First appeared in The Baptist Paper, August 12, 2023 issue. Used with Permission.
Churches quiet quitting their associations is not a new thing. It is a forever thing. It has happened since Baptist associations were formed. The difference is we now have a name for it.
The term “quiet quitting” came into use as organizations sought to get their work force back into the office as the pandemic waned. Some employees came back but determined they would do the bare minimum they could get away with and keep their jobs.
No extra effort. No going beyond the minimum required. No staying late. No taking work home at night or over the weekend. Just the basics.
The impact of the pandemic led them to evaluate their life values, and they decided their current work obligations were no longer as high a value.
During the past four decades, Southern Baptists have experienced significant change that heightens emphasis on the national denomination, lowers emphasis on associations and financially squeezes state conventions.
Simultaneously, a post-denominational movement took place. The collection of nondenominational churches is now the largest cluster of Protestant churches, with more total members than any denomination.
Yes, they have more than Southern Baptist churches.
The convergence of these two factors has caused churches to rethink their connection to their associations. Some invest more deeply. Others engage in quiet quitting.
Quiet quitting does not mean a church leaves its association. Rather than leaving, it redirects the focus of its congregation.
It means it does less to be in association with its sister churches. Some do the very minimum required to be part of the association.
They would leave, but leaving itself is not a high priority for them. They may have a few laypeople for whom the associations are an important relationship. They see no need to engage in unnecessary conflict within their congregations.
These churches subtly shift from denominational missional engagements to parachurch engagements, even very good ones. They may shift to working with Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Inasmuch or others. Even the most faithful and active congregations shift to parachurch ministries.
They mean no harm. They are simply excited about something that works for their churches, that’s something their membership wants to be involved with and that gives them affirmation.
Some ways churches quiet quit are not obvious but can have significant impact.
For example, unseen to others, churches stop praying for their sister churches. What a powerful resource withheld!
These churches focus more on themselves and their progress and less on their family of congregations. They miss a great opportunity to bless the collective ministry of their associations. They are less about Kingdom growth and more about church growth.
If their contribution patterns had been to donate to their associations based on a percentage of their budget receipts, they move to a fixed budget amount that does not increase from year to year, which lowers the buying power of the associations in future years.
Uninformed about the denomination and what it offers, they assume there is nothing that the association offers, not realizing it is the collective resources of churches that increases the ministry capacity of all churches.
These churches stop coming alongside sister Baptist churches in mutual ministry. They are more involved in ministry with churches of their size, style or perspective on missional engagement, regardless of denomination.
They stop contributing financially to their associations. It is no longer a priority. Or they disagree with an association’s policy or doctrinal stance.
They stop submitting the Annual Church Profile. It is this profile that ultimately coalesces into a full Southern Baptist Convention statistical report. Churches that are quiet quitting are responsible for some of the reported decline of the SBC.
They no longer send representatives to board meetings or messengers to the associational annual meeting. They do not help the churches-in-association make decisions that can positively impact ministry in their part of God’s Kingdom.
Which of these actions take place in your association? What are others you experience? Have more or fewer churches in your association been quiet quitting in the past five years? What should your response be to these churches? What will you do first?
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