By Derrick A. Bremer, Pastor • Denver Street, Greenwood
Executive Editor’s Note: This article is part of Derrick Bremer’s ongoing series, Faithful Together: What Defines the BMA? While it usually appears under his “Green Pastors… seeking greener pastures!” column, we are featuring it on page 1 this week. Previous articles in the series are available in past issues or online at baptisttrumpet.com.
When Jesus established His church, He never envisioned isolated individuals or independent congregations pursuing the mission of God in their own strength. The picture we see in the New Testament is one of deep fellowship, sacrificial partnership and Spirit-filled cooperation for the sake of the gospel. The early church prayed together, served together, gave together and suffered together so that Christ might be exalted among the nations.
This biblical pattern remains the heartbeat of the Baptist Missionary Association. We work together because the mission is too great for any one of us to accomplish alone. The task of discipling the nations requires the united effort of local churches that are bound together in Christ. Our unity is profoundly theological.
From the opening chapters of Acts, we find believers devoted to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Their shared life is the hallmark feature of the church. It still is the fertile soil from which gospel fruit is produced. As they lived in community, the world saw the love of Christ embodied in their relationships.
Paul reinforced this vision in Phil. 1:27 (ESV) as he exhorted the church to stand “firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” The language of striving together highlights that the Christian mission is a joint endeavor, not a solo project. In Ephesians, when Paul described the church as a body “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,” growing and building itself up in love, when each part is working properly.” Every individual has their role, and every church has its contribution.
The New Testament consistently presents a cooperative vision. God’s people are at their best when they labor shoulder to shoulder, each part supplying what the others lack, each gift serving the good of the whole.
We Equip Believers
Our shared mission starts with equipping believers for the work of ministry. Pastors, teachers and leaders are given to the church as a gift from God for this purpose. It’s a wonder to behold when our associations come together as individual churches to train leaders, develop resources and encourage one another toward maturity in Christ.
Seminaries, publishing houses, conferences and yes, even business meetings, embody this principle. No church, however faithful, can raise up the next generation of Christian leaders alone. But when we pool our resources, our talents, our creativity, when we pray for one another, when we remain committed to mutual encouragement, we are better able to equip God’s people for faithful service.
Working together ensures that the equipping ministry of the church is multiplied and strengthened. A lone congregation may train a handful, but a united fellowship of churches can shape an army of disciple-makers, pastors and missionaries.
We Establish Churches
Central to our Baptist identity, we believe that the local church is God’s chosen instrument for carrying out His mission. And just as Paul planted churches with the help of a team, so too we recognize that establishing churches requires more than the effort of one.
Within the BMA, we join hands to send out planters, provide training, offer financial support and surround new congregations with prayer and encouragement. Each established church becomes an outpost of the kingdom on earth within its own community. We work together because the gospel deserves to be planted in every town, every city and every nation. No single church can accomplish this task. But together, led by God, supplied with His grace, we can see healthy congregations flourish where they didn’t exist before.
We Extend the Gospel
The Great Commission holds the whole world in view. Jesus commanded us to “make disciples of all nations,” which requires crossing boundaries of culture, language and geography. This task is impossible without partnership.
From the church at Antioch in Acts 13, we learn that missions is not the endeavor of a lone church, but of churches sending and supporting together. Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Spirit and sent by the church, but they were also supported by a network of believers who prayed, gave and walked with them through their ministry.
The BMA exists so that local churches can join arms in the Great Commission. Alone, our reach is limited. Together, we can extend the gospel across continents, sustain missionaries in challenging fields and plant churches where the name of Christ has not yet been heard.
When we say, “we work together,” we are not speaking of a mere organizational principle. We are describing the heartbeat of the BMA. Cooperation is in our DNA because it is the design of the church. We embrace harmony in diversity for the sake of the gospel.
Conclusion
Working together requires humility. We must value the needs of others above our own. Our shared labor involves sacrifice — our time, our resources and sometimes, even our comfort. We must be a people of perseverance because partnership is never free of challenges. But we have the gospel. The reward is immeasurable. The vision is exciting! A vibrant, global fellowship of churches, equipping, establishing and extending together until Christ returns. On that day, how many people will you meet who heard the gospel and came to Christ because you were faithful to be a part of something bigger?
The gospel calls us out of isolation, out of self-sufficiency and into partnership. We believe in independence only because we trust our interdependence. The work is too great, the mission is too urgent and the savior is too glorious for us to attempt it alone. Let’s continue to walk side by side, equipping believers, establishing churches and extending the gospel to the nations. For when we work together, Christ is magnified, the church is strengthened and the world hears the good news of salvation.
