IMPORTANT UPDATE BELOW
Today being the day after the day after Christmas, our postal mail resumes and between today and Friday, we'll receive cards and packages that for some odd reason we didn't receive prior to Christmas. Happens every year this way - and they were always sent early enough to arrive IN TIME, but just got held at the post office. If I live to be 800 years old, I will never understand the inconsistancy of the Canadian postal service.
So today is back to work for many people (Kev does have next week off though, yay!), and back to regular household chores for others. I'll be attempting to make a dent in my post-Christmas messy house today & installing shelves for Jordan and Rachel.
Speaking of convenience and order...
Last night I had yet another conversation with a fellow Christian that was bothered by the fact that so few Reformed Baptist churches were listed on a couple of the bigger RB internet church directories. I've had this same conversation with fellow believers for the last 10 years or so - or ever since the first RB directory showed up online (whichever happened earlier, I can't recall). The problem with this is, there are many people looking for a solid Baptist church that holds to the 5 points, and they can't find one. In many cases it's not because there isn't one in their local area, but it's because either they're not listed in an obvious (we're a 5 point Baptist church) way in the local phone book, and they haven't take the time to list themselves with any of the online directories either.
While one of the more (much more) well-read blogs out there probably could post this plea and make a huge difference, I'm going to do it myself and hope it makes some kind of a difference:
If you are the pastor of a Baptist church that holds to the 5 points of Calvinism (Sov Grace Baptist, Reformed Baptist, whatever you call your church) please take a moment to go to any (or all) of the RB church directories online and submit your church info, so that those looking, can easily find you. New believers, people who have recently moved, or are planning to move, people who will be planning a vacation to your area, or people who have recently embraced the doctrines of grace and would like to be under solid teaching on these very important doctrines. It's a common issue that fellow RB brothers and sisters seem to have a rough time locating a good RB church - and it just shouldn't be that way! These churches have to make their presence known, and this is one way to do it.
Here are the top 3 RB church directories that I'm aware of, that people use the most (I originally listed 3, but more are rolling in!):
- Founders Friendly Churches
- Reformed Reader - RB Church Directory
- Johnny Farese - RB Church Directory
- Reformed Baptist Fellowship (HT: Julie from the comments)
- Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America
- Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals
- Grace Church Planting (HT for these 3: Marie the Uber-Librarian!)
- Founders Friends (HT: Gene Bridges)
- Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada (HT: Jeff from the comments)
If anyone knows of other RB church directories, or fellowship associations that would also be helpful in locating a local RB church, please do leave a link in the comments.
It's the least we can do as Christian bloggers, to help people find a doctrinally solid, local church, don't you think?
UPDATED:
Gene Bridges, in the comment section over at The Calvinist Gadfly has shared some info about getting yourself listed, that I think is very helpful:
"Any time my church finds a directory, we add it. One problem is that there are several directories. Another is that, as Carla you rightly note, folks don’t add their names. I’d also add that if you are a Calvinist but not in a Sov. Grace/Reformed church per se, you can still add your individual name to the list of individuals at Founders. I’ve been able to help folks without churches at least find like minded folks in their areas that way. Such is sometimes the way a church starts. In fact, that is, for the most part, the way our church in Greensboro, NC began. We list our church @ Founders and many of us also list our names and contact information so folks looking can find us in their areas. Also, I would point out that it helps to list as an individual if not a church particularly if you are a pastor. I know of several Calvinist and Amyraldian pastors in my area who can’t list their churches as “Reformed” because they are in transition or are not at the point where they feel comfortable listing the whole church as such as Sov. Grace/Reformed. However, by listing their names as pastors of churches, folks of like mind can find them and get to those churches to help fill the pews with folks who are of like mind who can help the pastor(s) in his/their ministry/ies, even if its by being a sound example for other folks to follow. "
So there ya go, list yourself, list your church! Thanks again Gene, this is really good stuff.
Related Tags: sovereign grace, baptist, the 5 solas, Christian homeschooling, Christian t-shirts and gifts
