ABOUT BAPTIST ASSOCIATIONS

What Do Associations Do?     

They provide fellowship and opportunity for ministry and an avenue of partnership among Baptist churches by doing local, regional, state, national, and international missions and ministry together:  serving as a training, materials, and personnel resource for Baptist churches and leaders and providing encouragement and support for thier churches.

Through Associations:

...Baptist churches can do local  missions and ministry together that they probably could not do individually--such as food pantry / clothes closets, language ministries, outreach to vacation / recreation areas, starting new missions / churches, providing mission trips, and many other things.

...Church leaders can get all kinds of training in all kinds of areas--Sunday School to Bible School to community ministries to church music, etc.

...Church leaders can get resources and materials--videos, tracts, references, equipment loans, guidance, advice, and more.

How Does the Association Work?

Alabama Baptist associations are financially supported by church gifts (usually a percentage of undesgnated offerings), with some financial assistance from the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions through Cooperative Program gifts.

Each association has a team of elected leaders; eg. The Moderator, and a called associational missionary, The Director of Missions.  All associations rely on volunteers to assist with the organization and administration of the fellowship, mission, ministry, and training activities. 

The above information selected from a publication entitled:
PARTNERS ON MISSION: Alabama Baptist Associations, published by the Alabama Baptist State Convention