Centrally Located For Residents of Alamo! Why Not?

If you are a member of First Baptist Alamo, why aren't you reaching lost people now?

Several years ago the Southern Baptist Convention got this idea for Baptist churches to become "regional churches" serving a region, as opposed to local or neighborhood churches. Pastors who wanted to move up the corporate ladder and pastors who envisioned evangelical starhood hooked on to that little publicity stunt as a way to reach their carnal dreams.

Some pastors move up the ladder with graduate degrees and books. Some do it with building programs.

One of the members of First Baptist Alamo accurately pegged the idea of a regional church as what it really is...a "Walmart church" for the way they evangelize. A Walmart Church simply steals members from other churches and rarely does any actual evangelism.

Several studies in church growth have already demonstrated this error in the church growth movement by discovering that church growth was more church member movement than evangelism. The vast majority of those flooding the mega-churches or regional churches were NOT new converts, but had actually just moved from the church down the road. First Baptist Alamo recently held a cattle-car evangelixtic rally and followed it up with a cattle-car baptism Sunday, just sign-up and be baptized or re-baptized as is popular with some folks feeling guilty about not living right or something. The web site even promoted people leaving their home church to come join this regional church. That is Walmart Evangelism.

The whole "building program" is driven by this "regional church" idea and nothing more. The web site proclaimed it as a way "to reach lost people" yet nobody realized at the time that nobody was reaching lost people where they were sitting now. So that error was removed from the web site.

So WHAT does the web site say to give away the REAL MOTIVE for moving the church, the "regional church" motive for moving? That is easy to spot. On the "location" page:

"We are centrally located for residents of Crockett, Gibson, Haywood and Madison Counties. "

1) Why would anyone who lives in Humboldt want to drive to church at Alamo?
2) Why would anyone in Brownsville want to drive to Alamo to go to church?
3) Why doesn't the pastor and staff of FBCA reach lost people IN ALAMO first?
4) Why doesn't the web page say something like "We are centrally located for residents of Alamo and Crockett County" and promote the church that way?

Why? Because the pastor is not interested in reaching the people of Alamo. He hasn't done it so far. Because the pastor wants to build a regional church at a more "regional" location.

Why? Because the staff and members of FBCAlamo are not interested in actually reaching lost people in Alamo. Alamo...where the church is located.

Why? Because even with pastors and church staff and, unfortunately with church members, bragging rights come with big Sunday Morning Numbers. Bragging rights come with offers from other churches offering more money to "come to our church and do what you did there." So, when you don't live the "great commission" lifestyle, when you don't reach lost people (for whatever reason,) then you must justify your salary by "APPEARING" to do spiritual things. Thus, the idea to build a new church "to reach lost people."

If you are a member of First Baptist Alamo, why aren't you reaching lost people now? If you are a member of First Baptist Alamo, why are you trying to justify a move to the country under a false motive of "reaching lost people" when you are not doing that already?

Inquiring minds want to know why you are not reaching lost people now?!?

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Sweet People Who Believe Their Own Publicity

First Baptist Church of Alamo has some really sweet church members. FBCA has some folks who really do want to do the right thing. I have known many of those sweet people for several decades and through the ministries of several pastors and several church building programs.
I read recently about a singer who was very popular in the 1970s. He was featured on some website. At the end of his interview, he gave a quote that I thought was something we should all remember:

"Don't Believe Your Own Publicity"

Another quote by Demosthenes from an earlier post on this blog was similar:

"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true."

Every time someone talks about the new building, I expect to hear their concern about and desires of "reaching lost people" since that's how the church website promoted the new church building. I was surprised and disappointed when, instead of talking about evangelism, I hear church members say things like like:

"...this building is 80 years old"
"...this building is falling apart"
"...we need more room"
"...we need more parking"

To this day, I have NEVER heard even ONE person tell me:

"We need the new building to reach lost people."

Never! Not even one time! Not from the pastor. Not from any person on the church staff. Not from even a single church member. Not one time.

Several years ago, someone (and I know who) began a publicity campaign (their own publicity) claiming the building is old, claiming the building is falling apart, claiming we need more parking and claiming the ONLY solution is to move away and build a new building. The publicity campaign seems to have convinced many non-critical thinking members, who believed the stories and half truths instead of looking more objective as to the motive behind the campaign.

Thomas Paine once said:

"It is error only, and not truth, that shrinks from inquiry."

So why have so many sweet church members stopped investigating other solutions? Why have so many sweet church members decided to believe that publicity campaign instead of the truth? Why have so many sweet church members decided to go along with the "herd mentality" instead of walking the streets, knocking on doors and actually reaching lost people?

I agree 100% with Susan B. Anthony who said:

"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires."

Unfortunately, the person with the strongest desires is often the one who can convince the most people to follow his ideas. It is often the person with the most passion who can convince the most people that HIS DESIRES are actually "GOD'S WILL" apart from truth that proves otherwise. That person convinces the people to follow his ideas not based upon the truth of the situation, not based upon facts, but based upon their own passion on an issue.

Facts be ignored and truth be tossed away or split in half.

You can can see how it works in a presidential race. You can see how it works in a church building program. Passion wins over truth almost every time. That's why there is MORE PROMOTION of the building fund than of reaching lost people. That's why there is more talk from the pulpit about raising money for the building than talk from the pulpit about personally reaching lost people for Christ.

The banners in front of the church tell how much money we have raised, don't they. The banners in front of the church DO NOT TELL HOW MANY LOST PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REACHED, do they? Do you believe the publicity? Do you believe two to four million dollars are needed "to reach lost people?"

Do you believe it will take two million dollars "to reach lost people?" Can you say FBCA will NOT "reach lost people" without spending $2,000,000 to $4,000,000?? Do you believe that? Do you REALLY believe that?

First Baptist Alamo Club - Simplistic Dreams and Non-Believers

Several things are clear:

1. It would be nice to have a new church building in the country.
2. We don't really believe in Hell.
3. We don't really believe anyone is going to Hell.

Let's take the first one, "It would be nice to have a new church." Yes, younger folk tend to think history only began on their date of birth. Anything before the day they were born is not history, it is ANCIENT HISTORY. That's why the allow the "old" building to fall apart, then say "See, the building is falling apart." The BIBLE makes it clear that everything we do should be done in the name of Jesus who loved us and gave himself for us. So why don't you fix the church building and stop using it as an excuse to justify your own personal motive for LUSTING after a new building?

FIX THE CHURCH BUILDING! FIX GOD'S BUILDING AND STOP LYING TO THE CONGREGATION!

Let's take point two and point three, since point two justifies the third.

THE PEOPLE AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH DON'T REALLY BELIEVE IN HELL. Because they don't believe in Hell, they don't really believe anyone is going to Hell.

THE PASTOR AND THE CHURCH STAFF EVIDENTLY DO NOT BELIEVE IN HELL.

How do I know that? Tell me, how many people have the church staff members personally won to the Lord in the past month? How many people has any single church staff member won to the Lord in the past six months?

It is an "IF/THEN" statement or conclusion. "If" one thing, "Then" another. If you are standing in the rain, then you will get wet. If you put you hand in the fire, then you will get burned.

If/Then. It is really very simple.

IF the pastor and staff of FBCAlamo believed people were going to Hell, THEN they would be knocking on doors, trying to stop people from going to Hell.

IF the pastor and staff of FBCAlamo believed people were going to Hell, THEN they would be reaching people and they would be repairing the building for the people and would have no time or need to try and justify a new building.

IF FBCAlamo were a church where love indeed did shine, THEN the pastor would not alienate church members as he has. IF FBCAlamo were a church where love did indeed shine as proclaimed on the web page, THEN the church staff would not feel so threatened when they read this blog.

Based upon the NON-ACTIONS of the pastor and staff to reach lost people directly, based upon the substituting of cattle-car pseudo-evangelism and cattle-car baptism-days, I think it is safe to say that the pastor and staff of FBCAlamo do not really believe in Hell and do not really believe that people are going to Hell. As a result of their lack of passion about the dangers of Hell, the people at FBCAlamo do not believe in Hell or that people are going to hell.

The result of years of this kind of charade is a "club" (church) of people who have simplistic dreams of a new club-house out on the highway. That beautiful new club-house will be filled with a group of club-members who don't believe all those people left behind are headed for Hell.

If you disagree, please say so. If you disagree, then go out and win someone to the Lord. Anyone can honk.

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Sixty-Four Residences Within Walking Distance

Let's take a count !

Several people have told me there were not that many people who live within walking distance of the church. So I asked them "How many people are necessary before you try to reach them one-on-one?"

They had no answer. They got mad at me for asking. Now I am the enemy. I could not force them to "reach lost people" like the web site said they would do. But they weren't doing it now. And it looks to me like they weren't going to do it.

So where do you stand on this? Are you reaching lost people now? Or are you just TALKING ABOUT reaching lost people? Here's an excercise for you:

1. Go stand in front of the church facing north.
2. Look to the west down Church Street
3. Walk to the west and count the houses on the right side of the street and the front doors on the left side of the street where the apartments are.
4. Contunue walking west to North Branch Street
5. Turn South (left) on Branch Street.
6. Continue counting the front doors on both sides of the street
7. Turn East (left) on Main Street and continue counting.
8. Include all the "front doors" of all the apartments.
9. Turn North (left) on Locust Street and continue to the church.

Now answer these questions:

1. How many residences (front doors) did you count?
2. How many of those front doors have you ever personally visited?
3. Who do you know who lives behind even one of those front doors?
4. Do you CARE who lives behind those front door?
5. Do those people know the Lord?
6. Why do those people not walk to FBCAlamo every Sunday morning?

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS:

Are you just gonna bitch and moan or are you gonna take action?
Are you going to let those people go to Hell or are you going to take action?
Are you going to wait for a non-motivated church staff or are you going to take action?

Since it is clear the church staff doesn't care, what are you going to do about it? Jesus said "Go and make disciples." How long are you going to wait?

Are you going to do it or are you going to complain?

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Nothing is so easy to fake as the inner vision.

We prayed about it and God told us to move to the country!

Sure, God told some people that they would suddenly become evangelical, but not until they move to the country, away from the people. Until then, it's status quo except for Cattle-Car Sunday.

"The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate,
contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and
unrealistic."
-- John F Kennedy

Yep, just bend the truth a bit and it becomes a myth as opposed to a lie. If the roof leaks, don't fix it but tell the folks it is because the building is old. Then just let the roof fall in so you can publicly announce, "See, the roof is falling down and we need to move."

A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally
believes to be true.
-- Demosthenes

We wish to be evangelical. We even tell folks we are. But we really don't reach lost people. We claim to be evangelical. But we are not evangelical enough to reach lost people who live within walking distance of the church. So we tell folks we need to MOVE AWAY FROM THE PEOPLE in order "to reach lost people." How illogical is that?? We aren't reaching lost people now, but if we repeat that myth over and over, perhaps the folks will stop thinking how illogical that is and just accept it as truth.

We WISH we had a new building. So we tell folks we need it "to reach lost people." We don't reach lost people now, but we tell folks we do. Then we repeat it over and over.

In matters of religion it is very easy to deceive a man, and very hard to
undeceive him.
-- Pierre Bayle

Repeat it long enough and often enough and enough folks will soon believe it. Now, many have said "we need to move," "we need a new building," etc. Some have said "we have prayed about it" and "it is God's will." Yet nobody has given a legitimate reason why. When I give arguments, they just keep repeating the myth, over and over, trying to convince me...or trying to convince themselves that the myth is true.

It is "God's will"..."to reach lost people"

Nothing is so easy to fake as the inner vision.
-- Robertson Davies

"Inner Vision." I suppose that is the biggest myth. God somehow miraculously spoke to some members of FBCAlamo but God forgot to speak to ALL the people of FBCAlamo. Some think GOD told them to move away from the people and they would instantly become evangelical. Some others know the truth.

The Holy Spirit is telling some to move and telling some to stay.

Did God somehow speak to you? Did God tell you to move to the country? Did God tell you to reach lost people? Did God tell you to WAIT until you move to the country until you begin to REACH LOST PEOPLE or did God tell you to reach lost people now? Which was it that God told you?

Like I said in the very first post, if you aren't reaching lost people now, what makes you think you are going to reach lost people later?

Guess what?

If you aren't reaching lost people now, you won't reach them later. Not a prediction of doom. Just the truth.
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Microsoft and FBC Alamo - Not Much Difference ?

The bully computer giant Microsoft is attempting to takeover Yahoo in a hostile David/Goliath tale. According to the Associated Press,

Microsoft also emphasized it's prepared to "pursue all necessary steps" to
get the deal done, raising the prospect that it could take the bid directly to
Yahoo shareholders with a so-called "exchange offer" or escalate the acrimony
even further by trying to oust Yahoo's 10-member board later this year.

Does that sound familiar to you? Microsoft has an agenda and is prepared to "pursue all necessary steps" to build a new church...er...to takeover Yahoo.

"Pursue all necessary steps"

The only difference is, Microsoft never claimed it is "God's will" to takeover Yahoo. In that way, Microsoft is far more honest than many Christians when a takeover is imminent. If Yahoo won't sell, you oust the 10-member board. Nevermind that half the stock-holders don't want to sell. Ignore them. Wear them down. Shout them down. Work behind the scenes and replace the 10-member board. It's a business decision. The bully is gonna win,

If the people won't support your move to the country, you get new deacons. If church members think it is a bad move, then you shout them down or ignore them or rebuke them publicly from the pulpit. Or as as one church staff member said, "get on board or get off. Those are the two options you have." It's a business decision. The bully is gonna win.

Shout 'em down, that's what Jesus would do. Might makes right or might makes "the will of God."

"God's will" has nothing to do with it. It is simply a business deal. That's why Microsoft is more honest than some of the Christians that we all know and love. Imagine that, Microsoft more homest than Christians!

Imagine that!
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Cattle-Call Baptism Day...A Passive Effort

The big day is coming up. Well, at least it's an effort, albeit misguided. Amazing how people equate Physical Action with Spiritual Movement. They are NOT the same thing!

When you can't win souls, you build a building. (Illusion)

When you don't lead people to the Lord, you do Cattle-Call Baptisms. (Illusion)

When you refuse to go one-on-one to reach lost people, you have a Cattle-Call Evangelism Sunday and snatch members from other churches. (Illusion)

None of the above are bad per se, but cattle-call baptisms do not replace The Great Commission. How long will the people of FBCAlamo forsake the simplicity of The Great Commission? Remember the "Instant Evangelism" post? Perhaps you should re-read it and tell us what has changed in one year. How many "lost people" have been "reached" in one year? Is that tiny number with going into debt $2,000,000 to $4,000,000 for a new Baptist Country Club? What about The Great Commission? What about ACTUALLY reaching lost people NOW?

Are the people of FBCAlamo working The Great Commission? Are the staff members of FBCAlamo working The Great Commision?

Is there any wonder why people are satisfied with the passive actions of a Cattle-Call Baptism Sunday!

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