Would you join this church

I would not join this church if they required women to wear dresses, would not allow you to own a television set or go to the movies. There was some other options I selected as well but I can't recall them off the top of my mind.

 

I would not join a church in which "priesthood of the believer" gave way to extra-biblical regulations.

Many of the poll options qualify.

 

Checking all the options I would say a big NOPE.

 

I hope for the sake of the truth of the Gospel of grace that no such church exists (Gal 2).

 

The only options I didn't mark was Closed communion, other, and none...

I have been a member of Closed communion churches... to me, it is not an issue to seperate over.

If a church wants to limit communion to it's members, that church has a right too... church autonomy.
We have open communion.... and I am fine with it...

I am just easy to get along with...

 

If these were requirements for membership, I wouldn't join this church.

 

Such church is an aberration of NT Christianity.

 

Choices 1,3,4,5,6 are absolute nos for me. The rest are debatable.

 

Very conservative Primitive Baptists...
Very conservative Old Regular Baptists...

And the type of IFDB churches I grew up in... (Independent, Fundamental, Dysfunctional, Baptist)

I grew up in churches where women could not speak during business meetings...
Women could not pray outloud
Women could not teach
Women could not vote on any issues
Women had to wear dresses.. (members had to... lost and non members could come in pants)
Men could not wear hats inside... (One lost man was offended one time and ran from our church when a deacon told him to remove his hat)
Closed communion
No movies (Was married before I ever attended one)
No dances (Had to beg to go to my prom)

No wonder I can't stand legalism... I have witnessed it destroy churches.
2 churches I know of off the top of my head that I grew up in are destroyed now...

One is completely shutdown...
The other only has about 10 members coming.. all in late 60s, early 70s, and are not physically well. (These same members 25 yrs ago were so legalistic that a deacon (one of my uncles)said he would feed his dogs steak before he would help my family even if we were starving... LOONG story... I heard him say this when I was about 10 yrs old.. .I was at my grandmas and he was there, and didn't know I was listening to him while playing on the front porch)

The church is dying... literally, and illnesses have plagued them for about 10 yrs now.

They exist.. I have seen them.

If you are part of one, come out from among them... they will destroy you.. and then self destruct.

 

This is so sad, man.

I would not go to such a church and neither would I recommend one.

Like you, I too hate the stench of legalism.

 

The only one I didn't check was the women in business meetings. I believe that churches should be elder led, and the congregation (including women) should fall under such leadership.

 

But Webdog, it is not about leading but voting.

The entire congregation in Acts 6 voted on the seven men to serve.

 

If a church votes to be elder led... a representative type government... do the women get to vote on this?

 

I don't believe it was the entire congregation who voted. That would have been 5000+ people voting. I realize it's a baptist thing...but our church is elder led, and I'm all for that. You don't have the division you do in congregationally led churches. I've been part of each.

And to answer TT, if women are voting on the elders...they would be in leadership

 

Women voting on who they think should lead them in the eldership does not, I'm sorry, means that they're over the elders.

 

Who appoints the leaders from your church? The congregation, or someone else? Say, Pope Webdog? lol

I guess what i am asking is, how are elders chosen?

 

We just ordained an elder this year and the brother's name was put before the entire church, both men and women.

 

If they are appointed by women...the women had the authority to do so. I do not believe women can exercise authority over men in church, per Scripture.