ALTAR CALL: Part 2

Check out my last post for Part 1 on Altar Call.

There is another reason we don’t do altar calls a lot. And that is what we consider our ultimate philosophy for our Sunday morning worship services.

We believe that our audience is not the seeker or the believer.

We believe the audience is God.

Our services are 'worship services' designed to please Him. Our primary goal is to make Him the focus. Worship in the OT or NT was not primarily evangelistic, but sacrificial. In the OT, it involved actual sacrifices to please God. In the NT, it involved the sacrifices of praise through the proclamation of God’s Word and the fruit of worship (“worship” meaning to “recognize God’s worth”).

Also, we’ve found that altar calls in this area are not that effective at leading to “true conversions.” Often, people will walk the aisle out of emotion or a need for attention or some other less-than-authentic reason. When I was growing up, people would walk the aisle every week, often the same people! It became a rote part of the service and these “conversions” didn’t seem to stick. These folks would often walk the aisle but not make Christ their Lord. They were “converts” but not disciples and not a fulfillment of the Great Commission.

Now, having said all this, know that we’re constantly evaluating our services and ministries.

Check out my next posting for the final part of "Altar Call".