Thank You For Sharing!
I am authoring this article in the middle of February which follows my normal convention of staying ahead to make sure the bulletin is ready to print each week. I do not count on sudden miraculous inspiration with either these articles or my sermons. “Prepare” is my motto which often avoids embarrassment. This early composition of articles sometimes means you have already heard me comment on the subject of the article. This article concerns doctrinal integrity and the unwillingness to compromise or confuse the public perception of the Berean Baptist Church.
God has exceedingly blessed us with a beautiful building in a “to die for” location on this busy corner. I usually do not need to give detailed instructions on how to find us because Rohnert Park residents know where we are. Last year, we replaced our sign because of vandalism and during that time there was exciting speculation that our building was for sale. Quite honestly, most churches looking for a place to meet would never be able to afford the worth of what God has so graciously given. Let us suppose that we find ourselves in need of moving. Our building is oversized for the congregation, expensive to heat and cool, and is on the edge of expensive repairs. I may not depend on miracles to produce sermons, but for maintaining our place here, God must do amazing works. He has, and this is the reason this article will not turn into a slow introduction to shocking news.
I pose the question of moving to dovetail into two same requests made within one week of each other. Both requests were for appointments to meet with me to discuss sharing our building with other congregations for Sunday services. These are not the first and I am sure not the last requests. I have at times considered the possibility of increasing our income and making our financial condition more comfortable. However, whether selling the building or sharing the building, there is a far more overarching concern than finances.
I had not completely ruled out the possibility of sharing. There would not be a need to sell if there were suitable arrangements. This is the key to my article—what is suitable? To me, it is not figuring out time slots for who gets to have the building when. My concern is doctrinal compatibility. Oddly enough in the times I received inquiries about sharing, no one ever raised the question with me who we are and what we stand for. Before meeting with anyone, I want to know if it is a waste of time. I start investigating who they are and what they teach. I have no interest in helping to establish a preaching station in this gold standard location to promote what I preach against nearly every week.
I will spare the details, but what do you think I would say about sharing with a charismatic church? What would I say about sharing with an affirming church? What would I say to the crew pulling their smoke machine behind them? The last interview I had with a pastor who wanted to use our building, I handed him our doctrinal statement and said, “Take this, read this, and come back with your answer.” We have nothing but solid, biblical, orthodox truth attested by scripture and Baptist history in our statement—and that sharing conversation was dead before the door closed behind him.
Doctrinal confusion is Satan’s hallmark. Whatever I can do to help stop it, count me in. If your church must sit in the rain with your underwear soaked, I will not help Satan promote his lies. Is this a Christian attitude? This is what Jesus said to religious liars, “…ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves…” There are some things you just do not share.
Pastor V. Mark Smith