Decisions vs Conversions

Whoever said it's the pastor's job to be teacher and mentor? It CAN be, but it certainly doesn't HAVE to be. In our church most of the teaching and mentoring is done in our Sunday School classes and in finding prayer and accountability partners for different areas of life and service.

We are a small church, so it's a bit easier than I would think it would be in a church of several thousand, but I would think that's where the small groups would come in.

 

Perhaps I was not very clear. I agreed with convicted1 where he said:
Convicted1 writes:
"Salvation starts with a Godly sorrow set up in one's life, per 2 Cor. 7:10. If you don't have that before you pray, you will not be saved, period!!"

Unless a conversion includes conviction of sin and repentance, it probably was not a real conversion. I am not saying that people coming forward in our church are not really converted; I don't know. They go to a prayer room where they are counseled. Hopefully, conviction and repentance are addressed there. However, conviction and repentance are hardly ever publically memtioned during the alter call.

We claim many conversions and baptisms, yet our attendance has not increased. Of course, maybe there are other reasons our attendance has not increased.

 

Sorry I noticed, your in VA Beach....guess I should have looked but I vacation there & would like to find a church to worship while down there....are you Baptist & then what type?

 

There are many Baptist churches in Virginia Beach. We go to the First Baptist church of Norfolk which is within about 200 yards of the Virginia Beach line. It can be seen from interstate 264 just after you exit interstate 64 and at the intersection of Princess Anne/Kempsville Road and Newtown Road.

Our SBC church has four services with a total attendance of about 1800 each Sunday. The pastor is not a Calvinist. Since you have probably read some of my posts on BB, be aware that the pastor and I do not necessarily always agree on all doctrinal issues. I never looked into which Baptist churches in the area are Calvinistic or not.

 

The essential problem is a lack of deep teaching in our churches. The youth are preached at three or more times each week with little or no time spent systematically teaching them the deeper truths of Scripture. They are taught what to believe but not why we believe or how to study the Word for themselves. When the youth leave for college, they should have already received the equivalent of a theological degree.

 

Maybe we're debating apples and oranges.

Decisions are the acts of a human mind.

Conversions are the acts of God.

 

:thumbs:Nailed It:thumbs:

 

I've been fighting with this for years. Only to have everyone get defensive and tell me things like "they're not ready for things like that" or "your gonna spiritually drown em" or " I can barely understand those things what makes you think they will".

But I did so anyhow. The kids that cant even pay attention in school tuned me out after 15 minutes. But there were some that soaked it up and wanted more. Those were the ones that motivated me for the class every Wednesday. Now those teens can explain the deep truths to you in detail off memory.

 

Im a Primitive Baptist....so we dont have SS. We believe in the direct communion between the HS & us through our reading & understanding of scripture.

 

EWF I don't know if I have ever heard or read it said any better. :thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

I am an Old Regular Baptist....We don't have SS either for the same reason.

 

Thanks....It should be easy to evaluate them via google & they wouldnt be the home church anyway.