By Timothy “Bobo” Phillipson
“The bride of Christ is worth fighting for.”
Those words continued to come to my mind as God began leading me toward associational ministry four years ago. At the time, I was content serving as a senior pastor. My ministry journey had included serving as a youth pastor, co-pastor of a church plant, and senior pastor. Yet, throughout those years, God had consistently given me a desire that extended beyond the walls of the church I served. I wanted to encourage other pastors, partner with other churches, and help them any way I could.
Then, a pastor in our association approached me about considering the role of Association Mission Strategist.
As I prayed, God began burdening my heart for the churches in our association. Many of these churches had poured into and invested in me through the years. Some were declining and facing uncertain futures. At the same time, God had developed within me a passion for church revitalization. I began to see a vision for associational ministry centered on strengthening churches, encouraging pastors, and helping churches cooperate to connect people to Christ. As God would sovereignly have it, the direction He was leading me was also the direction He was leading our association.
Today, our desire is simple: to see a healthy gospel footprint in every community in Scott County. Over the past four years, I have discovered that one of the greatest joys of associational ministry is having a front-row seat to what God can do when His churches come together.
Before entering associational ministry, I primarily viewed the associational leader as a pastor to pastors who also carried administrative and organizational responsibilities. I still believe encouraging pastors is one of the most important things I do, but I have learned that meaningful ministry to pastors begins with relationships. It does not begin with a program, a process, or a date on a calendar; it begins by doing ministry and life together. It means celebrating together, laughing together, praying together, and sometimes crying together.
When I gather with the pastors God has brought to our association, I often feel as though I am sitting in a room of giants. We are blessed with pastors who give so much of themselves — not simply out of obligation, but because of a genuine desire to serve Christ and His Kingdom. Having the privilege of walking alongside these men is one of God’s greatest benefits to me in this role.
I have also watched pastors become more than colleagues. Through genuine relationships and opportunities such as our pastors cohort, I have seen them become friends and cheerleaders for one another. They celebrate each other’s victories and encourage one another through difficult seasons. That kind of relationship cannot be manufactured through a program. It is built through trust, time, and a shared commitment to the Gospel.
Another great joy of associational ministry is watching Kingdom-minded churches choose cooperation over competition. There is something beautiful about watching a healthy church willingly pour into a struggling church and watching a struggling church have the humility and courage to receive that help. One church in our association had declined to approximately twelve people and was considering whether it might be time to close its doors. Today, that congregation has grown to around sixty and continues reaching new heights. Many people played a role in that story. Churches and pastors came alongside the congregation. People preached, led worship, encouraged leaders, and helped in various ways. But ultimately, it is a story that only God could write.
This is why church revitalization has become such an important part of our associational ministry. Mark Clifton once said, “Nothing about a dying church brings God glory.” Those words have stayed with me. When we encounter a struggling church, we do not want to arrive with an agenda. We want to develop relationships, love people, and get into the trenches with them. We seek to help churches honestly evaluate their current reality and discover a pathway toward renewed health and Great Commission effectiveness. One thing I have learned is that struggling churches are often filled with people who genuinely love God and deeply love their church. Sometimes, all churches need is someone willing to walk beside them and remind them that their story does not have to be over.
Our hope is Jesus! When a congregation that once faced an uncertain future begins reaching people and making disciples again, a healthy Gospel footprint remains in that community. We then have the privilege of telling a story about something only God could have done. I believe local Baptist associations still matter, and I believe healthy associations may become even more important in the future. We truly are better together.
This spirit of cooperation is a biblical practice. Paul expressed his joy to the Philippians because of their “partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:5). While each local church is autonomous, we share one Gospel and one mission, and we can accomplish more for the Kingdom when we willingly link arms together.
Churches can accomplish things through cooperation that would be extremely difficult for one congregation to accomplish alone. Together, churches can engage in relief efforts, community outreach, church revitalization, leadership development, recovery ministries, school partnerships, missions, evangelism, and much more. One example in our association is a second-step recovery ministry for men who have completed a Christian recovery program. The ministry provides a safe Christian community and a goal-based pathway toward independent living. Participants receive discipleship, connect with employment opportunities, work toward paying past debts and fines, save for their future, and learn the importance of giving. No single church could take credit for launching this ministry. One church shared a vision. Another provided a property. Other churches provided people, resources, labor, and items needed to prepare the facility. That is the beauty of associational ministry.
We see the same spirit through our “Love Out Loud” missions efforts when churches serve together throughout our communities. We have watched laypeople from different congregations engage in hundreds of Gospel conversations. We have seen pastors and members from healthy churches preach, lead worship, train leaders, and serve alongside struggling congregations. Each experience reminds me that we share one Gospel and one mission. The mission is simply too important for churches to spend their energy competing with one another when we could be linking arms for the sake of the Kingdom.
One thing I wish every pastor and church better understood is this: It is not “the association.” It is “we, the association.” An association is not primarily an office, a building, or an associational staff member. It is a fellowship of autonomous local churches that voluntarily choose to work together for the advancement of the Gospel.
My hope for the future is that cooperation becomes so deeply embedded in the DNA of our churches that, even if the associational office ceased to exist tomorrow, our churches would continue working together. They would cooperate not because an office organized it, but because partnering together for the Great Commission had simply become part of who they are. Healthy associations can help cultivate those relationships. We can connect churches with needs to churches with resources. We can help healthy churches strengthen struggling churches. We can provide opportunities for smaller churches to participate in ministries and mission efforts they might never undertake alone. Most importantly, we can continually remind one another that no church has been called to build its own kingdom. We have all been called to serve His.
The greatest joy of serving as an Association Mission Strategist is witnessing God do what only He can through His local churches. The best stories are not about what I accomplished as an associational leader. They are not even about what our association accomplished. They are stories of churches surrendering what God has placed in their hands, linking arms with one another, and trusting Him with the results. Then, we get the privilege of standing together, looking at what has happened, and saying, “Wow. Look what God did when we came together.”
That is the joy of associational ministry, and that is what brings me joy. Ultimately, this is why I still believe we are better together!
Phillipson serves as the Association Mission Strategist for the Scott County Baptist Association.
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