Altar Call
 

Why do people go down front for a "blessing" after church? Why do pastors say its moving down front and that you have to go down front to meet God? Is this just tradition?

I can't find bible for it. Help me out!

Re: Altar Call
 

Well, I'll post a reflection--not so much an answer. And I don't want it to be misconstrued, but most any Pastor would admit that there is some showmanship involved in running especially a Pentecostal church; and the altar call is among other things a way to cement a Pastor's 'authority.'

I do remember studying this subject years ago, and although I can't find the relevant Scripture right now, I believe the Scriptural reason was to make 'it' a public confession or dedication.

Re: Altar Call
 

Charitable answer: More room down front to pray in pairs and groups... I mean really, have you ever tried to pray with people leaning over pews, scrunched down on the floor next to them in pews, from behind them in pews???

Less Charitable answer: Power Trip.

Re: Altar Call
 

Tradition.

Re: Altar Call
 

I think that T2W has the right answer. As a rule, it is often easier to pray for people in and around the altar area where there is more room. I have both worked and watched other work in both settings. It is just easier to move at the front. Further, This has actually been done in Protestant circles since the time of Wesley and the commencement of the 'Methodist/Holiness' movement. It would have also been a strike against the 'high church' formalism of the Presbyterian, Congregational, Anglican, Lutheran, and Catholic settings of the time.

Re: Altar Call
 

I always loved the altar service. It is in my opinion the most genuine and authentic part of Pentecostal services mostly void of the showmanship of preaching. I would love it better without the driving, repetitive music that is so prevalent in big churches and love small churches that don't have full 'bands' for that reason... Head and shoulders over hearing the choir sing although I love that too... only thing I love better might be testimony services and you just never hardly see those any more... but I could sit for hours and hear my brothers and sisters in the Lord testify about the goodness of God.

I do really miss church some days.

Re: Altar Call
 

I agree that the altar call does not need heavy music, unless of course it is more for giving God praise, and then I do not care as much. However, I believe that as long as things are done 'decently and in order', we do not have much room for our own personal preferences, and must submit. Which is not to say that we have not all seen things done out of order. When that happens, I have heard pastor's apologize for having certain preachers in their pulpits.

Re: Altar Call
 

I think altar service/call is mostly a non scriptural tradition. Not that it should be discarded on that basis, but it's mostly something that has just developed in recent history.

I guess the closest we would get to any scriptural support would be references that show those recieving the word after a message like Acts 2:37
1 Cor 13:16 and Acts 8:15

Re: Altar Call
 

Thanks, everyone. Tradition, it is!

Re: Altar Call
 

I have NEVER heard a pastor say the bolded part or anything like it.

I HAVE heard plenty of charismaniacs say things similar to it, tho.

Re: Altar Call
 

There are many things the modern church does that isn't supported in scripture as something the early church did. If we want to nit pick every little thing, for starters, we wouldn't be meeting in a building. There wouldn't be Ushers or different parts of the service. There wouldn't be choirs or bands. There wouldn't be sound systems, instruments, lights, etc.

The only thing you would be left with is an offering and a message. That's it. And even the offering is only found in a couple verses. Mostly it was "house to house" and "breaking bread."

So let's recognize that there are a lot of things which have been added to the modern-day church and service which did not originate with the early church.

Are some things we do out of tradition? Absolutely. All of the above: buildings, set times to meet, choirs, songs, ALL of that is tradition. Does that mean it's wrong or bad? Not at all.

JMO, the altar call is important. It's a time for people to pray and respond to the Word which was delivered.

I briefly served under a Pastor who eliminated the altar call service. First service as Pastor, he opened his message by telling the church he would not have an altar call or music after the message. Instead, he would just have a prayer of dismissal and end after he was finished. His reason for eliminating it was because he didn't want people to feel uncomfortable; and altar calls would cause people to feel uncomfortable. I ended up resigning my position, not because of this issue alone, but this combined with other things.

What is the reason for giving a message? To hear your own voice? To show people how much you believe you know? What's the point of the message if not to cause a response; and how can people respond if there's no time at the end to allow for the response?

In every scripture where a disciple preached, there was a response. Sure, it wasn't called an altar call. But there was a moment afterwards where people responded to what they heard.

Re: Altar Call
 

Well put! The point of opening your mouth is to reach someone. The Altar Call serves a useful purpose. Finney's "Mourners Bench" needs to be revisited.

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This is interesting. ..I guess in my church, we first have prayer and tarrying service, where some of the saints who have the Holy Ghost would tarry with the seekers, singing songs, praying and saying words of encouragement. Then we have song and testimony service. Then there is preaching, then altar call for baptism etc.

I think on this forum is the first time that I heard of the altar call being different.

Re: Altar Call
 

I am still conflicted as to the thrust of said response. Is it to cause immediate prayer and emotional responses as we see or a change of heart and mind. From my own personal experience the latter might occur without the former.

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Thanks for the input, everyone. I don't put much stock in the traditions of men. It's disturbing to me how much of what we know as church today is tradition.

Re: Altar Call
 

So then, considering there is no 'altar call' in the bible, where people were told to come forward and 'pray' about Jesus, pray to Him, or what not... but rather that people were told to get right with God and if asked 'what do we do' they were told to repent of their sin and false religion and get baptised in the name of the Lord...

Should we do away with the 'altar call' and instead call people to repent and be baptised?

Shouldn't the call to be baptised in the Lord's name replace the traditional 'altar call'?

Of course, I am talking about altar calls for sinners to get right with God, not a 'healing line' or something like that.

If you were a travelling evangelist, how would you handle this?

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I would like to see more of that kind of altar call.

Re: Altar Call
 

I think that there is a big push for emotionally demonstrative activity in altar calls.I think that there is alot of pressure to get "prayed through" that makes people feel that they have to do this or that or else they have missed something from God...and yes there is an undercurrent of "You gotta be up here where its all happening.".... personally alot of people packed close makes me nervous and its hard to concentrate....of course if your goal is eliciting a reaction rather than sincere heartfelt communication with God concentrating isntbneeded much....just react to the music and the shouting....I for one can barely concentrate to talk on the phone when someone else is talking around me much less pray with people touching me and talking in my ear.....this is just me bein real guys.