Are you looking to become a part of a Baptist association in Valrico, Florida? If so, there are certain guidelines and requirements that must be met in order to join. The Baptist association began in the United States in 1707 with the formation of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. It provides churches with the opportunity to come together under the same banner and to have fellowship and strengthen each other. A local Southern Baptist church can choose not to join a cooperating Baptist association or the Southern Baptist Convention, but it can still choose to cooperate and join this State Convention.
As a result, any local church that is approved by a local Baptist association will be accepted for membership in this State Convention. When creating the annual budget, the “previous year” shall be defined as the period in which all Cooperative Program revenues received occurred between June 1 of the previous year and May 31 of the current year. The Board may recommend to the State Convention that it approve an anticipated section of the Basic Budget of the Florida Baptist Convention that proposes the distribution of anticipated revenues from the Cooperative Program that exceeds the amount required for the annual core budget. Any anticipated section of the annual core budget will ensure that the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention is designated to share revenues that exceed the core budget at the same percentage rate as it receives from the core budget.
The Board may, for good cause, modify the distribution of income receipts from the Advance Payments Section in the year following receipt of excess revenue. Such an action would require the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting Board members. The Board will report on such action during the next annual meeting of the State Convention. The State Mission Board acts on behalf of the Florida Baptist State Convention between its annual meetings; therefore, it must advise the ministries and cooperating instruments of the Florida Baptist State Convention between such annual meetings, and there must be free exchange between all ministries and cooperating instruments of the Florida Baptist State Convention and the State Mission Board. The State Mission Board will be comprised of members elected within each of six ministerial regions defined by the Florida Baptist Convention, Inc. Under no circumstances will more than five (elected) representatives of the members of the Board of Directors come from one association. To facilitate Baptist cooperation, this State Convention has empowered its State Board of Missions to enter into cooperative agreements with selected agencies of the Southern Baptist Convention related to mission, ministries, and support services provided by its cooperating ministry, The Florida Baptist Convention, Inc. In carrying out its task assigned to it, The Committee will give due consideration to each potential candidate and their church's accreditation.
The year following approval by The State Convention, and in following years, newly organized or reorganized associations may become members of The Nominating Committee of The State Convention and shall have right to have at least one member from its cooperating churches nominated to serve on The State Mission Board. In April each year, The president of The Nominating Committee shall notify in writing both The moderator and mission director of each association about vacancies in The cooperating committees, boards, commissions, corporations and ministries of this Convention. It will also refer monthly to each cooperating ministry or designated objective funds received by The Florida Baptist Convention from churches or any other source. Local SBC associations have extensive and detailed requirements and processes for churches to join. To become a member of a baptist association in Valrico, Florida you must meet these requirements and processes. William Thornton is a lifelong Southern Baptist and semi-retired pastor who served in churches in South Carolina and Georgia.
