Calvinism on the Rise in Southern Baptist Life

maybe that is why, per my pastor past Sunday, ONLY Christian Church that showed a net membership gain was Assememblies of God, whopping 1 percent!
3 largest gains were for Mormons/JW/Jesus Only !

cults with false Gospel bigger incentive to witness than us with real Gospel and real jesus!

 

west side of State BIG reformed Churched, as settled by Dutch, other sections settled by germans, so Lutheryn, while big section in detrot either pentacostal/catholic!

suburbs are where Baptist churches tend to be placed in Mi

 

the MOST dangerous critters in the Great North...

Wolverines AND Packer fans!

 

I can only speak about the SBC. But as a denomination they are attempting to "engage the lostness in America" by a church planting emphasis.

On the other hand, I am always amused by those phrases. Instead of witnessing or evangelism we talk about being missional (which has lots of different definitions) and "engaging the lostness" (which can mean telling our neighbor about Jesus or more direct interaction with same sex groups. Of course, maybe I'm just old and cranky.

I am thankful we are going to plant new churches, but evangelism is more than church planting. It is about local church members talking to their neighbors about the difference Jesus Christ has made in our lives because of His forgiveness of our sins.

 

Think hard to get a grasp on this, as the American Churches, even the baptists ones, have become 'well adjusted" to co existing with a post modern Christless society!

We have "Emergent' churches becoming popular, that deny Hell, we have prosperity Churches like Joel Osteen who deny that God requires ;hard" christianity, that He wants to give health/wealth/pleasure

So with christian churches "repackaging" new gospel/new jesus , no wonder thinks are amess in modern Church in USA!

 

I'm not <even> trying to get an argument started here, but how does one engage lostness? Isn't that God's work? Are we not just the ones who carry His message?

Too many church folk lulled to sleep by all the human-centered activity of late. "If it is to be, it is up to me..." *yeah, right*

If we truly desire to see God work we ought to be wearing out our knees, not arguing back and forth about who is or is not reaching the lost. God is just as willing as ever, and the lost are just as lost as ever. And the devil has convinced us that arguing about Calvinism and Arminianism is the answer... Guess he is winning this round. :BangHead:

About Ed Stetzer, I know him well. Good man, especially when it comes to gathering research. He has also planted and grown a number of churches aside from his other work. Kathy and I transcribed his first major book, "Church Planting in the 21st Century." I had an on-going argument with him at the time, concerning his "sure-fire" methods. I noted that they might work in one context but not in all, and that I had alread seen his (early) methods fail horribly in my own church planting context. He later admitteded this in his book on missional church planting, and has went on to go in the contextual missional direction -- in other words, doing what works for the peopel the Lord has before YOU and not trying to adopt what works for someone else somewhere. Of course, that takes work -- work that many are simply not willing to do -- because the work of contextual missionizing is the work of discovery, insight, prayer, the leading of the Holy Spirit, then the actual dealing with the people God gives.

 

IF we learn anything from NT Church in acts, it was that they were known as "being with jesus" reflected His character, and was empowered in fulness of the Holy Spirit, He energized their message and lives!