Reviving the Altar Call
January 1, 2003
Reviving the Altar Call
How our contemporary, postmodern worship is positively old fashioned.
Though we're a contemporary church, we revived the practice of inviting people to the altar. Today's seekers hunger for spirituality, and witnessing people publicly humbling themselves before God can be a powerful spiritual moment. It's the kind of experience they are looking for. As long as they don't feel pressured to participate, they are often moved.
At the end of the service, we provide 10 to 15 minutes for people to come forward for prayer, commitment, or to receive communion. It's not limited to people who want to come to faith. It's an opportunity for people to experience a conscious response, to say, "While my heart is still touched, I am going to do something in this assembly."
I invite them by saying, "You may want to come forward in response to what was said today. You may want to come down to pray for someone. You may come down because you have a job interview tomorrow," and so on. Human nature keeps some people from coming forward, so we initially present specific things relevant to the sermon and then make a broad appeal.
As the response grew, we built three stations where people can kneel and have someone administer communion to them. Though people come down for many reasons, the practice of communion often makes it easier, because it gives them something tangible to do when they come.
...
People who have come to Christ in our church have told me they were inspired not by my words, but by the response of the people to those words. The power of humbly acting on faith, not only for the person who comes forward, but also for the seeker witnessing it, is revolutionizing our church.
Designing Worship Teamsby Cathy Townley(Abingdon, ...
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