Friday, 24 July 2009 06:19 Last Updated on Monday, 07 January 2013 07:13

Tampa Bay Baptist Association is an association of over 180 Southern Baptist missions and churches in Hillsborough and Pasco Counties on the west coast of central Florida. Churches work together cooperatively for mission causes in the name of Jesus Christ.

The association operates a conference center, and conducts training events. The Tampa Bay Association office is located at 1060 West Busch Boulevard in Tampa. Click here for a map and directions from your location.

The mission of Tampa Bay Baptist Association is to glorify God by working with churches in carrying out the Great Commission in Tampa Bay and beyond!

"Bringing Our Community To Christ" John 1:41-42

Mike Kahn Executive Director
Tampa Bay Baptist Association
1060 W. Busch Boulevard
Tampa, FL  33612

Our Southern Baptist Convention which began in 1845 with 293 messengers representing 166 churches meeting in Augusta, Georgia. The original messengers could not have had any idea how God would use this organization to expand His kingdom work locally and globally.
Today, the Convention has a reported membership of 16,266,920 with 345,941 baptisms reported in 2007. Some say these numbers are inflated. Don’t believe it! The truth is that many S.B.C. churches fail to send in an Annual Church Profile each October which means their numbers are not even reflected in the totals. This is the largest evangelistic organization on planet earth!

With churches working together and supporting the Cooperative Program our  Convention has six of the largest seminaries in the world and support over 10,000 missionaries serving in 184 countries around the world. Southern Baptists are among the first volunteers when a disaster strikes. People are being led to Christ, churches are being started, and ministers are being trained on a daily basis by Southern Baptists. To those who question the value and merits of the S.B.C., I have these five questions:

• Is there another evangelistic body anywhere able to duplicate these numbers?

• Is there any other source in the world doing as much as our Guidestone Financial Resources to support their current and former ministers?

• Is there a Christian publication house larger than Lifeway?

• Is there any other organization in the world training more seminary students, sending out more missionaries and volunteers, or starting more churches worldwide?

• Is there any other Christian ministry in over 100 languages in America?

Our Southern Baptist denomination is important and relevant in today’s world! These worldwide ministries – listed above – and most of our churches would not exist without the cooperative work of the denomination.

I have been saved, baptized, called to preach, licensed, ordained, married, educated, and allowed to serve the Lord through Southern Baptist ministries. In this person’s view Southern Baptists are alive and well on planet earth.

Mike Kahn