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+'s and -'s of a new church

Discussion in 'Polls Forum' started by Alcott, Mar 23, 2004.

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I would be favorably impressed on visiting a church if this church...

  1. only allows the KJV to be read from its pulpit and in any Bible study classes

    25 vote(s)
    53.2%

  2. allows any Bible translation to be used in its preaching and Bible study

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  3. allows, with few exceptions, only traditional hymns to be sung or played in worship services

    4 vote(s)
    8.5%

  4. allows a variety of Christian music and songs to be sung or played in worship services

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  5. allows only men to be recognized as deacons or elders

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  6. allows women to be recognized as deacons or elders

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  7. does not allow anyone who has been divorced to be married in its sanctuary

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  8. does allow divorced people to be remarried in its sanctuary under certain conditions

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  9. is very strong in teaching that members owe at least a tithe (tenth) of their income to the church

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  10. teaches that church members should give as they are led to give; seldom use the word "tithe"

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  11. welcomes homosexuals as members and never speaks against their lifestyle

    16 vote(s)
    34.0%

  12. does not hesitate to say homosexuality is a sin

    2 vote(s)
    4.3%

  13. frequently tells members that they should consider biblical principles when deciding for whom to vot

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  14. avoids saying anything that may be contrued as political

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
Top Posters
  1. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
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    If you are looking for a new church to join, and only upon visiting this particular church did you find out their positions on issues which can be controversial, how would that affect your evaluation of this church?
     
    #1 Alcott, Mar 23, 2004
  2. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    I noticed that someone voted that is would be a negative opinon, if a church does not hesitate to say homosexuality is a sin.

    Too often Christians will join a church esp a Baptist church, before finding out where the chruch stands on certian issues.

    I think this is an excellent poll.

    Are there any other issues, that we should be concerned about?

    Finally, would you consider joining a church for the purporse of trying to change a major pratice, ie KJO, Trad only music, divorced deacons, ect?
     
    #2 Salty, Feb 26, 2005
  3. Salty

    Salty 20,000 Posts Club
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    I am surprised that many people voted, but no one else made a comment. Again, I state that too often a Baptist will join a church too quickly.

    Salty
     
    #3 Salty, Sep 17, 2005
  4. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

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    I would tend to agree Salty -- lots of issues take lots of time to figure out. Few are evident in a few visits, unless you arrange for a personal interview with the pastor to ask those hardhitting questions that matter to the new member :D
     
    #4 mcdirector, Sep 17, 2005
  5. SeekingTruth

    SeekingTruth Member

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    mcd, unfortunately many Baptists do not really think about doctrinal issues (or they don't understand them) when seeking a new church and will join a church simply because it has Baptist in its name, and will blindly accept whatever practices the church has adopted.

    The reason for this, IMHO, is that we, as Baptists, do not stress Baptist distinctives and principles enough. If a prospective member understands the beliefs of a church and decides to become a member, okay. But to find out later there are things you do not agree with or that you think are not Biblical is tragic.
     
    #5 SeekingTruth, Sep 17, 2005
  6. Plain Old Bill

    Plain Old Bill New Member

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    I would be interested in the church doctrinal statement and covenant if they have one.Some of the questions were at 2 extremes with no alternative answers.Also some of the questions were extra Biblical.
    A case in point: KJV only be used from pulpit and SS classes,since I am KJV preferred I would like the kjv to be used in the pulpit but if the ESV or NASB,or NKJV were used I would not find that objectionable.Also I think it is very useful to have several versions available in SS for comparison and fleshing out thoughts and ideas.
    Also I believe there is an office of Deaconness in the NT and have no objection to that.
     
    #6 Plain Old Bill, Sep 17, 2005
  7. Artimaeus

    Artimaeus Active Member

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    True, but also very frequently it is a baby Christian (spiritually speaking) who is joining and really doesn't have a foundation to be able to distinguish what might be troublesome areas.
     
    #7 Artimaeus, Sep 17, 2005
  8. Alcott

    Alcott Well-Known Member
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    I really don't think a "personal interview" with the pastor is going to tell a prospective memeber what he wants to know. Ministers do have an air of salsemanship about the way they talk to people, and they tend to be perceptive about what 'prospects' want to hear. Also, going that route, it could be very unknown to the prospect how much the temperament of the church may differ with that of the pastor. In one case I have mentioned before on BB there were about 25 new members who joined a church I was in over an 8-month period, and almost all of them left when the pastor was forced to resign becasue the 'power structure' [old familes who had been in the church for decades] didn't like his approach.

    So leaving it too much to the pastor to determine how well you fit in with a new church can be risky. He may or may not be there within a short time, his views on matters of importance may differ considerably from many or most other members, and you may not know how 'edited" his explanations to you may be anyway.
     
    #8 Alcott, Sep 19, 2005
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