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How many Baptist Churches have you been a member of?


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Growing up I attended one Baptist church for over 9 years, from 4th thru 12th grades. After that I went to the church where the Bible college I was attending was. After the President of the college got divorced from his wife, (he was also pastor, then co-pastor of the church the college was in) I left the college and went to another local Baptist church. The last two in this line was in a period of 18 months. Had I known that the pastor and his wife at the second church were "in trouble" I would never have gone to that particular Bible college or church. But, these things were kept out of the eye of the public until it came to a head.

Having helped plant several churches, and revitalizing others, I've been part of many Baptist churches, from IFB, GARBC, Missionary (BMA), to Southern Baptist. 

I was told that the average church member (and some of the statistics I've read over the years have pretty much been in agreement) will attend at least 3 Baptist churches, or churches of any denomination.

So, how many Baptist churches have you attended as a member in your lifetime? 

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Before I became a Baptist, I was part of three different Christian and Missionary Alliance Churches (cannot remember if I was a member of them or not, it was so long ago). Right now I am attending the second IFB church that I have been a member of. I found out a few months ago that in January of this year that the one I was part of in Kelowna, BC, since 1998 is now not assembling together. The families have moved on or are attending an IFB church in Vernon, BC. With Covid fallout, we don't have that many people at our church in Abbotsford - but at least it's still solid in preaching, IFB, KJVonly - better than any other alternatives in my city.

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  • Growing up: Faith Baptist Church - Dad was Pastor
  • Then Liberty Baptist From High School to college - Dad went into Evangelism
  • Fairhaven Baptist College for 4 years  (College)
  • Lighthouse Baptist Church for 20 years
  • Now Highpoint Baptist Church- Last 6 years
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39 minutes ago, PastorMatt said:
  • Growing up: Faith Baptist Church - Dad was Pastor
  • Then Liberty Baptist From High School to college - Dad went into Evangelism
  • Fairhaven Baptist College for 4 years  (College)
  • Lighthouse Baptist Church for 20 years
  • Now Highpoint Baptist Church- Last 6 years

My best friends daughter and son in law went to Fairhaven! ? Great school! Her name before she got married was Naomi Simon. I can't remember what his name is off hand. They live in Pana, IL now and work with my best friend at the church he pastors.

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My childhood church, the church I attended college, church after college, church upon being married, church hubby co-pastored, 4 churches after moving out of state. We've been at our current church about 8 years. Every church we went to we intended to stay at, but different incidents and circumstances made it necessary to move.

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26 minutes ago, trapperhoney said:

My childhood church, the church I attended college, church after college, church upon being married, church hubby co-pastored, 4 churches after moving out of state. We've been at our current church about 8 years. Every church we went to we intended to stay at, but different incidents and circumstances made it necessary to move.

I can totally relate. We truly wanted to stay in a church about 17 years ago, but the church split. After the split, I took on the roll of temporary pulpit filler...after several weeks of being attacked by the deacon who had caused the split in the first place, my wife and I decided to leave the church "Martin Luther" style! I put a notice on the front door after leaving my key on the pulpit. I knew that certain deacon would find it that Wednesday night. He had been attacking me because I was trying to be the peacemaker between the two factions, and I had nearly convinced the side that left to come back. But, this deacon wouldn't allow it. I spoke to the other deacons, and they agreed that he shouldn't be holding the people from coming back, but in such a small church, the deacons all had to agree or there wouldn't be any reconciliation. After being stalked by phone and in person for a week, we left and joined the split. We had been gone when the initial battle started. My wife's mother had passed away and we were in Augusta, GA at the funeral. We walked back into church on Sunday to a raging battle. It was horrible. We've been through at least 27 splits...most of which were somewhat minor. We stayed with most of those churches. In the church we're in now, we've had at least four minor splits in six years, and we're still there. There's no doctrinal reason to leave, and the Lord still wants us there.

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When I was 9, the bus picked me up for Sunday School at Open Door Baptist Church in Lynwood, WA. As a result, the pastor (Ken Blue) visited and helped my Dad with assurance of his salvation. We began attending regularly and were there for 3 years. 

We moved to WV, and attended a few churches before settling on one (I can't remember the name), although we weren't there long. Moved back to WA and began attending a Baptist Church that closed down shortly after we moved to Oklahoma (by this time I was 17...).

In OK, we joined a Baptist church and were there until we moved back to WV. There the effort was made to form a church of which we were an integral part. It didn't happen, and then I went to college. The first college was baptistic, but was not Baptist, as was the second. I graduated from a Baptist college that no longer exists. Oh, summers I attended the camp church at Mount Salem Revival Grounds in WV (VERY Baptist).

After graduating, I moved to Belpre, OH, to teach school at First Baptist of Belpre. Then I moved to OH and joined Tri-County Baptist Church (also to teach). I met Randy there, we were married, and then we joined High Street Baptist in Cols, OH (the church where we met was in the process of closing down after some sad issues). From there, we moved to IN for my hubs to go to college. Fairhaven Baptist, where we met PatorMatt and his soon-to-be wife. We were there for 26 years, and then moved out here to WA. We did join a Baptist church upon moving here, but soon there were issues (no pastor...the pastor's wife was virtually the "pastor" - nuff said). So we found and joined Lighthouse Baptist Church in Port Townsend, WA, where my hubs is now the pastor.

Whew...just a few churches. LOL But we did move all over the country several times. Before I was 9, I went to other churches, some different denominations, but never joined. There was a Baptist church down the street from our house when I was very young (about 6). I remember my sister and I going once, because of the dresses we wore. They were "granny" dresses and I loved them, so I think that is why it's stuck in my mind. We may have gone more than that, but I have no memory of it.

 

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12 hours ago, BrotherTony said:

I can totally relate. We truly wanted to stay in a church about 17 years ago, but the church split. After the split, I took on the roll of temporary pulpit filler...after several weeks of being attacked by the deacon who had caused the split in the first place, my wife and I decided to leave the church "Martin Luther" style! I put a notice on the front door after leaving my key on the pulpit. I knew that certain deacon would find it that Wednesday night. He had been attacking me because I was trying to be the peacemaker between the two factions, and I had nearly convinced the side that left to come back. But, this deacon wouldn't allow it. I spoke to the other deacons, and they agreed that he shouldn't be holding the people from coming back, but in such a small church, the deacons all had to agree or there wouldn't be any reconciliation. After being stalked by phone and in person for a week, we left and joined the split. We had been gone when the initial battle started. My wife's mother had passed away and we were in Augusta, GA at the funeral. We walked back into church on Sunday to a raging battle. It was horrible. We've been through at least 27 splits...most of which were somewhat minor. We stayed with most of those churches. In the church we're in now, we've had at least four minor splits in six years, and we're still there. There's no doctrinal reason to leave, and the Lord still wants us there.

No Deacon or Deacons should ever be given that much authority. Decision making is under the authority of the whole church membership. They are in that position as HELPERS to the pastor, not rulers, not a board of Deacons.

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3 hours ago, Jim_Alaska said:

No Deacon or Deacons should ever be given that much authority. Decision making is under the authority of the whole church membership. They are in that position as HELPERS to the pastor, not rulers, not a board of Deacons.

I totally agree. That was one reason we went with the split in this church after several weeks. I never could understand why many of the deacons had abdicated their responsibility and let the head deacon take away the work of the constitutional rights of the membership. That particular church has had at least six pastors in the last 17 years, and they have gone even further off-course than they were before. The membership grew for a while, but they are now in a slump...part of that may be because of the pandemic.

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Brother Tony, This is the first I ever heard of a "head Deacon". The Bible lists the office of Deacon, I don't see anywhere, or justification for a hierarchy of Deacons. This could be and very likely was, the problem with the church you mentioned. No one man should have authority such as this. Even the pastor is to lead, not have authority over the church above pastoral authority. The ultimate authority in matters of church business lies with tis membership, that is the Scriptural way.

I should back off of the subject of deacons, it is pulling the thread off topic. I apologize for this. It seems like I just couldn't let the subject of undue power given to Deacons go.

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