Grace Baptist Associations are networks of local churches each affirming their independence whilst embracing a voluntary interdependence between churches in their network.
The AGBC(SE) is one such network of around 65 churches in the south east of England. So, what things help an Association flourish in the longer term? Here Andrew King, the recently appointed Association Secretary, shares his view:
Gospel generosity
‘Being part of one Association doesn’t mean ignoring local churches in other networks. Imagine you live in a region where drought has left widespread hunger and malnutrition. If you knew that you couldn’t feed everyone, would you automatically dismiss others who were also helping, just because you thought their food was not quite as nutritious as yours? Then, surely, we should not dismiss the gospel church down the road offering the truth of Jesus Christ to our neighbours, just because they may have a different view on important but lesser matters. To paraphrase J. C. Ryle: we should keep our hedges low so that we can shake hands over them.
