Florida Baptist Association first in Sunshine State, began in 1842

FBC photo

John Sullivan (right), executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention, presents David Southerland (left), director of missions for the Florida Baptist Association with a “Heritage Stone” as Florida’s first association.

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TALLAHASSEE (FBW)—Associational missions in Florida began in 1842 with the formation of Florida Baptist Association. As the Sunshine State's first association, there was no need to delineate any regional boundaries since member churches were spread from Wauchula to Jacksonville to Pensacola. Today's smaller association, located in Florida's capital city, retains its all-encompassing title.

In 1942 Doak S. Campbell penned a history of Florida Association which details its actions during the Civil War and after various natural disasters that threatened the Baptist organization. Florida Baptist Association survived those dangers and the upheavals of cultural and church changes in the years since. In the past decade the number of churches in the association has increased by 62 percent—from 32 to 52 congregations, and Director of Missions David Southerland expects three more church starts before 2008.

More than 250 trained volunteers from Leon County churches participated in disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina in 2004. Southerland, who has served the association 13 years, said the churches man feeding units, chain-saw crews and water supply units. He said the biggest need is for volunteers who will do hands-on mud-out work. After the vicious hurricanes of 2004 the teams "were worn out" from helping churches and families, he said.

"We dug out one church on St. George Island twice," Southerland said.

Closer to home, the association for the past five years has hosted an army of teenaged volunteers who helped refurbish Tallahassee homes through the World Changer organization of the North American Mission Board. Between 250 and 400 World Changers will be working in Tallahassee June 10-16.

Apart from these ministries, the association seeks to leave specific ministries in the hands of its churches. This is the association's philosophy, according to Southerland.

"We believe in pro-active discipleship that enables sister churches to accomplish their own missions more effectively. Rather than the association sponsoring specific mission trips, planting churches, sponsoring social mission ministries, etc., our goal has been to enable as many churches as possible to 'do missions' on their own," Southerland said.

In keeping with that philosophy, training and nurturing church leadership has been a major focus for the association. Its training for Sunday School, Discipleship Training, Vacation Bible School and evangelism leaders is concentrated in a series of conferences that total only seven days a year.

The association also brings in noted speakers to inspire local pastors in their monthly meetings, and in yearly association-wide rallies. Jim Henry, pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church in Orlando, will speak at the annual rally in October at First Baptist Church in Bradfordville.

Southerland considers the association's Purposeful Interim Ministry Program one of its most effective. The program provides help for churches without a pastor, and offers specific conferences that lead the churches to examine their identities and purposes.

"Some years back when our association numbered 33 churches, it wasn't unusual to have three or four churches at any given time without pastors," Southerland said. "Now, with 52 churches, it never rises beyond three or four churches without pastors, and the tenure of pastors remaining with their churches his risen and, as a result, the churches are stronger."