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Another Ifb College Succumbs...


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The auto correct does that with most things like that.

 

I haven't looked at the link yet, why did this school turn to the SBC; were IFBs unwilling to help or what? Or is this school just deciding to take a turn towards the SBC and away from IFB?

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A couple members have posted before about prOBlems with IFBs funding things and continuing in funding things. If we (IFBs in general) are failing to support our own, there is something wrong with that.

 

I know the IFB plant near our home had their funding and support pulled so they had to close their doors and move on.

 

It's sad to see our churches and institutions being lost, either through neglect or their slip sliding away. 

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The auto correct does that with most things like that.

 

I haven't looked at the link yet, why did this school turn to the SBC; were IFBs unwilling to help or what? Or is this school just deciding to take a turn towards the SBC and away from IFB?

 

I never attended the school but know many who have. For years now they have abandoned their roots. They started accepting CCM, then CCM rock and even female preachers. This is just the latest.

 

http://indefenseofthegospel.blogspot.com/search/label/Northland%20Int%27l%20University

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I never attended the school but know many who have. For years now they have abandoned their roots. They started accepting CCM, then CCM rock and even female preachers. This is just the latest.

 

http://indefenseofthegospel.blogspot.com/search/label/Northland%20Int%27l%20University

 

I figured such was the case, but I didn't want to say so without knowing it to be true.

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Sometimes I think we worry too much about 'formal training' and seminary and little pieces of paper on the wall. At one time preachers trained under their preachers and in study of the word and practice. There was little or no 'formal' training, save perhaps with other, more matre believers in more personal surroundings. Why do we think we can't do that these days? Oh my, can't be a pastor unless we understand the meanings and implications of soteriology and exegesis and all the 'isms' out there. So much man-made chopping up and compartmentalizing of the simple word of God. Yes, I agree we are to rightly divide the word of God, but not into little pieces, each with a name and category. Somehow Paul knew about rightly dividing without benefit of a Christian college.

 

I say shut 'em all down, take up either the small, church-run institutes and individual training. They are all becoming businesses, and they all so badly depend on money to the point that they have to run liie a business, which means, give the consumer what they want to get their money.

 

And don't get me started on school-designated "camps"!

 

But, that's just my opinion.

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Sometimes I think we worry too much about 'formal training' and seminary and little pieces of paper on the wall. At one time preachers trained under their preachers and in study of the word and practice. There was little or no 'formal' training, save perhaps with other, more matre believers in more personal surroundings. Why do we think we can't do that these days? Oh my, can't be a pastor unless we understand the meanings and implications of soteriology and exegesis and all the 'isms' out there.

 

I understand the meaning of soteriology and exegesis... does that mean I can be a pastor?   :ROFL: 

 

I say shut 'em all down, take up either the small, church-run institutes and individual training. 

 

Agreed. There's a place for colleges, but a lot of times it just seems to take the young men out of the churches and areas where they're badly needed.

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I have yet to see and have never been shown where a TRUE IFB church has gone under financially. If the preaching is right and the finances are handled in a God honoring way then God himself will take care of His own.

 

 

Did the church in question support missions?

 

Did the church in question sing hymns?

 

Did the church members in question pay tithes?

 

Did the church use the KJV bible?

 

Did the church PREACH the word of God?

 

Did the church go out witnessing?

 

And most importantly, is Christ at the head of the church in question?

 

If you follow this little outline for your church, I promise it will not fail !!

 

I do realize that we're talking about a college here but most colleges like this stem from a church at some point.

Please note that the outline above is not guarnteed for any agency other than the church.

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I have yet to see and have never been shown where a TRUE IFB church has gone under financially. If the preaching is right and the finances are handled in a God honoring way then God himself will take care of His own.

 

 

Did the church in question support missions?

 

Did the church in question sing hymns?

 

Did the church members in question pay tithes?

 

Did the church use the KJV bible?

 

Did the church PREACH the word of God?

 

Did the church go out witnessing?

 

And most importantly, is Christ at the head of the church in question?

 

If you follow this little outline for your church, I promise it will not fail !!

 

I do realize that we're talking about a college here but most colleges like this stem from a church at some point.

Please note that the outline above is not guarnteed for any agency other than the church.

In some ways, I suppose it depends upon how one defines 'going under'. Do you mean shutting down completely? Losing a building?  

 

In our own place, here's what has been the issues:

 

I began as pastor in our church with about 25-30 members. We live in a small, stagnant community with zero growth, and those who DO move in tend to be on welfare/unemployment/disability. As members have grown older, (those who historically had money to support financially), they have mostly moved away, with some others passing on. Most who have come in have been the aforementioned welfare/disability folks. Thus, money has gone away for the most part, and we lost our building. Have we gone under? No, we just rent a smaller, less-expensive place, and have fewer people.

 

Of course, with the limited space, we have no ability for a Sunday School for youth, so the families with youth have left to go places with 'programs' for the kids.

 

Do I preach the Bible? Absolutely. Do we sing hymns? Absolutely. Do we support missions? We can barely support ourselves, so no, not right now, but we did in the past until it was either support them or our own work. But you discount the will of people who, despite anything else, place the wants of the family over the importance of the teaching. See, I prioritize the preaching of the word-we sing little, have no specials-we sing a few hymns and I preach the word of God. But people are entertainment-minded, or want what they want. Not long back we lost an elderly couple who have been a active part of the church for about 4 years, because the wife didnt like that I referred to tongues as "babbling tongues", in reference to what is often called tongues today. That was it, the only reason. never brought it up, never asked why I believe that, and apparently rejected my teaching on it. So now they go to a pentecostal church pastored by a guy who fell to sexual sin and was removed from his place as pastor of an AOG church-why? because they have family there and he doesn't denigrate false tongues.

 

So, why do sometimes GOOD churches fall? Because churches are made up of people and they don't always want to hear all the truth. Even believers want to have their ears scratched at times. This is why some of the most "successful" IFB churches tend to have carnival-like atmospheres, run tons of programs and promotions and the like: because otherwise they would lose most of the people to churches that do just that.

 

So I will preach the word and make that my priority, and if everyone leaves, they leave-but we won't continue if it means becoming a circus to keep them.

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And yet, we see Assemblies of God and mormons and JW's all thrive and grow. What's that mean? It takes us back to the post asking the question of whether or not success is a sign of God's blessing.

 

How was Jeremiah judged? According to 'success', or faithfulness? He had no OBvious sucess-no one heeded his words. yet he was faithful, and it is necessary first and foremost that a steward be faithful. We don't see Daniel with a building full of followers, yet he was faithful, thus a success.  

 

So, by the world's standards, the pentecostal church in the next town with the rock band and the full offering plates is more successful than my little IBF church that sings hymns and concentrates on the word of God, KJV, yet brings in almost nothing and rents a public building for $40 per month. But which is successful?

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Ukulelemike,

 

By going under I did mean shut the doors. If you've downsized to live within your means that's no prOBlem. I would like to ask something of you to challenge you and your church for 6 months. First of all begin with prayer. Pray for a solid month before starting this challenge.

 

Starting when you want to (the beginning of a month is easier to keep up with it) make a decision to give 20% of the churches income to a missionary in another country. (There's no biblical basis for the ammount I gave it's just a #)  BIMI.org is a good place to start.

 

Take a count of the income over the past month. Six months after giving to a missionary consistantly, take a count again and see if you don't bring in the same or more per month and all your church bills paid.

 

Take a month if you want to and preach on stewardship, tithing, and missions. Have a missionary come in and speak one Sunday or Wednesday. If people can see where their money is being put to then giving comes easier.

 

Pay tithes, give to missions, go witnessing. Try it for 6 months and if it doesn't work then quit. I will guarntee that you cannot out give God!!

 

Malachi 3:10-11 Prove God herewith.

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Matthew 7:13

 

The three here was old churches that once had the power of God in them. In one they told the Pastor to leave. He came to our church and sat on the pew. My Pastor tried to get him to preach some but he wouldn't. He would cry and cry when the Lord's Holy Ghost was moving around in people's heart. His heart was so very broke, on top of that the devil used those people to make him doubt. It took about 4 or 5 months but he came around and started working for the Lord again. Now his old church they went on for a few years kept falling away until the building was closed. They didn't move to a smaller church it was over. 

 

I visited a church that was down to 9 on Sunday morning and 7 that night. Somehow God was able to keep that church open! How on earth did they pay the bills????? The devil sent 3 young men on meth to rOB the members one service at gun point and God was still able to keep it open. When I went it was the 5th Sunday night singing, it was a good service. 

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