Do They Even Know Who We Are?

I’ve heard it called “the sin of the desert.”

      It’s not a biblical phrase. The image, though, is powerful. To leave a man to die of thirst in the desert when you know where someone could find water. Most of us have heard that phrase used in evangelism illustrations. It is true that to withhold the gospel from a lost world is to withhold life itself.

      But what if that same principle applies closer to home — not just to the lost, but to believers?

      What if we are just as guilty when we leave believers in immaturity by failing to pursue, disciple, and help them grow into maturity in Christ? Scripture presses us beyond mere conversion. “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28 ESV).

      So, what about churches?

      What happens when churches themselves get isolated? There’s a consequence that follows being cut off from meaningful fellowship, cooperation, and encouragement. Isolation breeds bitterness and eventual stagnation in congregations. I hear it often in conversations with pastors and church leaders. There is a desire for cooperation that lives alongside frustration with confusion, a lack of transparency, and structures that seem completely removed from the local church.

      When I hear these kinds of opinions, I recognize that some of those who express them are just combative. But there are a great many more who are simply weary. I’m not surprised by the many people who have arrived at the same conclusion: it’s easier to go it alone.

      When I’m listening carefully, I ask, “What would your ideal form of cooperation look like?”

      I often hear consistent answers. Those who are frustrated and isolated describe a fellowship of churches where:

      • Each church has a meaningful voice, regardless of size or financial contribution.

      • Pastors serve as equals under Christ.

      • Cooperation is real, organized, and effective.

      • Ministries are structured enough to be impactful while remaining accountable to the churches themselves.

      In other words, they want structure and autonomy. They want organization with freedom. The disgruntled do-it-alone pastor wants cooperation with the local church authority.

      My next question flows naturally from what they describe. “Have you ever heard of the Baptist Missionary Association?”

      Most of the time, the answer to that question is no.

      That is an obstacle we must face together. The Baptist Missionary Association (BMA) exists so that together, we can plant disciple-making churches around the world. The reality is, we cannot plant churches without the involvement of churches.

      What many pastors are describing is not a fantastical utopia. Their perfect version of cooperation is attainable. The BMA represents a fellowship of churches committed to both biblical faithfulness and local church authority. We are a bottom-up collaboration in which churches direct the work we do together. Our pastors serve as equals under Christ. Our ministries, departments, and agencies exist to assist our churches in fulfilling their own Great Commission mandate.

      Friend, that’s what many are searching for today.

      And they haven’t even heard of us.

      Why is there not more involvement in associational work? Some of us carry baggage from past experiences in different associations, and we may be prone to project those concerns onto something entirely different. More commonly, I suspect, many of us take what we have for granted.

      In doing so, we commit a kind of “sin of the desert” of our own. We know where water is, but we don’t tell anyone.

      I cannot claim to have personally led a church into our association. But I have seen what happens when people become acquainted with the BMA. I have invited pastors to attend meetings. I have spent hours on the phone explaining our polity as best I could. And as a result, I have watched churches reconsider cooperation they once abandoned. I have seen renewed interest, connection, and even partnership take shape.

      Despite trends of declining in-person engagement, people are not rejecting who we are; they just do not know who we are.

      Have we, as an association of churches, clearly and consistently told our story? In many ways, we’re “vanilla.” I mean that in the best possible sense. We are committed to the sufficiency of Scripture. Trends or novelty do not drive us. No one is surprised by what we believe or practice.

      But we have something that makes us distinct, too.

      We are a people who honor the local church.

      We are a fellowship where authority flows from the congregation upward.

      We are committed to cooperation that strengthens rather than supplants the church Christ purchased with His own blood.

      These things are not common in our day. And so, they’re worth sharing.

      So, pastor, will you speak to your churches about the work of our association? Will you prioritize a once-a-year meeting to support that work?

      The question before us is not whether or not we have something valuable. It is whether we are willing to speak of it. If we are not, we may find ourselves standing in the desert, surrounded by thirsty people, while quietly holding the map to water.