Greetings
from Executive Director Dr. Tommy Middleton
This has been a very
busy but productive eight months in serving
the churches of the Greater Baton Rouge area
as the Director of Missions. I have enjoyed
getting to know personally so many of the
pastors and meeting those that I only knew
by name. It has been a great honor to preach
in many different pulpits throughout our
Association and I am indebted to the
graciousness of you pastors for this
privilege;I do not take it lightly. Visiting
in the churches has given me that wonderful
opportunity to meet “the association” face
to face and what a blessing that has been.
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
As we continue to journey through this 2012
year my prayer is that we will stay
faithful:
• To declare the Great Confession—“Jesus is
the Christ, the Son of the Living God”
• To keep the Great Commandment—“Love the
Lord with all our hearts, soul, mind, and
strength”
• To personally participate in the Great
Commission—“Go ye therefore and make
disciples of the nations…”
I have been asked this question, “How can I
best serve the BAGBR Association?” My
answer—“By personally submitting your life
to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and serving
Him through your local church, you become a
blessing to all of us.” Everyone who has
trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior belongs to
THE Church. It is important to note,
however, that in New Testament anyone who
became a believer not only was immediately A
member of the THE Church but IMMEDIATELY
ASSOCIATED WITH A local church and served
Christ through that local expression of the
body of Christ. Associational service starts
by associating (being involved) in your
local fellowship of believers.
The Baptist
Association's Vision, Values & Mission
VISION
The Baptist
Association of Greater Baton Rouge will be a Network
of Churches and Missions cooperating together as
agents for positive change in the spiritual, social,
and cultural fabric of their communities through
Christian redemption and Christian life values. This
vision will be accomplished by penetrating the
community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through
family and community orientation, and social
involvement that exemplifies the caring and sharing
nature of Jesus Christ in order to effect life
transformation in individuals, families, and
communities. Actions developing from this vision
will be relationship based, evangelism centered,
service oriented, and training focused.
The churches and
individuals of the Baptist Association of Greater
Baton Rouge are asked to MAKE A COMMITMENT TO A
VISION FOR KINGDOM GROWTH THAT IS LARGER THAN THE
LOCAL CHURCH.
VALUES
Service – Christian
concern results in observable actions that meet the
needs of the lost
Relationships –
Serving the needs of others establishes
relationships for evangelism
Trust – Relationships
based on biblical principles and Christian character
establish trust
Commitment – Trust
based biblical principles and Christian character
establishes an opportunity for commitment to
truth and life through Jesus Christ
Inclusion – God’s
truth and life through Christ’s presence and
forgiveness is open to everyone
Empowerment – All who
respond to God’s Spirit receives the power needed to
fulfill God’s call for training and service
Involvement – God’s
life changing call motivates each of us to actions
of service
MISSION
The
Baptist Association of Greater Baton Rouge has as
its present mission (A) to establish new
relationships between both the churches and pastors;
(B) to strengthen existing relationships of the
churches and members through a commitment to a
vision for kingdom growth that is larger than the
local church. This commitment can be evaluated by
the degree to which the local church members will
penetrate their community with the Gospel of Jesus
Christ through family and community orientation and
social involvement that exemplifies the caring and
sharing nature of Jesus Christ.
