Celebrating the Role of Associations

Earlier this year, Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions Executive Director Rick Lance and I joined our counterparts from across the nation to celebrate the organization of the first Baptist association in America. In 1707, five Baptist churches from three states — Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey — formed Philadelphia Baptist Association. Three hundred years later, the principles of that first association continue to guide the work of the 1,200 Baptist associations functioning today. 
  
From the beginning, Baptists have been clear that the association “is not a superior judicature” over the church, to quote the Philadelphia documents. The association has no “superintendency over” the church but is subservient to it.  
  
But that subservient position did not lessen the important role played by the association in 1707 nor does it now. 
  
One of the first functions of the association was to establish acceptable parameters for Baptist life. Using the example of the Jerusalem Council as recorded in Acts 15 as their guide, the early Baptists formed a “Council of Advise” to help member churches maintain a “unity of faith and practice” and to “maintain communion together.” 
  
Records show that in its early days, Philadelphia Association made doctrinal concerns a priority. Believer’s baptism, baptism by immersion, Communion, ordination, the Trinity and worship attendance by members were just some of the issues on which the association took positions. 
  
Evidently worship style was as divisive an issue 300 years ago as it is today. Over the objections of some, the association endorsed singing Psalms during worship services. 
  
The association also became the arbiter when tensions arose between member congregations and within churches. The minutes of the association indicate the association called for a day of prayer and fasting as part of its efforts to work out conflict between two congregations. In another instance, the association called for unity and forgiveness once a matter had been dealt with by the association. 
  
Of course, the association had no authority to ensure that its “advice” would be followed. The records indicate that a few times, the advice was treated with “contempt.” When that happened, the ultimate power of the association was to withdraw fellowship. This was always a last resort. Uniformity was not the goal. For example, the association decided that women members of the churches should be allowed to vote in church matters, a bold statement in the early 1700s. When some churches did not go along with that position, their disagreement was noted but they remained in fellowship. 
  
But member churches were expected to be in general agreement on major issues of doctrine and practice. When disagreement occurred on this level, the association expressed its displeasure by exercising its right to determine its own membership and withdrew fellowship from those it considered to be erring. 
  
It is important to note that withdrawing fellowship in no way impacted the existence of the church as a church. A local church always embodied the complete power of a church regardless of its standing with the association. 
  
One ongoing peril with which Philadelphia Association dealt was the qualification of ministers. Baptists had existed in America less than 70 years when the first association was formed. Men from England and from the colonies sometimes falsely claimed to be Baptist ministers. Occasionally a native-born American pretended to be a Baptist minister and would scam a congregation. 
  
The association regularly compiled a list of what it termed “deviant ministers” and “advertised” the list among the churches. 
  
From its early concern about identity and survival, Philadelphia Association grew into a channel allowing churches to do together what none could do alone. The first reference to support of Baptist ministerial education is found in the 1722 minutes with a reference to the Providence, R.I., academy that later became Brown University, the first Baptist college in the nation. 
  
The association provided resources to the churches that the churches could not provide for themselves. In one instance, the association arranged for a prominent Baptist leader, John Gano, to preach and teach in the churches of the Carolinas for over a year. He was well received, the records indicate, and that resource increased the influence of the association with the churches that voluntarily made up its membership. 
  
Baptists’ first efforts at coordinated evangelism, missions, education, religious liberty and more all found their first expressions in the work of the association as Philadelphia Association urged churches “to work together when the need arises.” 
  
So powerful has the example of Philadelphia Association been that some historians refer to it as “the Philadelphia tradition.” And most Baptist associations today continue in that tradition. For example, Philadelphia provided a model of an interchurch federation that is still followed. Philadelphia provided a model for setting acceptable boundaries for churches and ministers without imposing uniformity. Philadelphia championed congregational polity without encouraging isolationism. The association provided a channel for denominational ministries to arise in education, missions and religious liberty. 
  
This week is Associational Missions Week when Alabama Baptists focus on the important work carried on through our 75 associations. Recalling the tradition in which they stand helps us appreciate the important role the associations continue to play in Baptist life today.