Dear LASBA,

The “LASBA Letters” are a group of short articles written to our Los Angeles Southern Baptist churches and their pastors seeking to articulate a clear, biblical, and reasonable vision of where our churches should be going as an association.

Every Christian and pastor in LASBA (Los Angeles Southern Baptist Association) wants to cooperate to accomplish more together than we can on our own. We want to develop Christ-centered churches and strengthen our pastors. But how do we do this? We are not on the same page regarding what an association is or how we’re supposed to be working together. We have different views on the function of an executive director. We define what a healthy church is a bit differently. There are many legitimate streams in SBC life and we can’t all look exactly the same. Nor should we. There must be room for diversity. And yet, the terms of unity must also be clearly defined, embraced, and celebrated.

I love our association. My church has given money sacrificially to the association since we constituted and voted to be in the association on March 13, 1949 when we gave a cut of our first offering of $20.91. I have been blessed by the association, the state convention, and our national convention and North American Mission Board. I chose, by God’s leading I trust, to stay and fight for this association these past 5 years so that churches would be encouraged for gospel ministry in our region.

Many of you pastors love and sacrificed for our association of churches too. More than I have. Some of you have been frustrated with our association and so you have chosen not to waste your time with its affairs as you attend to more important matters (and your local church affairs are more important matters!).

I plead with you to consider these LASBA letters and prayerfully consider how the Lord would have you participate in moving our association in the right direction. The time to attend, pray, listen, speak up, vote, and cooperate is right now.

Sincerely,
P. J. Tibayan
Bethany Baptist Church
Bellflower, Southeast L. A. County