Altar calls at Hope Fellowship? In a Christian Reformed Church? Why not? Some would even say, "About time!"
The tradition of altar calls is common in Baptist and Pentecostal church services where it is not unusual to take ten minutes or more at the end of a sermon to urge people to make a decision for Christ. The intention is good because we need to form a firm opinion about Jesus. After all, he said, "Either you're for me or against me." Like signing the dotted line on a given date, responding to an altar call can be a firm "Yes," that announces to the world, "On such and such a date I responded to God's grace with faith, and I've identified myself as a Christian ever since."
I have sat through altar calls in many evangelical churches. I have watched people stream down the aisles in televised Billy Graham crusades on TV. As a volunteer for the Franklin Graham Crusade that came to Niagara Falls in 1996, I prayed with those who came forward and took their information so that we could refer them to a local church.
Unfortunately, some altar calls have been unpleasant, anxiety raising experiences for me. In those instances, the intentions may have been good but the tactics were not. I would feel the emotional pressure build as the preacher milked the moment, promising heaven and warning hell. An organ or band would support his lengthy appeal with a hypnotic soundtrack. Those courageous (or scared) enough to walk to the front would be prayed over and whisked away to places unknown. My memory may be amplifying the stress that I felt on those occasions, but the recollection still makes me squirm. Mind you, I'm the kind of guy who breaks into a sweat as soon as I see a salesman approaching me in a dealership or clothing store. I need time and space, thank you very much, especially when I am wrestling with a faith-based decision!
In the Reformed tradition, decisions for Christ are usually made privately and then expressed through a public profession of faith or baptism in a church service. At Hope Fellowship, we have an annual Sunday for this in May that we call Stand Up Sunday.
But there's a lot to be said for inviting people to follow Jesus on a regular basis in church. People shouldn't have to go elsewhere to receive and respond to such an invitation. And when I saw how altar calls were handled by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro in New Hope Oahu in Hawaii, I thought, "That I can do."
What made his altar calls different from others that I have heard? They were short. They respected people's personal space. They were not manipulative. People were simply asked to raise their hands in their seats and invited to pick up an information packet on their way out.
I hope that you will support my decision to do altar calls in this way at our church. Each time that I have extended the invitation this fall, hands have been raised and acknowledged. Through this opportunity, God has brought people into a new or deeper relationship with him through Jesus Christ. This is a reason to rejoice as a congregation.
I believe that there is a place for altar calls in the Christian Reformed Church. I hope to see many of the respondents in our New Members Classes and that we will hear their testimonies on Stand Up Sunday. The one thing that I will promise you is this: I will invite but I will not manipulate. Why? Because Jesus always asked but never forced anyone to follow him. That's the way grace works.
- Pastor Peter
The tradition of altar calls is common in Baptist and Pentecostal church services where it is not unusual to take ten minutes or more at the end of a sermon to urge people to make a decision for Christ. The intention is good because we need to form a firm opinion about Jesus. After all, he said, "Either you're for me or against me." Like signing the dotted line on a given date, responding to an altar call can be a firm "Yes," that announces to the world, "On such and such a date I responded to God's grace with faith, and I've identified myself as a Christian ever since."
I have sat through altar calls in many evangelical churches. I have watched people stream down the aisles in televised Billy Graham crusades on TV. As a volunteer for the Franklin Graham Crusade that came to Niagara Falls in 1996, I prayed with those who came forward and took their information so that we could refer them to a local church.
Unfortunately, some altar calls have been unpleasant, anxiety raising experiences for me. In those instances, the intentions may have been good but the tactics were not. I would feel the emotional pressure build as the preacher milked the moment, promising heaven and warning hell. An organ or band would support his lengthy appeal with a hypnotic soundtrack. Those courageous (or scared) enough to walk to the front would be prayed over and whisked away to places unknown. My memory may be amplifying the stress that I felt on those occasions, but the recollection still makes me squirm. Mind you, I'm the kind of guy who breaks into a sweat as soon as I see a salesman approaching me in a dealership or clothing store. I need time and space, thank you very much, especially when I am wrestling with a faith-based decision!
In the Reformed tradition, decisions for Christ are usually made privately and then expressed through a public profession of faith or baptism in a church service. At Hope Fellowship, we have an annual Sunday for this in May that we call Stand Up Sunday.
But there's a lot to be said for inviting people to follow Jesus on a regular basis in church. People shouldn't have to go elsewhere to receive and respond to such an invitation. And when I saw how altar calls were handled by Pastor Wayne Cordeiro in New Hope Oahu in Hawaii, I thought, "That I can do."
What made his altar calls different from others that I have heard? They were short. They respected people's personal space. They were not manipulative. People were simply asked to raise their hands in their seats and invited to pick up an information packet on their way out.
I hope that you will support my decision to do altar calls in this way at our church. Each time that I have extended the invitation this fall, hands have been raised and acknowledged. Through this opportunity, God has brought people into a new or deeper relationship with him through Jesus Christ. This is a reason to rejoice as a congregation.
I believe that there is a place for altar calls in the Christian Reformed Church. I hope to see many of the respondents in our New Members Classes and that we will hear their testimonies on Stand Up Sunday. The one thing that I will promise you is this: I will invite but I will not manipulate. Why? Because Jesus always asked but never forced anyone to follow him. That's the way grace works.
- Pastor Peter
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