The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Concern at Our Church

I am looking for opinions concerning a portion of my Church’s statement of faith.

I attend a Reformed Baptist Church that recently is getting some flak for preaching the doctrines of grace. One of the problems we are having is some long time members, (including some on the deacons board) do not believe in the doctrines of grace. My pastor is very concerned about this as one might expect. Although we have known there have always been some who don’t believe in the doctrines of grace, only recently has there been any open conflict about it.
My friend who is a deacon as well as several others including myself and my pastor are seeking wisdom on how best to deal with this matter. One thought was to deal directly with our statement of faith.
However we thought that we had better make certain that the wording is clearly in keeping with Reformed thought, especially with the issue we are dealing with.
It is clear that the original writers of our statement of faith were Reformed Baptists; but before we play this particular card. We want to make certain the statement of faith concerning ‘Election’ is clear so it can’t be used against us.
Your prayers and any wisdom you can offer would be appreciated.
Thank you
Tom

Why not "borrow" the statement on election from the London Baptist Confession or the Westminster Confession of Faith? It's as clear as can be. Just referring to it may be useful.

Tom,

The statement itself is solid, although the last matter of election being the "ground of assurance" is debatable. Robin's suggestion is one which should be seriously considered since the London Baptist Confession is a recognized historical document recognized by most all Reformed Baptist and thus it carries far more weight than a solitary statement of a local congregation.

One of the best ways, perhaps the only way, to PREACH on the Doctrines of Grace is to do what the man appointed to do the preaching should do... PREACH THE WORD. Confessions and Catechisms are most valuable tools and teaching aids but they should never be preached. No, I am NOT implying that this pastor is preaching the church's Statement of Faith. But it should not be the basis of sermons. Rather, biblical passages should be expounded and then it is legitimate of point to a Confession or Catechism to show that the exposition of the text coincides with and is in full agreement with the historic document(s). It is the WORD that the Spirit uses to convict sinners and to teach God's truth.

Your church is no doubt in one of "those" situations where decisions made will be most difficult. Will the leadership be faithful to the truth or will it decide to keep "unity" by dispensing with the truth by only preaching and teaching those things which the people want to hear?

Robin & Pilgrim

The reason I stated from this statement of faith, is because it is from our denominations statement of faith. Therefore I think the onus should be on the people who are speaking against what my pastor is teaching.
I agree with you and Robin about the LBCF.

Concerning the preaching of the Word, this is being done by my pastor and it is what is being challenged by some prominent people in the Church.
This includes two deacons and a couple of retired pastors who have attended the Church for years.

My pastor rarely even mentions the doctrines of grace by name. He preaches expositionally and lately the topic of the passages he is preaching on it is obvious these doctrines are covered.
Tom

Tom,

It seems this was bound to happen, sooner or later. Since the denominations "Statement of Faith" is basically Calvinistic, then you are correct that the onus rests upon the dissenters. To be sure, this situation isn't unique! Usually what happens is either the pastor is ousted or most of the fervently disgruntled ones leave and find a typical evangelical church. But personal "ties" to buildings, friends, and of course, personal pride all contribute to the flaming of the current smoldering fire.

May your pastor be courageous, unwaivering in the truth and wise as a serpent but gentle as a dove in this matter. It is the LORD he must please and give an account and not any man.

Pilgrim
Everything you said confirms what I was thinking on the matter.
I don't want to speculate on what is going to happen, but those I have been talking to at the Church believe that there is going to be some kind of fight coming.
One of the things that is being stressed by my pastor and those I am talking to about the matter is that God is sovereign and even this is meant for our good. (Romans 8:28)
We believe that we need to be faithful to God and His Word and to keep speaking the truth in love, to the glory of God and keep ourselves focused on the Lord realizing that our flesh naturally wants to please itself.
Tonight was Bible study and what I noticed was although there was a good turnout, all in attendance were Calvinistic.

It was actually one of the best Bible studies I have attended in recent memory.

Thank you, please keep praying

Tom

For those who have been praying about the matter in this thread, I thought I would give an upgrade.
A few weeks ago the most prominent of the people on the Church board resigned his position and no longer attends the Church.
I found out that this particular person has been greatly influenced by David Cloud; who in case you don't know speaks about Calvinism as being a heresy. In many ways, David Cloud reminds me of Dave Hunt and Ergun Caner.
We have lost a few other members, but I think in the long run this is for the best.
Please keep praying.

Tom