist Association pulled out to join a regional association affiliated with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention—primarily because one longtime member church in Golden Triangle Association is closely related to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and has ordained women.
“But we still cooperate” with the churches that joined the Southern Baptists of Southeast Texas Association, Martin said. For instance, Golden Triangle and the other local association of churches have cooperated in providing housing for visiting mission groups.
“We have a good working relationship,” he said.
Ethnic identity and historic affiliations also factor into relationships, he noted.
“There are five predominantly African-American associations here, and we work with all of those,” Martin said, pointing specifically to a jointly sponsored Bible conference and to cooperative church-starting ventures.
Karen Campbell at Houston's Union Baptist Association said a good deal of conflict was avoided when the association's leaders developed—and its churches later approved— a “unity document,” outlining what it means to affiliate with the association.
“Before the new (Southern Baptists of Texas) convention started, but when it looked as though it likely would happen, the association called a meeting of church leaders, reflecting a diversity of thought and culture,” she said. “In a day, they created what we've used since—a statement of what it means to be a part of the Union Baptist Association.”
“Basically the unity document says that you are a part of the Union Baptist Association if you are invested in the vision of helping reproduce churches and cooperate in transforming communities, and if you agree with one of the Baptist Faith & Message statements,” she said.
In Northern Virginia, the NorthStar Church Network—the Baptist association for churches in the Washington, D.C., suburbs—attempts to defuse the conflict by describing itself as a “network of churches” rather than a “denominational entity” aligned with a specific Baptist body, said Executive Director Stephen Welch.
“Historically, our churches have always affiliated with a variety of different Baptist denominations,” says Welch, whose 170 churches reflect the national capital region's eclectic mix of Southern Baptist, American Baptist and African-American and other ethnic Baptist heritages.
But with the creation of the new Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia convention, which counts some of NorthStar's churches as its affiliates, the association has found itself “having to be more sensitive to whom our churches are linked,” he said.
For example, following Hurricane Katrina's destruction of the Gulf Coast, Welch received calls from disaster relief organizations attached to both the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the SBCV.
“We are having to exercise more sensitivity and diligence,” he said.
“Life would be a lot easier if we [NorthStar churches] were a lot like each other,” he said. “But we probably wouldn't be as effective in ministry.”