Churches

Last week I wrote about the altar call my thoughts on it were sparked by a song by Casting Crowns. Today I have read an article on the AIG web site titled “Today’s Youth—Walking Away from Truth”. It chronicles how young people today are abandoning Christianity once they enter college. It makes the point the young adults have not been given a basis for their belief.
I grew up in a Southern Baptist church; I went to church each Sunday morning and some Sunday and Wednesday nights. Every Sunday morning and most Sunday nights the pastor would spend 30 to 40 minutes explaining to a group of Christians how to get saved. This came after about 20 minutes of singing with some prayer thrown in for good measure.
Sunday school was for bible stories until we became high school aged then it turned to dealing with the issues that we faced daily. Wednesday night usually had more in depth teaching.
The main emphasis of this church was getting people saved.
After I got married I was introduced to what are called Doctrinal churches. These are independent churches that teach the bible, usually one or two books at a time verse by verse and dealing with subjects as they come up. For example the church that I attend now finished the book of 1st Corinthians with a total of 693 hours of teaching.
The main emphasis of this church is equipping believers to function in their Christian life.
In the church that I grew up in I learned how to get saved and that once I was saved I would always be saved. At the church that I attend now I have learned that there is a Christian life after salvation and before glorification.
I had a few friends while I was in college who were pastors. Some had gone to seminary some had not. Of the ones who went to seminary they all told me how they had taken classes on preaching in which they were told to keep their messages simple, “three points and a poem” so to speak. They had classes on church history and doctrine but were encouraged not to teach that once they had their own church because the common people would be board and would not understand. I think that this attitude comes from wanting to draw in and keep the largest number of people that one can. Looking back now I cannot remember any Baptist preacher who was satisfied with the number of people in his church. They were always setting numeric goals or having a high attendance Sunday. I wonder what would have happened if they would have just Sheppard the flock of God among you and let God give the increase.