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Gatherings?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by drfuss, Apr 6, 2010.

  1. drfuss

    drfuss New Member

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    Our SBC church has changed from having "church services" to having "church gatherings". For instance, we have three gatherings on Sunday morning with the music changing from traditional to contemporary music.

    Is having gatherings instead of services a trend for SBC churches?

    What do you think of changing the name from church services to gatherings?
     
  2. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I've not heard of that before and as far as I know, we'll still be holding "services" in our new church.
     
  3. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    services, gatherings, meetings .... pretty certain none are scriptural terms, so it's just a word.
     
  4. Aschultz73

    Aschultz73 New Member

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    Personally I feel as long as they are holding a service that can be recognized as of God the Father thru Christ Jesus with the guidance of the Holy Spirit that a word will not matter.

    I personally like the word service though because it reminds me we are all called to serve as our Lord and Master served. I dont know what other people think, but when I go to church I want to serve in any way I can. I just hope the word change is not something that could lead to a watered down or false message then it would be wrong.
     
  5. StefanM

    StefanM Well-Known Member
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    I agree. It's just semantics.
     
  6. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    Words mean things.

    I'm curious as to the reason for the change. Maybe drfuss can tell us if other things have been changed as well.
     
  7. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    IMO it sounds like a word to make the church service sound less formal and thus appeal to a "hipper" crowd. Since the music is changing with the name change, it sounds like this could be the case.

    Just wondering, where did this change come from? Did the church vote on a change of this magnitude (when I speak of magnitude I speak of a music change across the board)?
     
  8. drfuss

    drfuss New Member

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    It is a relatively large church (about 2000 on Sunday), so these type of things are not voted on. It was decided by the Senior Pastor. While a larger church can offer many things a smaller church cannot, you only get what the leadership decides to give you.

    The deacons questioned it and were told this is the way it will be, in order to draw and keep the younger people. In a church this size, the way to vote on such things is with your checkbook and your feet. Some people have voted and are voting.
     
  9. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    Sorry...I don't mean to bash your church, but this just isn't healthy. A decision such as this totally changes a church and at a minimum the deacons should have been involved in the decision. For the pastor to just dictate what is going to be done is just wrong.
     
  10. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    I would agree that someone other than the pastor ought to be involved in the decision.

    BUT, it ain't the deacons who decide what is supposed to happen in the church. The Deacons are supposed to be servants not a board of directors.
     
  11. matt wade

    matt wade Well-Known Member

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    I agree with you, but in most churches Deacons act as both servants and help with decision making. Can't they do both?
     
  12. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    Sounds all to familiar. The church I used to attend several years ago started making small changes like this to make it more palatable to seekers. If your senior pastors starts wanting to remove religious symbols that offend, such as crosses or the word Baptist from your church name, then he's reading from a seeker friendly source that is telling him to do so. I would go to a deacon or elder and ask them to question the pastor as to why the changes.
     
  13. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    Aha, just as I suspected. It's a marketing strategy.
     
  14. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    Yup, smells like Rick Warren or similar stuff. I did some research a long time ago and part of the strategy is to silence objectors, so if this is a Saddleback program, beware.
     
  15. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    Did a quick search for the use of the word "gather, gathered, gathering" and discovered it was used quite often in Acts.
    4:31 - the place where they gathered together was shaken
    12:12 - believers were gathered together for prayer for Peter's release
    14:27 and 15:30 - they gathered the church together
    20:7 - they were gathered together on the first day to break bread and listen to Paul preach

    Maybe the Pastor's change in terminology was not done in a way I would do it or as you would do it, but it is a biblical word in describing the church (and others) getting together.
     
  16. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    One church I attend calls the Sunday service 'transit'.

    Most I am associated with call them services.
     
  17. John Toppass

    John Toppass Active Member
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    It is biblical. I am not a Rick Warren fan but don't you think you should not condemn something biblical just because you think Warren might be behind it?
     
  18. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

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    It didn't take long for someone to try to blame this on Rick Warren-

    It's almost like the Democrats- whatever happens is Bush's fault.

    Your church changes service times- "PDC!"

    Your church uses a video projector- "Saddleback!"

    Your church plays a Gaither song- "Rick Warren did it!"

    :rolleyes:
     
  19. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    Sorry, but I was burnt by the PD model as well as many other Christian friends of mine and I'm a little too eager to pull our the Rick Warren card on anything seeker friendly. I just feel he has made such a big impact on many churches in America with his marketing methods. Some may have worked well where a church was dead and not reaching anyone, but I'm familiar with seeing a good church removed and replaced with a very liberal form of worship and study.
     
  20. Gershom

    Gershom Active Member

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    Hebrews 10:25, 1 Cor 11:20, 1 Cor 14:23... all referred to as assembling or coming together, which means "gathering", not "service."
     
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