Featured What kind of Baptist Church would you start?

It seems to me that planning on starting a church while just beginning the educational process is putting the horse before the cart. I would advise the following:

1. Get you education and I agree with the OP, a minimum of a masters and better to have a Ph.D.

2. Use the time he is in school preparing for his ministry and to pray and search for what type of ministry God wants him to follow. It may be church planting, but then again it may well be something else. Don't limit God by selecting a particular path now ... other than receiving the best education he can have.

Not everyone is or should be a church planter.
Not everyone is or should be an evangelist.
Not everyone is or should be a pastor.

Find out what God wants him to do.

 

Why would we be speculating about your son starting a church now, when he's years away from completing your expectations of the education level he should achieve?

Why are we discussing the type of church that you would start, since your son is the one who has been called by God to become a pastor?

IMO, if/when our Lord calls him to start a church, the Holy Spirit will guide him in the decisions made at that time. On one hand, he may never start a church, as we don't know how Christ will use him as a shepherd in His Church. OTOH, he may establish many over the lifetime of his service to God.

It isn't about our wants, ideas, needs, goals, desires, plans. It's all about HIS plan for our lives, whether layman or pastor, as individuals in His service.

 

For less than two cents, here's my thoughts.

Bear in mind I live out in "macedonia" so to speak.

Rather than a ph.d. in religious matters, I'd encourage him to survey the parts of the country that seriously have NO churches where the gospel is preached.

I'd have him either get a degree in something that would support him in those areas or get him into a training program for them.

Also get him seriously studying ON HIS OWN with a good pastor and online sources, because he is for sure going to need to be a self starter and able to keep himself fed.

Let God choose the field--son will know that by which place WITHOUT the gospel preached he can find a job.

And then start a simple community church and teach the truth.

Maybe he'll wind up in Loco Hills or on Johnson's Mesa or some remote ranch area or in the oilfield in parts of eastern Montana or western North Dakota. Maybe he'll be out at Gobernador or Lindrith. Maybe he'll be needed at Campo or Walsh or Killdeer.

Many parts of this country have low population density. Many of them have a few map dots but no gospel preaching church. And many of the people surrounding those map dots face 15-20 miles of dirt road and then as much blacktop to get to church.

I hear so much that the church has gone feminized.

God grant us some strong men looking not for a fiefdom, but willing to work with strong backs to make a living to carry the gospel to those with NO churches.

 

If it were me, I would most likely start an independent Baptist church that would be affiliated with the Southern Baptist convention, and and might possibly lean in the reformed direction... But that's Just me...

As to education, I'm going to start another thread...

 

If all Baptist churches drop the Baptist banner from the name, one would have to spend time in dozens of churches, and listens to hundreds of sermons, before figuring out if baptist doctrines are taught.

Why be sneeky?

Read Baptist history - there is much to be proud about.

Keep the Baptist banner on the name and help other baptists relocating in the area, or others looking for a church, save time and money in finding you.

I always favor labeling things as they are.

It is not the church planter, for its funders, that will make the church grow ... rather, it is the power of God -- nothing else.


So if white people get a bad rap, will you go around covering your skin in another color to avoid turning people off?


Stick to truth .... say what you are, and be what you say

IN Paul times, the churches he planted identified with and acknowledge the leadership from the church at Jerusalem ... so there was not confusion back then

 

Yeah, read the NT, those Christians were not confused about ANYTHING!!!!:BangHead:

 

And GOOD( God) ALWAYS overcomes " bad" ( satan, deception). To take Baptist out of a church name is like the Jehovas. They NEVER tell you they are Jehova, they go around it. Like I said, we are to be IN the world, not OF the world.

 

Some areas known to be very critical of the term 'baptist"...

many menbers of my church, including sen pastor, came out of Catholic church, so we have chosen to not use the term. as much of our outreach is among catholic and other main stream churches in area!

 

We've transferred around a lot.

I'm against removing the denom from your name if you have any sort of denom affiliation.

Churches do it trying to reach a target group that might have a bad thought about the denom label.

But let me assure you, that backfires. You definitely don't want a Baptist--or AoG--or Lutheran--or whatever church.

You THINK you found a congenial bunch at this non denom and then whammo--find you are neck deep in a group you detest?

Yeah, that won you over. Right. Now you will not only leave but tell folks what a bunch of liars that church is.

Being open, honest, and up front pays off. Sure some folks won't darken the door UNTIL and UNLESS the Lord draws them.

That's just fine. There is a clear line in the sand that we want folks to understand.

 

The good Lord will make things clear.

 

I have a dream to start a reformed SBC church in the western half of the states and out of the Bible belt. I want to go to places like Oregon or Washington where there is not a great deal of influence for the gospel there. California or Nevada or other places like that are also up for grabs.

Whenever (if ever) I finish my ThM at SEBTS, I'm considering doing a PhD at GGBTS in part to network w/ like-minded guys to make this church plant a reality (also b/c it is shorter and w/ a ThM I don't want another 60+ credits). But that is years down the road for me.

My desire is to have a plurality & equality of elders to lead the congregation into a deep understanding of the Gospel. It will be very gospel centered. And by that, I don't mean a cheap presentation but one that is extremely unappealing to the natural man. One that is foolishness and a scandal. One that calls sinners to repent, believe, and follow Jesus. One that says when Jesus calls a person, he bids him come and die. One that the only explanation for any conversion is that the Holy Spirit did the work to change the heart toward such an extreme message as the Gospel. So it will be missional, but not numbers focused. It will be about making disciples not converts.

As far as the name goes, it would not have "baptist" in the title. Many reformed SBC churches have done this and have seen great growth and revival. Not saying the name was the reason, but it doesn't hurt either.

 

Contemporary worship, elder leadership, and sermons which balance preaching and teaching. My church would practice Believer's Baptism, give enough to the CP per SBC regulations, but also be free to do missions with other Christians we support in good conscience--without having to give all our mission $ to Annie or Lottie.