The 'Invitation'

out of my boooooonnnd-age, soooorrrrrrrooooww, and niiiiiggghhhhttt...

 

AYMAN! From the 'Amen corner'.

 

In our church, there have been responses at the invitation time for several weeks, all of them by small children, usually accompanied by their parents. Clearly their decisions had been made in other settings than the morning service.

So yesterday, as another one came during the first verse, I felt it incumbent on me to do something I rarely do -- to interrupt the invitation a verse or so later, and to remind our people that this is not just about children. This is about anyone, of any age, who needs to make a commitment to Christ and to His church. I just felt moved to do that ... call it instinct, call it Spirit, call it what you will. However, no one else came forward during those last two verses.

But today the Education and Youth Pastor told me that she had had conversations with two women, both of them African, who wanted to join the church but who did not understand how! One of them told our staffer that she did not know when during the service to come down! I do not think I could have made it much more clear ... except that I know there are some "buzz words", or traditional phrases, some people need to here. In my former pastorate (I am an interim elsewhere now), someone said to me, "Pastor, I never hear you say, 'We are now opening the doors of the church'". Some folks just had to hear that before the invitation was real!

So this week my task is not only to talk with this women but also to discover what formula some need to hear!!

 

The 'Invitiation'

Well I've read through most of the post in this Thread but I thought I'd put in my two cents worth. Please excuse me if I'm repeating anyone else.
I do understand what ya'll are talking about because they did the come down the isles in the churches I went to as a child.

But the church I go to now doesn't offer this. Our Pastor offers an 'Invitation's but you stay in your seat and he explains if you are ready to give your life to Jesus then repeat this prayer. And he say's a prayer he also sometimes asks if you prayed the prayer to indicate by raising your hand (this is all done while heads are bowed and eyes are closed) After he say's if you made a decision today I would like to talk with you and invites them over to the "Pastors Corner" after the service. He adds or if you want to meet staff or have anyone pray with you.

As far as Alter calls he offers this at certain times when there may be a need based on the message. And it's ALWAYS offered before we take the Lords Supper. We are given the time to get right with God if we have that need. Of course at both these times you can always do these Alter Calls right from your seat. (we don't have Pews either)

I forgot to add how we do "JOIN" the church. You go to a membership class where you actually are told what our churches beliefs are. Why we do church the way we do (based on Acts 2:42)
and each person must be a member in a Community group (small group) before you are a member OH and be or have been Baptized by emersion. And of course accepted Christ as Savior.

 

givengrace, you have given us grist for two more topics to discuss. I won't dwell on them here for fear that the thread may get hijacked, but I will mention them.

One, the modern invitation is intertwined with "pray this prayer." Asking God for salvation is just fine. But the Sinner's Prayer has been corrupted into "say these magic words." If one's hope of salvation is based on "I prayed the prayer," such a profession should be reexamined.

Two, "we'll pray with you." What does this mean? We'll pray at the same time? I'll pray FOR you. I'll pray silently while you pray aloud? Or is it just another piece of the language one uses in giving a public invitation.

The corruption of the invitation, the Roman Road and the Sinner's Prayer has led to 16-million Southern Baptists, of which 8-10 million cannot be found in any church on Sunday morning.

Which leads me to this question. How many of you attend Baptist churches whose Sunday morning attendance is more than 50% of your membership? Less than 50%.

My church? About 40%.

 

Not all congregations order their worship service in such a manner. Some churches are geared toward the regulative principle of worship seeking the Scriptures as the sole rule and guide for what happens in the assembly. Nor to some practice the idea that if the Scripture doesn't forbid it it's ok.

 

RB, do you think it would be fair to say that most folks who practice the invitation system do so because it is all they have ever known or been taught? I would guess that those who practice it would deny strongly that they are manipulative in their methods.

For non-Cals/non-Reformed, it certainly seems to be consistent with their free-willism and their belief in decisional regeneration. Do you think that's why Cal/Reformed folks tend not to use it?

 

I have thought How to respond and I'll just leave you with this...

Taken from my Pastors Blog If you'd like to read more I'll have the address at the End. Thanks

As I reflect on our journey I truly believe our best days are ahead of us. This past weekend we had over 6500 people attending in seven different Crossroads Churches in the U.S. That wouldn't have happened if this church had not been planted nineteen years ago. At Crossroads of Newnan we had over 3900 people walk in the doors of our church this past weekend. Dozens of people raised their hand indicating they had accepted Christ in our services. Right now, construction on a brand new worship facility is taking place on our Highway 16 campus. The future couldn't look better!

http://www.walkingasjesuswalked.blogspot.com/

 

givengrace, thanks for the response. When God saves people, I rejoice.

I must tell you, however, that this is a standard response to deflect criticism. The answer always is, success is measured by numbers, and numbers represent real people, so who are you to question what we're doing.

I'm sure there is discipling in your church, the education of baby Christians. Those who do the discipling should be able to also supply you these numbers: How many of those converts are still around two years later. How many have disappeared off your radar?

I don't know anything about your church, so I'm in no position to pass judgment.

It would help if you would tell us if "praying the prayer" is a standard soul-winning practice in your church.

That is, when you are telling someone how to come into a right relationship with God, what do you tell them?

Incidentally, I did read your pastor's blog. He seems to be saying all the right things.

 

I don't know if you saw on the Blog the other Links One is for My Church here is the Link www.crossroadsnewnan.org
Our Churches MOTTO is "Being and Building disciples of Christ"

The other was For The Discipleship Program That My Pastor Wrote.

http://www.impactdiscipleship.com/


And I'll add another for our Expansion http://www.expandingforhisglory.com/

In which we have Bought (and already paid for in 2004) 130 acres because the 20 plus acres we bought in 1992 we had already out grown.

I know Pastor Ken had said about the other 7 churches we have planted in the
U.S. but we have also planted One in Brazil that I think at last count has grown to 14 churches.

 

I would also Like to add if you Tom Buttler (or any of you) find yourself in the Newnan, Ga. area on a Saturday Night ( yes we have a Saturday Night service) or Sunday Morning we'd be happy for you to join us for Worship. Feel free to Email me directly [email protected]

 

Rubato 1Proselytizing on the BB?

J/K If I ever find myself in Georgia on a Saturday night, I'll be needin' a church!


I'm not sure what your Talking about , but if you are insinuating that I'm trying to change anyone's Religion I'm Southern Baptist (and so is my Church) and This is the BB like you said.

 

givengrace, welcome to BB! I don't think I've met you yet here.

I do believe that Rubato was saying if ever in your area he'd look you up, though....not the other way around.

-------------------------------------


as to invitations, I know our church gives one because it is far too easy to confuse people with just 'stay in your seat and pray this prayer'. Maybe it's the people we minister to in our area, but most need to be taken through the Scripture and have the gospel explained to them, and then be asked to respond to Christ.

I also like it that our church is more and more becoming even more focused on discipleship as an important part of the great commission.

 

givengrace, welcome to BB! I don't think I've met you yet here.

I do believe that Rubato was saying if ever in your area he'd look you up, though....not the other way around.


I'm sorry Maybe I should had posted. But Rubato P.M.ed me and explained. His humor and that the j/k ment "Just Kidding"

 

Sorry for the delayed response. The invitation system seems very clearly to me a tradition of men as I do not find it in Scripture. As David Lamb pointed out, we "invite" men to Christ, not to some particular part of a building and call it an altar. And I agree, those practicing this method are not doing it to try to manipulate people. I believe they do it because they think they are doing right.

And I also agree it follows and fits well with decisional regeneration. It's a tool that helps people "make a decision for Christ"

I also think we want to be kind to our well-meaning brother and not come accross to harsh on the matter as it appears this may be a small or light matter. I am more strong on this because it involves the salvation of sinners. I believe the invitation systems breeds false conversion. That said, it does not preclude God in His absolute sovereignty from saving a sinner under such a method.

I remember preaching the Gospel in a Church and afterward a brother (independant Baptist) asking why I gave no invitation. My answer was, "Brother, I was inviting, compelling, imporing sinners to turn from their sin and to the Living God for 45 minutes. What more should I do?"

 

Please note that I was careful not to criticize your church. In fact, I had a positive reaction to your pastor's blog. And I said clearly that I don't know enough about your church to pass judgment.

I was simply pointing out that your reaction in citing your pastor's blog about the numbers is similar to the reacton some seeker-sensitive churches and mega-churches have when they are criticized. They get quite defensive.

My question asking if your church uses the "pray the prayer" method of soul-winning was simply to seek more information about how your church presents the gospel. It may have come across as "in your face," but I didn't mean it to be so.

BTW, a welcome from me also.

 

Agreed. The exhortation is in the message, not a separate component.

Here is an example of the mindset produced by a misuse of the invitation system:

"Well, if you don't give an invitation, how does one get saved?" This was asked of me by a visitor to our church after the pastor closed a service without one.

"Well, what if you don't give an invitation and a lost person leaves the service and gets hit by a car and killed? You passed up an opportunity to give him a chance to be saved."

These two questions were from lay people.

Now, this from a preacher: "We're going to sing one more verse and if no one comes, the invitation will be closed. In fact, YOU will close the invitation if you do not respond."

I'm sure that this will be denied by those who made these comments, but the message I'm getting is that the Holy Spirit has no role in the salvation of a sinner. And that God is helpless to preserve the life of a sinner so he can have another "chance" to be saved.

I'm also getting the message that if a lost person doesn't respond to the invitation, they can't be saved until the next invitation is given. Now I don't for a minute think the preacher who said this believes that.

But it's obvious that some people are getting those messages. I've cited the examples above.

That's why we need to re-evaluate the very language we use in presenting the gospel and calling people to faith in the Lord Jesus. Imprecise language is like blowing an uncertain trumpet, and the results can be disastrous.

 

I agree brother. Either the lost get the impression that they wait for the "invitation" to be saved, or the impression that the decision they made at the "altar" saved them and they are going to heaven. If they continue in sin and that church, they can just redicate every Sunday and be good to go.

We minister from time to time in a youth detention center. I have run into a lot of kids there who say they made a decision for Christ and are saved. I am not saying that a kid may have made a mistake/sinned as a Christian, but these kids are habitual and unrepentant in their sin. The decision saved them they think.