Baptist in a Non-Baptist Church

Bob,

We're obviously on opposise sides of the baptist terrain, but I've served UCC (Congregational) churches without feeling comprimised; although it was clear that I was a baptist minister doing such.

As important as my baptist heritage is to me (and the baptist label for which so many faithful Christians died in the early years); I realize that my call is to serve the whole Church as God leads. Faithful believers, regardless of their denominational identity, need skilled leadership.

Joshua

 

Look sharp my friend, every church need guidance and leadership. My church was without leadership for a month or two and we got so many mixed messages that it was becoming confusing, my advice to you is to do it and see where the lord leads you.

Good luck to you brother.

-gabriel

 

Dr. Bob,
While in seminary, I served in short-term roles among American Baptist churches that were similar in doctrine & practice to Southern Baptist but would not consider them as full-time pastorates though they were offered to me. I also filled the pulpit in other churches of other denoms. Because I am so staunch in our SB method of mission work, and an ardent supporter of SB doctrine and practice, I would find it very hard to serve another denomination's church. However, Evangelical Free might be a possible exception because they are baptistic in doctrine and congregational in practice. Just because they don't have "Baptist" on their church sign doesn't mean they wouldn't be more baptistic in theology and polity than some churches that do have "Baptist" in their names. Since you are IFB, you may be more at peace with their mission procedures than I would be since I am SB. So all other things being equal, doctrine and polity being Scripturally sound, I would see no problem with serving should God lead that way.

 

Joshua might be surprised to know I have filled the pulpit in Disciples of Christ churches while in seminary on a couple of occasions and even had one want me to be their pastor. I rejected, and wondered if they actually heard me preach on the nature of God's Word (2 Tim 3:16-17) or just didn't care

 

Gasp! Cough! Choke!

Well, I guess if I can serve SBC churches (they never seemed to care when I prayed to God as Mother), anything is possible.

As for your preaching on "god-breathed" Scritures, it could be one of several things:

- no one actually listens as closely as we'd like to our sermons

- if one doesn't use the actual word "inerrant" it's possible to preach a sermon on the authority and inspiration of Scripture that both fundamentalists and liberals would like

- they just figured you were a young preacher and they'd "learn you right" after a while

Joshua

 

Hey, Dr. Bob if it is the E. Free church I am thinking of, it is a split from a Baptist church so it has Baptist roots. Does that particular E. Free church believe in eternal security? Some don't. Pray about it and go for it if God leads you to do that.

 

The EF Church is not a split from Baptists. The EF Church is an American phenomenon made up originally of Swedish immigrants who had been members of the Swedish Free Church, a non-state supported off-shoot of the Swedish Lutheran Church.

 

I was referring to a specific EF church in the locale of Dr Bob. This particular church started when a local Baptist church split.

 

I see. I stand corrected. The disgruntled Baptists threw the baby out with the bathwater?

 

I think that this kind of confusion will be more common in the future. In Europe, the Evangelischekirche is the Protestant (generally Lutheran) church. When they immigrated to the states, these churches used the literal translation "Evangelical" to describe themselves. Many of them were located in German-speaking communities in the Midwest, and merged with the Reformed churches, the Christian churches, and the Congregational churches into the UCC.

These days, "evangelical" is used as an adjective to describe very conservative Christians from the free church tradition. This second meaning for the word can create no small amount of confusion.

Joshua

 

There is a small group of churches that is incorporated as the Evangelical Free Baptist Church, described thusly

at this site. I think I'll start a topic on them in "Denominational Discussions" for anyone to post information on them there.

BTW, Dr. Bob, I would not pastor (that is, more than just filling the stand) such a church unless they had an eye to becoming "baptist." Under those conditions I might enter into extended labors with them. Though, as I understand, Evangelical Free are very close to Baptist, they probably hold some things with which I would not want to identify. I probably would make the distinction based on whether I was "just preaching there" or whether I was actually their pastor.

 

Here is the doctrinal statement of the Evangelical Free Church. With the exceptions of inerrancy and premillenialism, it looks like something almost any baptist could sign on to.

Joshua

 

Far more people would take issue with premillenialism than inerrancy of Scripture.

 

Tom,

Among fundamentalists - certainly. I meant baptists in general (of course many "moderate" baptists don't even know what premillenialism is.)

Joshua

 

I find very little to which I would object in the EFCDS, but would expect to vary quite a bit from their practice and interpretation on the church and its ordinances. My greatest objection on a quick read is the implication that a local church is not a "true" church; second would be premillennialism (no great objection, I'm just not a premillennialist).

 

RLV, I don't think that's their point. I think if you read this link your fears will be assuaged.

Joshua

 

What is EFCA polity like? Anyone know?

I saw that they're congregational, but is there a multiplicity of elders? Deacons? Is it up to the individual church?

What about the church you're working with, Dr. Bob?

Thanks for the links, Joshua.

[ April 23, 2002, 11:09 PM: Message edited by: Siegfried ]

 

Isn't it amazing how both conservative and moderate/liberal Baptists tend to hang out with fellow Christians who are not Baptist? For example conservatives have been known to partner with John MacArthur, D James Kennedy, R G Sproul, etc--while mod/libs hang out with their counterparts in the Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Catholic camps.

 

Jimmy, your observation just goes to show there is error on both sides of the fundamentalist fence.