Equality of Baptist Churches...???

Yes, and haven't run into a situation where I have been treated as less then equal and I pastor a small congregation that will always be small relative to the other churches in our associtation. Our county only has 800 people in it but we are treated as important and valuable in our association and by other churches. Larger churches do effect more people and therefore have greater representation, but only to a limited amount of people.

Don't see this as a scriprtural issue but a procedurial (sp) issue.

 

All Churches are equal. Larger Churches however are treated as more important in the SBC as are their pastors. When was the last time a Bivocational pastor spoke at the SBC? or one whose church averages 75 in Sunday School voted as SBC President? The SBC has it's popes, archbishops such as Adrian Rodgers, Charles Stanley, Al Mohler, James Merrit, Ronnie Floyd, Paige Patterson, Rick Warren, etc... This however is probably true in every denomination however.

 

Is that what the reference was, who gets to speak at a convention? Who cares?!! If speaking at some meeting is important, you're in the wrong business

 

Not everything is meant to be an argument. He was just stating a plain observation - easy for anyone to see. And I think it does go with the theme of this thread.

Having said that, I have seen where pastors of very large churches have "retired" to go preach at a small church in another part of the country.

 

Please, Calm down It was not intended as an argument and quit trying to re interpret my words or motives. It is merely an observation. The fact is Biblicaly all churches are equal as are all pastors. In the SBC or any denomination however it is not true. We love to attack the Catholics, Anglicans for their hierachal system when the SBC has it's own hierachal system among pastors and churches. I would say we have our own Christian celebrity system.

 

Not sure how this topic went from baptist churches in general to SBC. Isn't that off topic? Shouldn't that be a seperate thread?

 

donna, just giving my observation on the SBC (If you noticed however I did say "any denomination") It is not unique to the SBC however. I find the BIG Church, LITTLE Church idea to be common in all Baptist associations and denominations. So it is not a problem just for the SBC.

 

Acts 16:31 shows we are equal as to salvation in Christ. This is Christianity. The Christian noticed the message of Grace earlier. The name itself could have possibly been tagged to the saved by distracters’ in Antioch (Acts 11) when Barnabas found Paul and brought him to Antioch. This dropped Paul’s gospel (given him by Christ from heaven) right into our laps, displacing (dividing) the Old from the New. Just as God brought the Red Sea back together, so will he do with prophecy and His nation Israel. The Christian is an individual and not a church down here. God today is dealing with us as individuals, and not as a community as He did with His own, His nation Israel. He takes each of us and places us where He will in His Body.

What we do down here within our different denomination’s, as Christians, will have a bearing when He judges us at our rewards ceremony. Our attitude (our standing for and in Him) with our motives, will determine our seating. Every member of a church in the Baptist belief, Catholic, Methodist, or others that preach Christ Jesus does not guarantee, because of connection with the church down here, that salvation is secure, or that rewards will be in order.

Yes, I personally believe in the equality of Baptist churches, in any given circumstance. But others may feel differently, as we are all still carnal in the churches. We in the body are carnal, so we are disjointed down here; even within our own group (Corinthian church example), but in His Body we are in unity spiritually. We are of the Spirit, and if not we only remain carnal. We must be both. We remain carnal, but are also spiritual, which the unsaved or not.

Christian faith, ituttut

 

I think the question is does Jesus see the mega churches as more important than the country churches? I think there is a "Candlestick" for every Church regardless of size or financial status.