Do you run electricity or water on Sunday? Use a telephone, or internet service? Because if you do...then someone out there is working to provide those services you have paid for.
Since you are promoting a chapter in your "Confession" it is clear to see you are not Baptist,since Baptists do not hold to "Confessions or creeds".. that is the MOST UN Baptistic thing you can claim. and have no place in this forum..
That is the most ridiculous statement I think I have ever seen on the Baptist Board. It is rather insane, in fact...and completely igorant of Baptist history altogether. Cease and be stupid no more man! lol
With the fattening up of America, it would seem to be more appropriate to have a gym, not a café!
Hey, we live in the southland of California, and it seems that almost every medium sized church, and above, have ventured into the café business. One of our local mega-churches had a café and bookstore. It was huge, and the food was rumored to be very good. However, just last week, the newspaper reported that the recession took its toll on that church café and bookstore, and it now sits vacant.
If I were a pastor that was considering a café, I'd definitely wait until things get better, money wise that is!
Secondly, there are churches with food pantries that are closing too. It looks like the recession is hungry and gobbling up the church ministries where food sales and food donations are concerned.
Finally, I don't know where it is, but, there is a California church that has a franchised fast food restaurant. Don't quote me, but, I think it's a McDonald's or Burger King. It is a great way to make sure your church folks can get a job. And that is neat. I remember reading about it a few years back, so, I don't know much more than that.
I still think a church gym would be more of a ministry that serves the BEST interest of it's people!
Yeah, statements of faith.. but never as final authority...
And none that are binding on any Baptist church.
We rule from the congregation up... not top down, This is the one thing I don't like about SBC... it is slowly turning into a denomination that rules from the top down..
Then again,
Maybe I just jumped the gun there...
What? the SBC is not ruling from the top down. Maybe if your church accepts money from an SBC agency you may have to agree to follow certain guidelines. Otherwise, my chruch is just as autonomous as your's is.