<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by webmaster:
We used to have a Primitive Baptist Forum on the old BB. I wonder if some the PBs are still around to answer your questions.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
That would have likely been me, I was the first Primitive Baptist to participate here. Some may remember me, some not. At any rate, a bit about me, for those who might care to know.
The posting name is my real name. I live in Arlington, VA, a mile up the street from the Pentagon and the Phone # is in the book.
I am an Elder in the church, but no longer preach very often because of health problems. There arent many Primitive Baptists in this part of the world any way. :-( When we can we do attend Old Carroll Primitive Baptist Church at Mt. Airy, Maryland -- There are others closer, but this one is composed of folks from Appalachia, as I am, so we feel more comfortable there with the style of worship, though the doctrinal points would be the same at any in this area.
So, if there is anything you want to know, ask, I will respond as best I can, but I will not debate. It isn't in me, and I think most Primitive Baptists, at least the ones I know are about the same.
One question that is in the above collection of posts about churches meeting only once a month wasn't completely answered.
It is very true that in times past and gone it was the common practice of Primitive Baptists to meet once a month on a Saturday and Sunday, and there are lots of churches where that is still true, but in many it is not. Some meet every Sunday, some even more than once on Sunday, but most meet at least every other weekend. The reasons for this are probably difficult for those who aren't used to it to grasp, but here they are:
a. In some areas there aren't enough ministers to go around, so, once a month is it.
b. Tradition.
c. Some have left it this way so that their members might visit other congregations on the off meeting weekends. (I think this is the most common reason for meeting once a month even to this day). There are some very large Primitive Baptist Churches in Eastern Kentucky (250 members for us is very large

and if they all gang up and rotate around, you can get congregations of close to 800 at a time. Another odd thing about Primitive Baptists, at least in Appalachia, we have many more folks who attend that have never joined the church.
d. Some of our folks are just plain stubborn about it.
e. Fearing of offending a sister church. -- In that, if one large church started holding service every weekend, and there was a small church near by then those in the small church might think that the large church was trying to absorb them. Makes sense to me, hopefully to you as well.
Primitive Baptist practice is much the same in many places as it was when the great division took place in 1832, and hopefully fairly close to what it was in the early days of the church. Whether or not that is the case, is always debateable, but most of us seem relatively happy with the practice.
Hope it helps.
Jeff Weaver