Since the last Sunday of May, I have enjoyed the privilege of serving as interim pastor of First Baptist Church, Jasper. One of the rewards of the experience has been to baptize 13 individuals with two awaiting baptism. Eleven others have joined the church by letter during that time and other decisions have been made.
Every Baptist knows how thrilling it is to see people accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; how exciting it is when Christians plant their lives in a local congregation. That is why it is important to understand why people make decisions and choose a church home.
Obviously, no decision should be made without the leadership of God’s Spirit. That is the understood foundation. How God’s Spirit works varies from situation to situation, however. At First Baptist, Jasper, the common thread in all the decisions has been the ministry of the members.
Visits by FAITH teams have been instrumental. At least one person prayed to receive Christ on the first visit. An inactive Baptist was reclaimed for the Lord’s service during an initial visit. For others, it took several cultivation visits before coming to the point of decision.
In some cases, years of caring, praying and witnessing passed before the individual came to Christ. One person wanted nothing to do with Christ initially. The faithfulness of neighbors and friends from the Sunday School class she would be a part of eventually overcame the hostility.
A business owner became concerned about his children’s spiritual condition. Members of First Baptist, Jasper, visiting in the business, pointed out that he needed to set an example by following the Lord himself if he was really concerned about the children. The fact that these members had talked previously with the gentleman about his spiritual condition paved the way for him to share his concern for his children and to be receptive to the reminder of God’s claims on his own life.
In two instances, the contagious power of the gospel was demonstrated. Once a family member made a decision for the Lord, the door was opened for others. Teenagers came with their parents in profession of faith in Jesus and uniting with the church.
During these months at Jasper, the influence of a Christian home was evidenced when older children presented themselves for baptism. Several parents brought their children to the pastor announcing that they had the privilege of leading their son or daughter to the Lord during the week.
Other ministerial staff members knocked on doors only to find that God had gone before, preparing the way. Decisions resulted. Age group ministers had the privilege of sharing Jesus with those with whom they work and then accompanying them to the altar for their public decisions.
These stories are not to say that preaching is unimportant. Preaching is important. Preaching helps cultivate the worship life of members. Preaching helps establish the atmosphere out of which members work and witness. Preaching helps motivate and focus members in their service for the Lord.
But preaching is not always the primary reason individuals make decisions, whether those decisions are to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior or to unite with a local congregation. In fact, studies show that preaching is not the primary reason in either case.
Research indicates that most people who become Christians are led to the Lord by a family member or friend. Personal witnessing accounts for more than three out of four persons who make decisions for Christ. Fewer than one in 10 credit the impact of a particular sermon for their decision. Preaching provides the occasion for the decision, but it is the work and witnessing before the preaching event that produces a readiness for decision.
A Barna study about why people join particular churches found “quality of the sermon” ranked third among major reasons. It was sandwiched between “people seemed to care about each other,” second, and “how friendly the people of the church are,” fourth.
Again, preaching is important, but the work and witness of the members make a vital difference in what happens in a congregation.
Personally, I am thankful for the privilege of being an interim pastor and being able to preach the gospel each Sunday. It is wonderful to pray with people as they make public professions of faith or unite with the church, to counsel them before baptism and to administer the ordinance of baptism. The truth is, no matter the quality of my preaching, most of the public decisions recorded would not be made without the faithful work and witness of the members day after day and week after week.
That is not only true at First Baptist, Jasper. It is true in every Baptist church in Alabama and elsewhere. The number of decisions relates more to the work and witness of the members than to the
quality of the preaching.
Share with others: