(By David Giarrizzo)

Just over one week ago, 110 people, most of them between the ages of 18 and 30-something, returned to their homes after a refreshing weekend of mutual edification and time in God’s Word. By all accounts, the third-annual Building Tomorrow’s Church conference was a wonderful success. Not even the cool, wet weather of Prescott, Arizona, could dampen the warmth of the fellowship between these like-minded brothers and sisters, many of whom sacrificed time and money to make it for the weekend. Conference attendees Anita, Catherine, and Joshua Baines traveled all the way from Maine to be with the brethren at BTC 2010 and listen to keynote speakers Raymond Perron and Don Donell preach on the topic of “The Church and Missions.” Others traveled from Massachusetts, Tennessee, and South Carolina in the east, and California and Oregon in the west. First Baptist Church in Clinton, Louisiana, sent the most young people with 14 attendees this year. Other churches in Bremen, Indiana, Mansfield, Texas, and southern California also sent large groups to this year’s BTC conference.

The 110 conference attendees represented more than 25 different Reformed Baptist churches from 17 states. More importantly, though, these 110 people represent both a legacy and a future for Reformed Baptists in North America.

A Legacy
Many of the young people who have participated in past Building Tomorrow’s Church conferences are second and third-generation Reformed Baptists. My brother Paul and I are examples of just such people. Our parents were exposed to the doctrines of grace shortly after being converted to Christ. They raised us with the understanding of Scripture’s authority and the Reformers’ and Puritans’ influence. To us, “doctrine” isn’t a dirty word. We have fond feelings towards catechisms, confessions, and creeds. Many young people like us know and love the great hymns of the church and we understand that reverence and order are essential to right worship. Most importantly, we learned from our upbringing in a Reformed Baptist home that everything we do should be done for the purpose of glorifying God (1 Corinthians 10:31, Soli Deo Gloria). This is the legacy our parents have left.

A Future
It is clear through their lives and conversations that most of the young people at the Building Tomorrow’s Church conferences are sober-minded believers. By their own admissions, they are seeking to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ, in full submission to His mission. Many of the BTC conference attendees are already members in their local churches; more are future members. Raised with a biblical understanding of reality, these young believers are the future of our churches; they present older saints with a hope for our churches when they are gone. Though few are seminary-trained and not all college-educated, they are nevertheless Reformed Baptist theologians in their own right because they have learned it from their parents and now own it for themselves. The purpose of BTC is to encourage the young people in our Reformed Baptist churches to continue in the fight for Truth that their parents have fought; to continue in the project of Kingdom-building in which their parents had labored. As Titus 2 encourages the older saints to teach the younger, through BTC we encourage attendees to be both the teachable younger brother or sister as well as the older saint who disciples. As we heard Robert Briggs say at BTC 2009, it’s not an “either-or, but a both-and.”

The legacy left by Reformed Baptist parents and pastors is seen in the lives of their children and young people. The future of Reformed Baptists is viewed also in these same people’s lives. Like a spiritual relay race in which one generation passes the baton of Truth to the next, our generation is responsible to preserve and promote and pass on the good deposit that has been entrusted to us.  As God keeps us faithful to Him and His mission, may we stay true to the truths of His Word and the lessons learned from our fathers and churches. May we continue in the work of building the Church today for tomorrow.


For more pictures from BTC 2010, click here.


(By David Giarrizzo)

In last week’s post I gave my simple definition of a small group and discussed some of the benefits that small groups offer. This week I want to consider some of the potential pit-falls of small groups. As with any kind of ministry in this world of sin, men have been found to misuse or abuse something like small groups which are intended for our good. Based on my definition of a small group—“an identifiable, regular, and deliberate gathering of people (usually 12 or less?) from within the larger congregation who meet together to study God’s Word, pray, practice their spiritual gifts, and fellowship for the purpose of spiritual growth”—the very first part of the definition points to the very first potential problem with small groups: they’re full of people.

Small(er) Groups of Sinners—It is important for us to remember the doctrine of Total Depravity when we think about assemblies of people, especially when those assemblies involve lot of talking. Proverbs 10:19 aptly describes the idea here: “When words are many, sin is not absent…”. Furthermore, Matthew 12:36 warns, “…men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” Small groups, though they can be wonderful environments of peace, love, and unity, they can also be precarious minefields of pride, selfishness, and anger. We all have our opinions about things; we all have our suggestions and criticisms. But the small group setting is not the place to air our feelings on a wide variety of church issues or publicize our perspectives on specific areas of doctrine. Both small group leaders and members must remember humility and self-control. Judgmentalism, gossip, self-promotion, grumbling, defiance, exaggeration, course joking, divisiveness, and lying are sinful attitudes or behaviors and should have no place in a Christian’s life. May our small groups promote dying to self and living for Christ.

Self-Serving & Inept Leaders—In my last post I considered how one of the benefits of small groups is to allow believers to exercise their spiritual gifts, namely the ability to teach. Conversely, however, one of the dangers of small groups is that a group may be harmed by a poor teacher. Poor leaders come in various forms; but for the sake of this post, I will break it down into two types: the self-serving leader and the inept leader.

1.) The self-serving leader is a person with an agenda. This kind of person has volunteered for the “position” of small group leader/teacher (by no means, a biblical office of the church) because he has something to either gain or ingrain, not because he sincerely cares for the study of God’s Word and the edification of God’s people. This person’s mission may be political in nature: to earn the respect of others; to make a name for himself; to gain friends (or future followers). Or maybe he just has an opinion or belief or perspective that he is aching to share or promote and ingrain in the minds of others. Unfortunately, there have been numerous instances in churches across the country where a teacher has taught so persuasively on a position contrary to the church’s position that he convinced others of his position. Instances like these seldom end well. I have heard of these kinds of self-serving teachers leading their small groups away from the held position of the church and eventually away from the church itself. This is an example of the danger of self-serving teachers. (2 Timothy 6:3-6)

2.) There is another danger of having a leader who is unqualified to teach. While small group lessons are often discussion-heavy, I think that the leader should be a man who is gifted to teach. This doesn’t mean that a small group leader should necessarily be a seminary graduate, but simply someone who has some ability to handle the Word of God and lead a discussion on a specific text with others. According to Mark Mullery, “small group leaders are in place to extend the pastoral ministry of the church by providing a context in which to apply God’s Word so that growth, care, and relationships may occur.” I read this to mean that a small group leader’s role is not to serve self but to serve others through the faithful application of God’s Word for the purpose of sanctification and under the submission and oversight of his elders.

Formal & Informal Extremes—We humans are prone to extremes. Finding a proper, balanced way is often a difficulty we all face. This propensity can be evidenced in some churches’ small groups. Some small groups are so well-planned, neatly structured, and diligently led that they feel more like a business meeting or rehearsed performance than a Bible study. They are just too formal. Other small groups are so relaxed, casual, and spontaneous that they resemble more of a Fourth of July Bar-B-Que or Friday afternoon happy hour than a time of fervent prayer and true fellowship. Either extreme is a divergence from what C.J. Mahaney describes as the purpose of small group ministry: “…to be provoked and challenged by others so we can grow in spiritual maturity, for the glory of God.” Small groups should be places where Christ’s preeminence and our sanctification for God’s glory—not mental exercising or social networking—are primary themes.

Elder Planning & Oversight—All of the above dangers of small groups can boil down to a lack of awareness on the part of the church’s leaders. When the elders of a congregation cease from shepherding the flock, wolves are more likely to creep in the fold and sheep are more likely to get lost or stolen or eaten by wolves. Therefore, with any small group’s style or setup, elder oversight is essential to spiritual safety. However a church decides to do it, oversight must occur. Of course, while the only proven safeguard against Satan’s attacks is the sustaining grace of God at work in our churches, elders still carry the responsibility to look out for the health of the body. This, then, requires concerted effort and time to stay involved in the various ministries of the local church.

As we think about the ins and outs of small groups, it’s important for us to remember that the local church is a family. No family is perfect; they are comprised of people who have unique and peculiar personalities that when interacting with others can result in disagreements and bickering. The cause is remaining sin in the lives of believers; the solution is the Gospel and love of Christ.

May God grant us biblical wisdom and spiritual discernment as we consider our own church small groups and their potential for immense blessing as well as their potential for great harm within the local body. May the grace of God be upon our churches to keep us safe and keep us strong as we seek to further His Kingdom and give God all the glory in all things.

(By David Giarrizzo)

[Disclaimer: The following post is not intended to be an exhaustive treatise on the subject of small group studies. I acknowledge that many churches practice small groups and many others do not; there are varying opinions about small groups in every church. Therefore, I do not intend to directly build a case for or against small groups; nor do I intend to propose a specific methodology. Instead, my intention is to outline some of the potential benefits that small groups can have on an individual and a congregation when done correctly. My description of small groups and their benefits is based simply upon my personal observations of and experiences with small groups at Grace Covenant Church and elsewhere.]


C.J. Mahaney wrote in Why Small Groups: Together Toward Maturity (1996), “Since the mid-1970s, the church in America has been fascinated with small groups.” It’s true—small groups have thrived across the landscape of American Evangelicalism for years. I remember when I used to work in a Christian bookstore, there was an entire room devoted to small group curriculum and study guides. Every day it was a popular part of the store. The material found on the shelves there ranged from study guides for every book of the Bible to material we might hear Dr. Phil discussing on his show. While some of the small group helps out there that are doctrinally sound, there are plenty more books that lack the same theological accuracy. (More on that another time!) The reality is, however, that small groups are a vital part of the ministry of many American churches.

In my mind, the concept of small groups is simple. I think of a small group as is an identifiable, regular, and deliberate gathering of people (usually 12 or less?) from within the larger congregation who meet together to study God’s Word, pray, practice their spiritual gifts, and fellowship for the purpose of spiritual growth. Small groups come in different shapes and sizes. Some might refer to their small group as a “Care Group;” others simply call it a “Wednesday Night Bible Study.” Some small groups are organized by geographic proximity; others are designed to be age-specific or geared towards a specific stage of life (college & career, young married’s, new parents, etc.). But regardless of the names of the small groups or the way they are comprised, in most churches, the basic components of small groups are the same: Time in the Word, a time in prayer, and a time of discussion and fellowship. When done correctly, I think the ministry of small groups offers a variety of important benefits for the individual believer and the local church.

Below I have outlined what I believe to be some of the primary benefits of small groups.

Bible Study—One of the most important and beneficial aspects of small groups are when they are used to confront us with the powerful Word of God. Small groups become less and less useful the further away they stray from the Bible. Conversely, only when the small group curriculum or study material or subject matter is founded firmly upon God’s Word can we derive the best and most practical applications for living godly lives (Matthew 7:24).

Conviction & Encouragement—When a small group is rooted in Scripture, God will work through the means of the lessons and study times to convict and encourage by His Word. Additionally, small groups can provide a setting for mutual accountability and discipleship; a place where we can “spur one another on” in our sanctification (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Prayer—Martin Luther is attributed with saying, “As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” Prayer isn’t reserved for Sunday morning worship or Sunday evening prayer meetings or meal-time thanks. As believers, we should gather to pray as often as possible; the more opportunities we have for corporate intercession the better. Small groups offer the benefit of mid-week prayer opportunities—to share our requests, rejoice in each other’s praises, and join our hearts in prayer to God.

Spiritual Gifts—The local church is the place where Christians are able to practice their spiritual gifts to the glory of God and the good of their brethren. Small groups offer wonderful opportunities for the exercising of the spiritual gifts of teaching, hospitality, and encouragement, just to name a few (Romans 12). For example, small groups provide the setting for a believer who has the gift of teaching to use that gift to edify others who sit in the living room of someone who is exercising their gift of hospitality. Additionally, as the members of the church use their gifts to bless one another through small groups, some may find other avenues for using their spiritual gifts.

Evangelism—Because of their less-formal structure and setting, small groups offer a wonderful occasion for reaching out to unsaved friends and neighbors. All too often this opportunity to serve and communicate Gospel truths to our unbelieving friends is overlooked. Small groups provide more of a conversational atmosphere than most church services and thus provide opportunities for the unconverted to listen to God’s Word being taught and interact with it in a personal way. Those of us in present and future small groups should take note of this important opportunity to reach the lost with the love of Christ.

Fellowship—Finally, small groups offer just another opportunity to relate to our spiritual siblings. Small groups should support the idea of the church as a large family. Small groups encourage peace and love and encouragement and growth. Fellowship is an action that is facilitated within the small group setting through verbal discussion and corporate prayer. I like what J.I. Packer wrote about the topic of fellowship:

“We should not think of our fellowship with other Christians as a spiritual luxury, an optional addition to the exercises of private devotions. Fellowship is one of the great words of the New Testament: it denotes something that is vital to a Christian’s spiritual health, and central to the church’s true life…The church will flourish and Christians will be strong only when there is fellowship.” (God’s Words, Baker Academic, 1998, p.193)

By way of summary, may we be reminded of what our confession states in chapter 26:

Each church and all its members are obligated to pray constantly for the good and prosperity of all Christ’s churches everywhere, and to help forward everyone who comes into their district or calling, by the exercise of their gifts and graces. It clearly follows that when churches are planted by the goodness of God they ought also to hold fellowship among themselves to promote peace, increasing love and mutual edification as and when they enjoy an opportunity to do so to their advantage.” -LBCF (1689)

Here we see the description of a unified, loving, and serving family of believers who are engaged in active and mutual encouragement, be it through Bible studies, small groups, discipleship meetings, or just regular times of fellowship. May we seek to emulate this kind of Christian living in our local churches.

(There are surely other benefits of small groups that I have not listed here. Please feel free to add your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below. I hope to soon follow up on this post with another to discuss the potential dangers that small groups can pose to believers. Stay tuned!)

(By: Eddie Goodwin)

RBAP is pleased to announce the release of Dr. W. Gary Crampton’s From Paedobaptism to Credobaptism: A Critique of the Westminster Standards on the Subjects of Baptism.  This new work can be purchased for $14.30 when using the coupon code: drcrampton during the checkout process.

From Padeobaptism to Credobaptism has recommendations from ARBCA members Drs. Fred Malone, James Renihan, Mike Renihan and Sam Waldron along with our friends Greg Nichols and Robert W. Oliver, Ph.D.

**********

Following the Westminster Confession’s definition of baptism, Gary Crampton presents a compelling argument for credobaptism versus paedobaptism. He examines each phrase of this definition as the outline of his work, finding that neither Scripture, the Apostolic Fathers, the Church Fathers, nor many modern paedobaptists support the definition in favor of infant baptism. His work is thorough in its research, broad in its survey, forceful in its irenic argument, and very readable for all. It betrays Dr. Crampton’s own wrestling with the Scriptures, historical theology, and his own personal convictions as a former paedobaptist to become a convinced and biblical Baptist.

I highly commend this work for those studying paedobaptism versus credobaptism. For the open heart, it should make you a Baptist. May the Lord use it to raise up more Reformed Baptist churches! 

Fred A. Malone, Ph.D.

Pastor, First Baptist Church, Clinton, LA

Author of The Baptism of Disciples Alone

(By David Giarrizzo)

By Day 2 of the ARBCA General Assembly here in Taylors, South Carolina, the blessing of God was evident through the preaching of the Word and the fellowship of the saints.  Tuesday morning, ARBCA Coordinator Gordon Taylor delivered the annual Coordinator’s Challenge. For his text, Gordon used Acts 2:42–

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

From the context of Acts 2, Gordon shared two simple observations about the church in Jerusalem: First it was a converted church; and second, it was a committed church.

1. A Converted Church

The first point is clear: To be a member of the church, one must be converted. Sadly, it seems that too many modern churches in America fail to place great importance on this simple truth. Many churches are quick to fill the pews by encouraging the unsaved to pray a prayer, shed a tear, sign a card, get baptized, and then become a member of the church without sufficient time or care put into figuring out if that person was ever saved. As verses 37-41 shows, it was those who received the word of the Gospel who were saved and baptized; it was those who were genuinely converted who were added to the membership of the church.

2. A Committed Church

Secondly, as verse 42 shows, these believers “continued steadfastly,” they were “devoted.” The significance here is the commitment of the church to the following things: the Apostles’ doctrine; fellowship; breaking of bread; and prayer.

The Apostle’s Doctrine. What was it, Gordon asked, that the Apostles were teaching? The answer is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. On this point Gordon explained the importance of preaching the Gospel. Mr. Taylor used the illustration of a piano keyboard to describe the kind of doctrine that our churches should always be focused upon. Middle ‘C’ on the piano is the first thing that piano students learn and one of the only things they may remember decades later if they do not continue to learn. The middle ‘C’ of Christianity is Jesus Christ, the center of the Gospel message and the focal point of the church. Christ, then, is what every church’s doctrine should be centered around, and Christ is who every believer should continually look to as the Chief Cornerstone of the church.

Fellowship. Gordon Taylor quoted Gordon J. Keddie’s definition of fellowship: “Christ-centered mutual affections and actions…” Our attention was directed to the second part of this definition, actions. Fellowship involves “worship, conversation, meals, and work.” The believers in the early church would meet together, eat together, and speak together “with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46). Likewise, in Acts 6:1-8, we see the Jerusalem church working together to meet the physical needs of the people by appointing deacons to serve. Pastors need deacons to organize and serve the people in this way. This, as Gordon acknowledged, is a part of what true fellowship entails.

Breaking of bread. Gordon Taylor continued in the order of the actions as explained in Acts 2:42 by showing that a committed church celebrates the Lord’s Supper. This remembrance is both a confirmation of our faith and a source of spiritual nourishment to our souls.

Prayers. Corporate prayer is essential to church life. Sadly, though, prayer in the church has taken a back-seat to too many less important things. But as Gordon charged the churches, “No matter what the culture does, never stop praying.” May we never forsake the assembling of ourselves together to pray to God publicly.

Joy in everything. As a final note, Gordon added that through every activity of the young church in Acts–the teaching of the Apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and corporate prayer–everything was done with gladness and joy in the Lord (Acts 2:46-47). The attitude should be the same within our churches today: as we seek to be committed churches, may we be churches filled with the joy of the Lord that gives us strength.

(By: John Miller)

Once again, as our brother Nick reminded us, the ARBCA General Assembly is upon us. Even tomorrow men from our small but growing association of churches will begin their travels to Greenville, SC for our annual gathering. This will be my sixth consecutive GA, and as I am looking forward to this year’s gathering, my mind turns to the first full General Assembly that I attended with my good friend Chris Powell in Mansfield, Texas in 2005. Besides the drama of traveling to that GA (Chris’s van lost its transmission in Mississippi), there is one reality that is forever ingrained in my mind from that GA: the many blessings that come to us as Christians and local churches when we join together in an association. This is especially evident when one of our churches is going through difficult times and sister churches rally around her to give care, comfort, encouragement, and support. In 2005, this was the case with one of our churches in New York, and at the GA there was a wonderful manifestation of true Christian love in the way that the sister churches in the association gave of themselves and their resources, even sending our association’s coordinator at the time, Pastor Bob Selph, to minister to this hurting congregation.

This past Lord’s Day I had the privilege of seeing the culmination of such “sisterly” care among churches in our association again. Another of our churches in New Jersey has gone through a difficult time without a pastor for the past year. Several pastors from our church in Carlisle and other churches in the surrounding area have been helping to provide pulpit supply, seeking to encourage and bless this small but precious work. While there were several points in this journey where we all wondered if it was the Lord’s will for this local body of believers to continue as a church or not, it is our great joy to know now that it most certainly is God’s desire at this time. God in His grace and mercy has sent one of His servants to shepherd His people in that place, and this past Lord’s Day we all rejoiced in the installation of their new pastor, Patrick Harrison. It was a very joyful occasion!

All of these things remind me of one paragraph in Pastor Bob Selph’s pamphlet Benefits of Belonging to an Association of Churches. It reads as follows: “All the churches watch over one another with a loving consideration and mutual care for the sake of purity of doctrine, for tangible demonstrations of love, and for edifying communications. The responsibilities given to members of the local church (1 Corinthians 12:12, 29) is the pattern to be applied to the relationships between churches. Confessional Baptists have historically practiced this type of inter-church care. As no Christian is an island to himself, so no church is an island to itself. We need one another in a vital connection of fellowship.” May God grant to us an ever increasing love, peace, and purity in our association of churches, and among all true churches of the Lord Jesus Christ.