In previous posts, we’ve seen that the local association is not like a church, and that the Director of Missions (DoM) is not like a pastor, nor should his primary role be thought of as being “a pastor to pastors.” Since we’ve looked at the organization and its leadership so far, I thought it would be helpful to think about membership in the local association: What responsibilities and obligations do churches have who participate in local associations?
Local Church Autonomy
One of the distinctive beliefs of Baptists is a conviction about local church autonomy. That means that a local church is self-governing under the Lordship of Christ and influence of the Holy Spirit. No person or organization has the authority to tell a local church what decisions it must make or how to act. Not even the Southern Baptist Convention can direct member churches to act. The most they, or a state convention, or a local association can do is withdraw from the participating relationship. The most the SBC or a local association can say to a church is, “We disagree so strongly with your position, we no longer consider you a member and will no longer accept your financial support.” No outside organization can force the autonomous local church to act contrary to its own wishes.
Nothing in this scenario, however, prevents other organizations from trying to influence churches to make certain decisions or take action on an issue. For example, the last several years, the International Mission Board has been asking churches to consider adopting an unreached people group. Such an effort is commendable and worthwhile. It doesn’t violate local church autonomy because the IMB is seeking to influence churches to make that decision on their own.
So a local association may not assert any authority over a local church, but it may attempt to influence a local church in various ways. The question we’ll ask below is how and which ways are appropriate and helpful in our cooperative efforts together.