ALTAR calls in non Catholic Churches

[Lenten_ashes]

Just wondering why this practice, this call of repentance has such a name when the churches usually are lacking in any sort of a Altar and the sacrificial nature of the Mass is denied there?

Does your Church do these “altar calls”…and does it have at least a symbolic sort of Altar there at the front where backsliden Christians gather and repent?

My old non Denominational Church had a podium up front and two chairs…one for senior Pastor and one for assistant pastor or a invited guest speaker. Interestingly enough the chairs were big and wooden and sort of looked like those throne-esque type chairs you see in a Eastern Orthodox Church. But no altar of any sorts.

Thanks…

 

[ltwin]

Just wondering why this practice, this call of repentance has such a name when the churches usually are lacking in any sort of a Altar and the sacrificial nature of the Mass is denied there?

The altar is a place of sacrifice and, in a larger sense, a place of worship and prayer, a place where God meets with man. When you repent of sin, it is in a sense a sacrifice. We are laying our sins upon the altar of God, confessing them, and leaving them there-ideally never to pick them up again. At the altar, we offer our bodies as living sacrifices.

In a spiritual sense, an altar need not be a table or a pile of stones or anything physical. We can “build an altar” to God anywhere at anytime. However, in Protestant churches, the area called the “altar” obviously has a lot to do with traditional placement of altars in church buildings–whether or not there is actually a physical altar located there.

Does your Church do these “altar calls”…and does it have at least a symbolic sort of Altar there at the front where backsliden Christians gather and repent?

We do have altar calls, but actually we say at my church that our altars are always open. Anyone can go up to pray at anytime in the service, whether its beginning or end and someone will come and pray with them.

It will depend upon the building. My church’s old building had a communion table under the pulpit (which itself was placed on the platform). The platform was bordered by wooden rails which is what I always associated with the “altar” at the time, but now I realize they were simply the altar rails and that strictly speaking the communion table served as an altar. At my new church, we don’t have a communion table. The “altar” is just the place at the front of the church.

 

[Padres1969]

My church doesn’t have these “altar calls” as you’re referring to. Though being a liturgical church where we do celebrate the Eucharist much as Catholics do we do have an altar.

My cousin’s Evangelical Non-Denominational church however does have an “altar-call” in the manner you’re referring to, though I don’t recall them referring to is as such during their service. But the principle was the same. Those who want to make a new commitment to Christ are called forward to do so. His church does not have an altar so to speak. They have a stage where the band and preacher work and a small table below it where they place the bread and grape juice you can come up and get during that part of their service.

 

[7_Sorrows]

I always thought they were called altar calls because sinners approached where normally there might have been altar rails in the old traditional cuurches.

 

[Georgia]

My former independent fundamentalist OSAS Baptist church used two terms, altar call and the invitation, the latter being the more common. These took place near the end, usually starting at about fifty minutes into the one hour service.

Everyone in the church was asked to pray with heads bowed and with eyes closed while the choir sang “Just as I Am” or another hymn. The preacher would pray aloud and would invite people to come to the front to “lay it all on the altar” or to join the church after having been saved. The altar was symbolic. There was no actual altar.

The layout was similar to many other Protestant churches with what Catholics would call an ambo, called a pulpit, on a platform and a table immediately below. That table was used to hold the communion trays on fourth Sundays when communion was taken immediately after the regular service. On other Sundays, it held floral arrangements.

People wishing to join the church were met by the preacher for a quiet conversation. Those who wanted to pray would sit on the steps/risers leading up to the platform. Some were there to confess backsliding, a lapse into sin after having been saved. The choice was theirs, but it was fairly common for people to speak to the congregation to announce that they had sinned, general terms about the sin, and how they were moving forward.

If there were substantial numbers going forward, the invitation/altar call could last longer. If not, dismissal would be within the hour.

If a person came forward to join the church, there would be a vote on whether to admit the person. It was always a unanimous approval.

Afterward, there would be a prayer of dismissal, usually given by a called-upon member of the church while the preacher went to the back to greet people on their way out.

 

[Padres1969]

My former independent fundamentalist OSAS Baptist church used two terms, altar call and the invitation, the latter being the more common. These took place near the end, usually starting at about fifty minutes into the one hour service.

Everyone in the church was asked to pray with heads bowed and with eyes closed while the choir sang “Just as I Am” or another hymn. The preacher would pray aloud and would invite people to come to the front to “lay it all on the altar” or to join the church after having been saved. The altar was symbolic. There was no actual altar.

The layout was similar to many other Protestant churches with what Catholics would call an ambo, called a pulpit, on a platform and a table immediately below. That table was used to hold the communion trays on fourth Sundays when communion was taken immediately after the regular service. On other Sundays, it held floral arrangements.

People wishing to join the church were met by the preacher for a quiet conversation. Those who wanted to pray would sit on the steps/risers leading up to the platform. Some were there to confess backsliding, a lapse into sin after having been saved. The choice was theirs, but it was fairly common for people to speak to the congregation to announce that they had sinned, general terms about the sin, and how they were moving forward.

If there were substantial numbers going forward, the invitation/altar call could last longer. If not, dismissal would be within the hour.

If a person came forward to join the church, there would be a vote on whether to admit the person. It was always a unanimous approval.

Afterward, there would be a prayer of dismissal, usually given by a called-upon member of the church while the preacher went to the back to greet people on their way out.

If I’m remembering correctly that is what my cousin’s non-denominational church (which started life as a baptist church) called it. It was an “invitation” to come up to the stage.

 

[Adam95]

The pastor during my teenage years at the non-denominational (Baptist theology) church that my family attended always did altar calls. He seemed to measure his success by the amount of people who came forward. He would stop the piano and organist between all six verses of “Just as I Am” to try and pry people out of their seats. It got awkward and kind of pathetic at times.

The altar call is controversial in Baptist seminaries. The new senior pastor at my former church (who was the other pastor’s assistant) never does altar calls.

 

[Lenten_ashes]

The pastor during my teenage years at the non-denominational (Baptist theology) church that my family attended always did altar calls. He seemed to measure his success by the amount of people who came forward. He would stop the piano and organist between all six verses of “Just as I Am” to try and pry people out of their seats. It got awkward and kind of pathetic at times.

The altar call is controversial in Baptist seminaries. The new senior pastor at my former church (who was the other pastor’s assistant) never does altar calls.

Greetings.

In the mega church protestant setting i think altar calls are good and necessary. Since there are thousands of people you never know who might need a come to Jesus moment.

But yeah in the smaller settings, trying to manufacture those moments would be incredibly annoying.