Why is Barabbas Road Church in San Diego connected to the Southern Baptist Convention?

Barabbas Road Church in San Diego is partnered with the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination that has been around for almost 170 years. The SBC includes over 50,000 cooperating churches and church-type missions. These churches all seek to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the world to make an impact of God’s Kingdom.All of this seems good; however, why would Barabbas Road Church in San Diego want to partner with a denomination?

One reason, in recent church history, there has been tremendous growth in the starting of non-denominational churches is that it is an autonomous entity. This means that the local church has no ruling body over it. This has helped many churches adapt to the local culture more effectively. Although there are many advantages to a non-denominational church, there are still some disadvantages. One significant disadvantage to a non-denominational church is the lack of a clear doctrinal statement. This is not to say that non-denominational churches do not have a doctrinal statement; however, the disadvantage is that the doctrinal views of non-denominational churches are not always clear. This makes it difficult for a non-denominational church to partner with other churches in ministry, for each church is unaware of how each other stands doctrinally. This can create challenges that can sometimes do more harm than good.

A distinct advantage of partnering with the SBC is that it has a clear doctrinal statement. The doctrinal statement of the SBC is called The Baptist Faith and Message. This statement is writings that display the general convictions of Southern Baptists. By having this statement, anybody who wants to know what a partner of SBC believes can read this statement and better understand the church’s doctrine. This is one of the main reasons that Barabbas has partnered with the SBC. The Baptist Faith and Message creates an avenue for Barabbas Road church to partner with other churches and do work for God’s kingdom.

SBC churches all operate autonomously; however, they are still very much connected. The SBC is one of the largest evangelical denominations in the world.
What makes the SBC so unique is that all of the churches are autonomous yet are still organized to connect and make decisions at the county, state and national level. Pastors and leaders of the SBC are constantly meeting and praying with each other, always looking to God to give them guidance. The SBC never directly affects the local church, but rather works as a support system for local church leadership.

In the end, this all helps the over 50,000 churches in the SBC to work together and impact the world for the glory of God. For example, SBC churches support the Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program is a plan supported by SBC churches where each church gives an offering to support SBC missions and ministries. Therefore, a percentage of the tithe from Barabbas Road Church goes to the Cooperative Program. There are 203 SBC churches in San Diego County and 40% of them participate in the Cooperative program.

The Southern Baptist Convention is a tremendous asset for the local church and its members. By partnering with the SBC, Barabbas Road Church now has an avenue to help other churches and also challengeother churches to think about doctrine. This also helps to encourage the people of Barabbas Road Church to read the doctrine of the church, with the hope that it will help each person better understand the basic doctrines of what it means to be a Christian.