Questions for Southern Baptist

[mixster]

9 iron: I agree with you! I believe this is exactly why we have the gift of tongues to edify the church and ourselves and how wonderful it is. I also pray in tongues to God when I feel frustrated and cant think of what to pray so I let the Spirit pray for me in the mysteries of the Spirit.

 

[mixster]

Tashena: Thank you for the information. Unfortunately I am too far away but I am praying that God will lead us to where we should go!

 

[Heatherondo]

I would like to have some honest opinions from Southern Baptist concerning a few things and I would appreciate some good feedback .

1. What does your church teach about the Pentacostals?
2. Are Pentacostal types welcome in your churches.
3. Do you have any Charismatics that attend your church?
4. Does your pastor preach against Pentacostals, the gift of the Spirit and tongues from the pulpit?
5. Does your church have musical instruments other than organ and piano, and does your church have praise and worship style worship?
Thanks for any response and I do need to hear from the Southern Baptist only for I am doing a study on this subject.

1-nothing
2-anyone is welcome in my church
3-probably, but i dont know any personally as i am homebound right now and havnt set foot in my church in a few years (the services do play on tv sunday mornings)
4-never
5-yes, and yes

 

[Hisgirl]

This has been a great thread. I spent 43 years in the southern baptist church....but then something spectacularly amazing happened and all these Holy Spirit gifts started showing up...and I wanted to be in a church that did acknowlege them and could help me to properly use them to best glorify God. So we now go to a balanced scripturly grounded vineyard church....but....before I left the southern baptist church, I wrote my pastor a letter and told him all the miraculous things that had happened...the healings, prophecies, words of knowlege, hebrew sounding words etc.....things that blew me away. He was ecstatic over the letter and said he agreed with 95% of what I shared with him, but he said he would never lead the church in that direction and couldn't support me doing so....It was kinda strange, but I do understand. The southern baptist convention has taken a stance on how they feel about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You can do a search and read past convention votes. However, there are many pastors who desire for the Holy Spirit to freely move in their church, but they fear losing their pension with the southern baptist convention. That was told to me by a southern baptist pastor who travels now and walks freely in the giftings.

 

[mixster]

hisgirl: Why the Vineyard church and how did u come to come to learn of it? I never heard of it until I came here. Are they like the Baptist in all doctrine except gifts?

 

[Ave Maria]

I would like to have some honest opinions from Southern Baptist concerning a few things and I would appreciate some good feedback .

Ok, I'm a former Southern Baptist so I should be able to answer these questions from a former Southern Baptist view.

1. What does your church teach about the Pentacostals?

I only remember the church that I went to mentioning Pentecostals once. They didn't seem to speak of them in a negative way but I do believe that Southern Baptists do not believe that the charismatic gifts are legitimate or for today.

2. Are Pentacostal types welcome in your churches.

I am sure they would have been. I don't know what the reaction would have been if one of them started speaking in tongues though.

3. Do you have any Charismatics that attend your church?

I am not certain if any attend now. I was not aware of any that attended then either.

4. Does your pastor preach against Pentacostals, the gift of the Spirit and tongues from the pulpit?

I never heard him do so.

5. Does your church have musical instruments other than organ and piano, and does your church have praise and worship style worship?

No, the church I went to only had a piano. They sung traditional Baptist hymns.

Thanks for any response and I do need to hear from the Southern Baptist only for I am doing a study on this subject.

Your welcome. I hope that the opinion of a former Southern Baptist has helped.

 

[mixster]

Thanks Holly: Could I ask you why you left the SBC.

 

[Hisgirl]

Hi Mixster I live outside of Atlanta. Lots and lots of traditional denominational churches here. I first heard of the Vineyard church a while back and studied what they believed. There are some vineyard churches that may go a bit far out on the limb with some things...but it's generally with how individual people may lack discernment. The teachings in the church I attend go as follows......About 30-40 minutes of singing praise and worship music with a band of piano, guitar, drums. Then prayer, announcements, more prayer, a very meaty sermon from scripture with lots of deep intellectual challenges and then more prayer. The congregation is urged to share if they feel they have a word from the Lord. Some one may stand up and say,"I sense the Lord wants us to remember the verse the pastor quoted earlier....(quote quote quote).....Or someone else may stand up and say they have an especially strong burden for a particular person and could we pray for them.... The church is very much into equipping the people...right now we're watching Kirk Cameron's DVDs on witnessing without offending. We will also learn how to pray for the sick and effectively walk in any gifting the Lord has equipped us with. It's very balanced and grounded and not a church for spectators....but for those who want to focus outside the church on the lost. All the other churches I've attended in my life have kept me so busy in Bible Studies, ladies programs, teas, luncheons, meetings, groups......who had time to go out and minister to the lost? This church is about equipping and getting out into the market place and since I feel we are in a harvest time, I want to turn my focus from the inside of the church to the outside. The giftings from the Holy Spirit have allowed me to share words with strangers I had no way of knowing and lay hands on the sick and see God miraculously heal. Having been SB...I never knew these gifts were even available.....thank God that He gave them to me without me even asking....cause I didn't know I could even ask for them! Now I'm so on fire for God and experiencing Him I can hardly wait to get up each morning!

 

[9-iron]

...and I wanted to be in a church that did acknowlege them and could help me to properly use them to best glorify God. So we now go to a balanced scripturly grounded vineyard church....

This is why I still go to a good ole Southern Baptist church. I can't seem to find a church with any balance. One church just wants to heal, prayer in tongues and chase demons. Another church just wants to contol you and the pastor constantly reminds everyone of his authority. Then yet another one you never know what is going on.

I don't agree with everything in the Southern Baptist church or the way things are ran. BUT the most important thing is I know where they stand, they aren't going to introduce some 'fly by night' theology into the church, and they have really great children's ministry.

 

[mixster]

good for you hisgirl: May I ask if your church speaks in tongues and what they teach about eternal security and women in the church? Thanks

 

[mixster]

9-iron: I agreee with you about having a church that is grounded in the Word and does not go willy nilly . I like denominations because they have stability and you know exactly where they stand wheather they be Baptist, AG or whatever. I am leery of these independent groups out there that make it up as they go and are not under some sort of covering like the SBC etc. I have seen some wild and wooley stuff out there by individuals that start their own thing and I would not go anywhere near that type of thing. I do not agree with the Catholic church belief system but I like their form of government as they should all think and believe the same thing.

 

[Hisgirl]

I've only been going there for a couple of months, mixster. As of yet, I've not heard anyone talking in tongues, but I know they acknowledge the gifts of the Holy Spirit as being for today. I wholeheartedly believe if someone were to speak out in tongues in this church, it would be a bit of a rare thing and would absolutely have an interpretation. As for eternal security beliefs....hmmm....They believe you are saved by faith in the grace of Jesus Christ. They believe God is a god of love and mercy and a god of wrath and judgment and that is what makes Him Holy. Honestly, I don't know how else to answer the security question....all the sermons have been lately on things like the validity and holiness of the Bible...how to witness effectively...things like that. As for women....also, I haven't heard anything talked about. I know the pastor encourages anyone, men or women to share with the church if the Holy Spirit is giving a word. If I felt the Lord was showing me something to share, he would welcome me to the front for the word to be judged by the church (test and try all spirits....prophectic words should be judged by 2 or 3 ) Home groups are run by a husband and wife team....

As for SBC....yes, I think it's important to go where you feel safe and agree with the teachings. The Lord just started taking me down a road where denomination was no longer important. Remember, God never invented denominations! I left the SBC when I found I disagreed with a couple of their teachings.....I can only speak for what my husband and I did....if you're led by the Spirit and where He put you...you're there for a reason.....I just needed to be where there was major equipping going on. The Lord is showing me that for ME...it's no longer about ladies' teas, luncheons, church programs, festivals and such....it's about the HARVEST! Yea!!

 

[LavendarVanilla]

1. What does your church teach about the Pentacostals? They don't "teach" anything about other churches/demonimations.
2. Are Pentacostal types welcome in your churches. Yes of course!
3. Do you have any Charismatics that attend your church? Depends what you mean by Charistmatics........ probably.
4. Does your pastor preach against Pentacostals, the gift of the Spirit and tongues from the pulpit? Actually, he doesn't say much on any of those subjects. (This is a tough issue for me, I was raised Charismatic (Assembly of God) and now attend a Southern Baptist Church.)
5. Does your church have musical instruments other than organ and piano, and does your church have praise and worship style worship?
Thanks for any response and I do need to hear from the Southern Baptist only for I am doing a study on this subject. Some of the the SB churches I've attended have drums and the whole bit, some just piano. Some have had praise and worship and some just regular hymns.

 

[Diane_Windsor]

I would like to have some honest opinions from Southern Baptist concerning a few things and I would appreciate some good feedback .

1. What does your church teach about the Pentacostals?
2. Are Pentacostal types welcome in your churches.
3. Do you have any Charismatics that attend your church?
4. Does your pastor preach against Pentacostals, the gift of the Spirit and tongues from the pulpit?
5. Does your church have musical instruments other than organ and piano, and does your church have praise and worship style worship?
Thanks for any response and I do need to hear from the Southern Baptist only for I am doing a study on this subject.

Honest opinions??? You are asking questions that can be answered in fact, not opinion.

The Baptist Faith and Message
Position Statements

1. Nothing-see the links above, and look around the SBC website to verify my answer.
2. All are welcome
5. Yes and Yes

 

[mixster]

LavenderVanilla: Thanks for your response. I am truly interested in knowing why you switched from the Ag to the SBC. I am doing a study. Could u share what happened to cause you to leave the AG. Thanks. Mixster