![]() As one Baptist leader stated, “We are seldom comfortable with change, but someone has observed that if the external changes exceed the internal changes of an organization, it is moving toward irrelevance and ineffectiveness.” Associations must adapt to meet current and future challenges if they are to survive and even thrive in the future. The classical design of Associations of the past was successful to meet the challenges of its time. A new paradigm of thinking is needed. To restate the quote above, if the changes in the world around us exceed the adaptations within the Association, the Association is moving toward irrelevance and ineffectiveness. This is a stark reality, which is facing all Associations in the United States. The vast majority of Associations have not made the transition into a new model. These Associations seem to be prisoners of the past. The future does not look bright for such Associations. The Association of the future cannot be the Association of the past or in many cases of the present. There are a number of characteristics, which describe Associations of the future. A number of Associations have made the transformation and exemplify the following characteristics. One distinction of Associations of the future is not being limited by geographical boundaries. Tomorrow’s Associations will be characterized by vision and affinity not by geography. Under the former paradigm, in which many still operate, Associations were and are characterized by geographical boundaries. Yet, our current technology allows us to remove geography as a barrier. Individuals can ‘facetime’ or ‘skype’ each other on a cell phone or computer while being on different continents. Because of modern technological advancements, Associations of the future are characterized by a global vision and affinity. Associations must see themselves as making a global impact. Associations are able to create partnerships with other Great Commission Christians worldwide. Such partnerships help churches within a given Association broaden their ability to implement an Acts 1:8 strategy.
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Darrell L. HornArchives
January 2016
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