Cals, type of church do you attend?

i belong to a baptist church that is more arminian (hope i spelled that correct) i would love to find one that is more calvanistic.
my church gives altar calls. i believe that it is an unbiblical practice and it needs reformed. it would be nice to see the church follow new testament church doctrine.

 

SBC,

I'm glad to see you around again! Maybe I have missed some of your other posts...I only check a few forums.

I guess I am trying to say that the church we are members of are trying to do things right,but that is not a bad thing. In fact when correct doctrine is taught,I think the people really do learn how to go out and share Christ. I think they are doing the evangelistic part well.(Through God's grace and His power,of course). Instead of getting people plugged in,the teaching works on the hearts of man to allow them to see how scripture teaches man to serve and employ their spiritual gifts.

We drive to our church,but we still have a heart to serve and as God leads our lives,we may be able to serve this body in the special way God has ordained...to bring God glory,not us! We truly desire for that.

Like I stated before,this church has some very capable teachers and leaders,and we do not think we are to be doing that right now...we are learning from these spiritual giants. Sometimes God has us in a learning place at times,too. The different seasons of our lives make different priorities...and right now,that is my children. I do still serve others in my community through homemade meals,encouraging notes and just trying to be an exhorter in my every day life. I do have a lot to learn,though and desire to grow in God's grace.

This particular calvinistic church does evangelize through the lives lived there and the powerful word of God taught.

Thanks for your words,
Molly

 

I suppose I qualify as a Calvinist, since I do believe in election, predestination, etc. My current church is not a Calvinistic one, although the former pastor leaned in that direction. I only knew this from private conversations since he didn't teach it from the pulpit. (He left to finish his seminary education, not because his beliefs were unpopular.)

 

I attend Evangelical Free Church. When I moved to the Bay Area, I visited a bunch of churches and that particular church was the one where preaching seemed to be the most sound.

BTW does anyone know a good Baptist Church in or around San Jose where I would not be considered a heretic if I shared some of my Reformed convictions.

I have met a lot of people in our EFC that hold Reformed beliefs, although not necessarily in a systematic way.

 

Interesting posts thus far. My church - both local and denominationally - is very reformed in doctrine and in its preaching. However, one would rarely hear words like "Calvin" or "Reformed Doctrine" or "Predestination" etc., on any given Sunday morning. So it's very interesting to hear that this is going on in other churches. Occasionally, we even have altar calls (not often though) and prayer partners are always available up front after the end of the service.

Regarding an outward/inward direction, I have seen this in many churches (reformed or not) that seem to overemphasize the "right" stuff - the "right" translation, the "right" music, the "right" style of service, etc. Something I call majoring in the minors.

Note: within the reformed family, EE (evangelism explosion) was born and has been used throughout the world to effectively spread the Gospel, so I wouldn't define most reformed churches as inward looking - though I am sure some of them are.

 

I attend a Calvinistic synagogue, where both pas-
tors (although they just call themselves teachers)
were mainly educated in Baptist seminaries.

I was kicked out of a holiness-Arminian church,
which I had (in ignorance) attended for over 50
years, and which taught that believers never sin,
but not before I recognized that the ones who
were the noisiest re believers never sinning
demonstrated the most prevalently that they most
certainly do!

I am still learning about Calvinism, and although
my synagogue seems to accept about 4.2 points
of Calvinism ;-D, I am not sure about some things
yet.