Altar Calls

This past Sunday we incorporated a time of prayer at the "altar" to close our service.  It was a very powerful time when God's presence was powerfully evident.  I've had lots of questions about altar calls -- their purpose, why we don't do them a lot, etc. 

History:  Altar calls did not become a consistent practice in the church until around 1820.  Evangelist Charles Finney was the first prominent preacher to incorporate them into the worship service.  In more recent times, D.L. Moody and Billy Graham have used altar calls to call people to respond to Christ.  Other famous evangelists and preachers such as George Whitefield and Charles Spurgeon did not use them.

The Benefits:  I personally think "altar calls" and calls to prayer are important if and only if they are God-driven and Christ-focused.  Sometimes people sense a need or urge to respond to Christ in an immediate and public way.  In the Old Testament, we frequently see God instructing people to build altars or memorials to something He has done in their lives.  I believe we have an innate need to respond to God and there are times when an altar call is an appropriate, Spirit-directed response.

The Dangers:  Walking an aisle can never replace walking with Christ.  I think in the South we have made altar calls a form of religion and a requirement for "salvation" or being "right" with God.  This is "works" based theology that says something "we do" makes us right with God when the Bible clearly teaches that what Christ did for us on the Cross makes us right with God.  The question then becomes are we placing our faith in Christ or in the religous act of walking an aisle.  Sadly, I know people who believe they are right with God because they walked an aisle as a child or teenage, yet their life shows no evidence (or fruit) of walking with Christ.

Without an "altar call", how do people respond to Christ?   What did people do before the 1800s? They did what we all do when we respond to Christ: we surrender our lives to Him in faith and repent of our sins and rebellion.  We remember where this faith transaction occurs: in our heart and not down an aisle, at an altar, or in a baptistry.  Practically, each church has to work out how this response is shared with church leaders and others who then can come alongside a person and help them grow stronger in their walk with Christ.

Altar calls at Rock Bridge:  The altar call and time of prayer this past Sunday was part of a lengthy time of prayer and discussion by myself, our worship pastors, our Calhoun campus pastor, and our associate pastor.  My message drafts are usually finished about 2-4 weeks in advance.  Our worship & creative people then work to plan a service around the message theme (song selection, video usage, etc.).  We all prayed and felt like this past Sunday would be a great time for people to respond to God at the altar.  There will be other Sundays where the altar call element fits the service and the plan of God for that particular service; however, there will be Sundays where another element might work better for God's purpose.