About Us

History and Composition
Established in 1870, the Greater Orlando Baptist Association (GOBA) is one of the oldest associations in the state of Florida and has been operating continuously since that time. GOBA is a network of autonomous Southern Baptist churches that exists to effectively fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). We are a family of more than 110 churches that worship in roughly a dozen languages. We consist of churches of different sizes and styles, but we all seek to make the name of the Lord Jesus Christ known so that more come to serve Him!

Polity
GOBA is governed by an Administrative Committee and made up of pastors and laymen from its member churches who are elected annually by the Association membership during the Annual Celebration in October. The Executive Board is composed of the pastors of our churches, along with a lay representative that each church delegates. They meet quarterly.

Membership
When Southern Baptist churches in our region are being planted, they can receive assistance through partnership and financial support of GOBA, the Florida Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board (NAMB). Churches that were not originally constituted as Southern Baptist churches may seek admission to GOBA by submitting a request to the association’s Executive Director.