Those are all good questions, and I’m glad you asked! Baptists are unique among Christian church denominations in that we do not have a formal hierarchy of administrators telling our church what to do. The good side of this is that we can make our own decisions, but the bad side is that we can easily find ourselves isolated in doing so, and miss out of much of the cooperation that other denominations can enjoy with their more formal structure.
This is where local Baptist Associations such as the DMBA come in. The association has no authority over us, but it is a group of churches choosing to work together in fellowship, support, and encouragement of each other. In the past, there have been joint mission efforts that were bigger than any of our churches could have done independently. It helps pastors network and share ideas—especially pastors new to the area. It has helped me greatly.
The possibilities are really endless—it’s all up to the churches that are working together—but I firmly believe that God’s people can do more working together than isolated churches can do alone. Won’t you make your plans to come on October 2 and be a part of the future of the Double Mountain Baptist Association? There’s free food and a worship service featuring the Singing Women of West Texas!