Associational Missions

What is the Catawba River Baptist Association?

Many who are not familiar with Southern Baptist life have asked this question. Perhaps the most straightforward answer is that the Baptist Association is “a fellowship of Churches-on-Mission.” Each Church is independent and autonomous, but we have made a covenant, or agreement, to work cooperatively together to touch people for Jesus. The 67 Churches of the Catawba River Baptist Association know that we can do much more by working cooperatively as partners than any Church could do alone.
Affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and the North Carolina Baptist Convention, the Catawba River Baptist Association is located in beautiful western North Carolina. We are comprised of 68 Churches located in Burke County where the population is around 90,000 people. Our goal is to aid our churches in partnering together to reach communities for Christ.
The Staff of the Catawba River Baptist Association works with these 67 Churches and Missions in various ways to encourage them in their work of missions and evangelism.

CRBA Goals for 2023

  • Partner with churches to reach communities for Christ. (Supports local mission endeavors)
  • Provide mission opportunities to strengthen local churches
  • Pray and gather information to discover if God is leading CRBA to begin an Immigration Center in Burke County
  • Find ways to reach and minister to local business owners possibly resulting in an ongoing Business Ministry where churches adopt local businesses, providing training and volunteer chaplains

Fan the Acts 1:8 flame of our Association. (Support state, national, and international mission endeavors) 

  •  Provide opportunities for our churches to partner in planting new churches
  • Continue urging churches to participate in CRBA’s mission trips to Rose Hill, Washington DC, and Malaysia while looking for opportunities to increase mission endeavors globally
  • Provide ways for Families to be involved in missions

Reach the unreached “Millennial” and “Gen Z” Generations

  • Plan and conduct evangelistic activities
  • Provide mission opportunities for students
  • Strengthen and expand BurkeChangers

Strengthen Churches and their Leaders

  • Continue to provide Church Revitalization/Strengthening help to willing churches
  • Start 2 additional mentoring cohorts in our Association where the emphasis will be placed on developing leaders in Church Revitalization situations
  • Create a cohort for bi-vocational pastors
  • Develop a Leadership Pipeline by equipping leaders and future leaders through our CRBBI

Increase CRBA Communication and Effectiveness

  • Send quarterly information packets to CRBA pastors and church leaders
  • Send weekly “Just 3 Things” reminders to pastors and staff
  • Seek structural changes to be more effective for our churches
  • Seek to have 90% of our CRBA churches contributing financially to the work of CRBA
  • Instigate a Child Protection Policy for CRBA
  • Acquire 501c3 status for CRBA

Seminars Currently Being Offered to CRBA Churches:

  • Doubling Baptisms in One Year
  • Disciple-Making Teachers
  • 59-Minute Evangelism Training
  • Every Believer a Witness (5 Sessions)
  • Making Bible Study and Witnessing a Priority
  • Preparation and Presentation of Adult Bible Study
  • Internally Strong & Externally Focused
  • Effective Ministry with a Busy Life
  • Starting Small Groups in a Traditional Church
  • Doubling Your S.S. in 2 Years or Less
  • Being a V.E.L.C.R.O. Church
  • Change Your Church or Die
  • Church Assimilation through Sunday School
  • Becoming the Best Church for the Community
  • Becoming an Acts 1:8 Church
  • Churches Planting Churches
  • Comeback Churches (Learning to be Missional for the Community)
  • The Leadership/Evangelism Connection
  • Creating a Culture of Evangelism
  • The Art of Bible Storying
  • Creative Worship
  • Growing Your Church through VBS
  • 7 Essentials for Growing S.S.
  • A Life on Loan
  • Developing A Plan for My Class to Connect and Engage in Missional Living
  • Leading a Child to Christ
  • Preparing for Revival
  • Involving My Class in Outreach
  • Teachers Getting Ready for Sunday

All these ministries/resources are offered free of charge to our CRBA Churches.