The Three Forks Baptist Association met with Scott Ball of the Malphur’s Group on Monday, January 13, 2020. The purpose of this mission was to lead the Association in developing a mission and discovering its core values.

 

In order to develop a mission for the Association, those present looked at four areas: internal challenges to the churches in TFBA, external challenges to the churches in TFBA, the core competencies of the TFBA (what we do well), and what’s at stake (why does the TFBA need to continue to function).

 

Based on the answers to these questions, and in line with the core competencies of the Association, it was determined that the mission of the Association would be “Mobilizing, maximizing, and multiplying churches in the High Country.” The specifics of how this will be accomplished and how the Association will be structured to do this will be addressed in the next two sessions.

 

Those present also looked at the core values of the Association. We did this by answering three questions: What differentiates us from other Baptist Associations, what are we motivated by when operating at our best, and what are we motivated by when operating at our worst. Based on the answers to these questions we first identified some motivations that have operated in the past that we must actively work against moving forward. These are: A survival mentality, selfish ambition, preserving the status quo, and conforming to the good opinion of the community.

 

We determined that we, as an association, must pass on to our churches: Unity/working together, thriving churches, sharing the Gospel, love, a kingdom mindset, and grit. What these mean, and how these will be passed to the churches will be addressed at the next two meetings.