Southern Baptists buck trend, post most baptisms in 4 years
Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, Tenn., was in tough straits two years ago.
The church had gone 12 months without a pastor. Sunday morning attendance hovered around 120. And, in 2008, the Southern Baptist congregation baptized only three people.
That changed last year when a new pastor and a new approach to ministry led to 53 baptisms and 200 new people showing up on Sundays.
From the Article: "The Rev. Frank Page, vice president of evangelization for the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board, believes focusing on baptisms can unite contentious factions of the turbulent convention." Here we go again. It's Jesus that we should be focusing on, and Him changing lives. For our denomination, numbers has been the goal for far too long, and for many S. Bapt. leaders, Baptism has just been a Sanctified way to count noses. As to the "New Approach to ministry" I don't know if they mean The Circus Driven approach, that many are giving in to just to get numbers. Or hopefully, it's the members doing the work of the minisrty by taking the gospel to the lost outside the church. That is God's original plan, but it hasn't been seen for so long, that it would appear new to people today. I hope this church Does become successful by following the Biblical pattern. But if their success comes from a Fad Driven approach, it will all be Wood, Hay, and Stubble before the Lord. God; Please forgive and bring Revival to our denomination as well as others. In Jesus Name.
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