Weak preaching and cultural adaptability are just two of many reasons Southern Baptists give to explain the decline of membership and baptisms.
"[T]he shallow state of preaching has exacerbated the lethargy of the church and left the lost with no real Word from God," said Paige Patterson, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in a column in Baptist Press.
"The pastor ought to be the major source of theological understanding and the most able teacher of the Bible,” he added.
"Anemic pulpits create anemic churches and denominations."
Since the release last month of the latest data on Southern Baptist membership and baptisms, both of which declined, Southern Baptists have speculated why the largest Protestant denomination in the country has been seeing lower numbers.
"Well, the time has come to identify the real problems," said Patterson.
Many church leaders have been calling for change to respond to what many identify as a shift from modern to postmodern culture. And the latest statistics showing shrinking numbers has made that call even more urgent. But cultural relevance has led many churches to lose the holiness of God and a thirst to be like God, Patterson noted.
A prominent conservative Southern Baptist, Patterson said he is the first to admit that "dullness and 'Baptist tradition' were too often the rule in our churches." But the suggestion that churches must chase after culture in order to be effective in evangelistic efforts is "misguided," he said.
"The more attune to culture Southern Baptists have become and the more we have incorporated the world into our worship, the more our baptisms have dropped!" Patterson noted. "Although I am not certain that there is a connection, as will become evident in what follows, I admit that I am suspicious."
Conservatives have not yet seen the revival that they hoped for following the "conservative resurgence" or what some opponents call "fundamentalist takeover" that began in the 1960s. But Patterson highlighted that they have not abandoned that hope and stressed the importance of not abandoning doctrine.
To be unapologetically Baptist – embracing the exclusivism of Christ in salvation, the inerrancy of God's Word, and the concept of a regenerate church witnessed by baptism and disciplined to live for Christ – may come off as being "mean-spirited" to the world, especially when opposing abortion and the practice of homosexuality, and doctrinal clarity is not popular in the world, the conservative leader admitted. But when following Christ and the Bible, Baptists have no choice about what they endorse and what they reject, he said.
Among other major causes Patterson listed for the Southern Baptist Convention's downturn are prayerlessness and a failure to share Christ individually on a consistent basis.
"The great need is for us to sense our spiritual poverty, seek God's face, and do His bidding. Folks, it is really that simple," he said.
Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention fell for the third straight year in 2007 to the denomination's lowest level since 1987, dropping nearly 5.5 percent to 345,941, according to LifeWay Christian Resources' Annual Church Profile (ACP). Total membership also declined by 0.24 percent to 16,266,920.
Comments
prespilot68,
I have been a Christian for twenty seven years now and was involved in the pentecostal movement for several years and I still have literature by Charles Finney in my bookshelves. I still have tracts of Finney's put out by the late Keith Green and Last Days Ministries. I can say, that after much study over a long period of time, I believe Charles Finney was a false teacher and may not have even been a Christian. I did not believe it at first, I did not want to believe it, but the evidence is all there. The issue is not whether you are an Arminian or a Calvinist, the issue is, are you born again of the Holy Spirit of God, are you a Christian. Many go under the banner of Calvinism or Arminianism or Catholicism or whatever, even calling themselves a Christian but they are not actually regenerate. Jehovah's Witnesses maintain they are true Christians but are they? So do Mormons, are they?
Please, please have a careful, humble, prayerful study or these essays and audio media, very sobering, there is far more to Charles Finney and his methods than meets the eye at first glance:
FINNEYISM
http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Bad-Theology/Finneyism/
Charles Finney’s Influence on American Evangelicalism
Exposing Charles Finney's Heretical Teachings
by Bob DeWaay
http://cicministry.org/commentary/issue53.htm
Bob Dewaay is a very sober-minded pastor who has a deep love for the sheep and a genuine concern for the lost. His research is thorough.
Is this true or false?>>>>
Two Views of Regeneration
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/twoviews.html
Is this biblical?>>>>>
The New Birth: Not the Consequence of Human Faith
http://www.monergism.com/newbirth.html
KoneWone2
The website you referenced regarding alter call is blantantly misguided. I find it is the usual dribble of the Calvinist blaming Charles Finney for the so called horrors of Modern Day Alter Calls. First, this Calvinistic website needs to get its facts straight (something I find often with Calvinist).
Finney did not have what we would now call an "Alter Call" but rather he had what was then called an "Anxious Bench" . The purpose of the Anxious Bench is really the opposite of an Alter Call. Finney utilized the "Anxious Bench" so that those who were having an "emotional experience" were placed on that bench for several days during a meeting or revival so that the person could have a complete understanding of what it meant for one to change their heart! Finney specifically preached against emotionalism and greatly encouraged for a person to make their decision for Christ as direct result of their coming to a freewill understanding of the truth of the gospel. The Anxious Bench was sort of a holding pattern to make certain that the person was NOT making a decision based upon pur emotion, but rather a revelation of Truth and Knowledge that would be couple with our sensibilities.
This whole Purpose Driven Church madness has steered pastors from the hearing from the Holy Spirit and instead they listen to what other PDC pastors have preached and regurgitate what they have spoken. There’s no holiness or desire for anointed preaching in that at all!
“In view of some of the activities of the contemporary church it’s an alarming apostasy. Because of the present conditions in the church (and in this message I will merely touch the fringe of them), it is an awful apostasy. For this reason I think we can accurately say that we are right now in an amazing and alarming and awful apostasy in the church.” J. Vernon McGee, The Amazing, Alarming, and Awful Apostasy (www.ttb.org).
When I had addressed my disagreement to a pastor being culturally relevant (PDC) and preaching sermons that would help people deal with real life issues, because he wanted to be like Joel Osteen rather than Jesus Christ, it just helped to confirm I needed to leave.
We are called to follow Christ and lead others into following Him also. We are not called to follow a man, but Christ alone.
Pastor Carter Conlon, senior pastor of Times Square Church has been preaching a series of sermons titled, The Corinthian Problem: The Roots and the Resolutions to Powerlessness in the Last Days’ Church. http://www.tscnyc.org/sermon_series_The_Corinthian_Problem.php
His sermon from May 4th, When Carnal Men Claim the Throne, would particularly relate to this article - May 4, 2008 - The voice of the Lord is coming to all the Jehoshaphats of this generation asking, “What are you doing helping those who exploit the poor, the widows and the fatherless?” God is beseeching them to ask Him for an eye salve anointing that they may see again and to ask for a purity of heart to look away from self and come back to the simplicity that is in Christ. False prophets are resisting Christ Himself for power, money and fame. Biblical prosperity is not given to bigger cars and houses. Biblical prosperity is to be poured out for lost humanity with the compassion and selflessness of Jesus Christ.
I see a need for less programs and more deep Bible teaching.
Maybe then my family and I could return to church.
Right now I am protecting my kids from the cultural adaptations enforced by my former church.
I see no need for letting my kids 'fellowship' with Wiccans in the youth group and at the retreats till the Wiccan's decide to become a full Christian instead of being 'half Christian and half Wiccan' as some proclaim.
'the shallow state of preaching' leaves Wiccan youth as lost as ever. And the Christian youth without a guiding light to shine on their new pastor ordained relationships with 'half wiccans and half Christian' church buddies.
"Weak preaching and cultural adaptability are just two of many reasons Southern Baptists give to explain the decline of membership and baptisms."
Many, many churches are returning to clear, doctrinally sound exposition of Scripture and churches are coming clean about the numbers on the rolls who actually do attend church. Numbers are not in decline, as the LORD Jesus Christ is building His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. The numbers in the church are increasing, daily, because it is the LORD Jesus Christ who adds to His church those who are being saved. Many churches have in the past, inflated the numbers on their rolls. This inflating of numbers is starting to decrease, which is a good thing. Christians are being more transparent and honest. If numbers in baptism have fallen, it is only because those who are getting baptized are actually born again, instead of all those who think they are because of some prayer they may have prayed or altar call they appeared at or decision they made. Also, many people have left their local church because the seats are too uncomfortable or ther music is not upbeat enough or the pastor is not a comedian, so on and so forth and now they attend Purpose Driven or Willow Creek mega-type organizations where they can get their itching ears scratched and their felt needs met. They can even hula-dance if they want. Scripture twisting seems to have become a favorite pastime.
Altar Calls and Decisional Regeneration
http://www.geocities.com/pvrosman/Altar_Calls.html
Purpose Drivenism
http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/.id.2.sid.28
Redefining Christianity: Understanding The Purpose Driven Movement
http://cicministry.org/radio_series.php?series=redefining
Excellent audio broadcasts. Lovingly handled.