‘O Why Not Tonight?’
ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. — Softly and tenderly, Jesus called this sinner home.
On March 13, 1977, I made my way to the front of the church and asked to be baptized. I was 9 years old.
I don’t recall the exact invitation song that Sunday. It might have been “Trust and Obey.” Or maybe “There’s a Fountain Free.” Those are two of my favorites.
But I do remember that the preacher, Wendell Jackson, emphasized the need to give our lives to the Lord. He warned of spending an eternity in hell. He outlined the steps of salvation.
By that time in my young life, I had heard hundreds of sermons and never responded to the gospel message. But this one pricked my heart. And I did — much to the surprise of my parents.
By that time in my young life, I had heard hundreds of sermons and never responded to the gospel message. But this one pricked my heart.
Nearly half a century later, I was reminded of my experience when I received a note from Douglas A. Foster, professor emeritus of church history at Abilene Christian University in Texas.
Foster told me about a discussion of “the invitation” that came up during a church small-group meeting.
“Some were expressing the sense that there has been something extremely valuable lost by not having a traditional invitation following the sermon,” Foster wrote. “Here at Northside in San Antonio there is an announcement made at the end of the service before the final song that if anyone would like prayer, they can find one of the elders or prayer ministry team members then for any needs they might have, but no specific mention is made concerning baptism, ‘restoration,’ etc.”
Foster wondered if I knew of any data concerning what percentage of Churches of Christ still offer a traditional invitation.
I did not, but the topic fascinated me. With Foster’s permission, I sought feedback from my email list.
“Thank you for sharing Douglas Foster’s letter,” replied Phil Sanders, speaker for the national TV ministry “In Search of the Lord’s Way.” “I was in Texas (on a recent Sunday) and experienced the same thing. An announcement of elders and a prayer group for anyone with a need was given, but nothing was said about what to do to be saved or restored.
“And we wonder why our churches are not growing!” Sanders added. “We … have forgotten how to persuade people to come to Jesus.”
But K. Rex Butts, lead minister for the Newark Church of Christ in Delaware, said he only offers an invitation when it fits directly with his sermon.
Often, he’ll simply end with a blessing based on 2 Corinthians 13:13: “May the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of our God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all!”
“When an invitation is offered at the end of every sermon,” Butts said, “it risks losing its significance because it’s just something that the preacher says every time.”
Some churches have embraced “Baptism Sundays,” choosing a specific Lord’s Day to encourage seekers to make the decision.
“They lead up to it with classes on baptism, etc.,” noted Steve Cloer, who directs Harding University’s Center for Church and City Engagement in Memphis, Tenn.
A woman becomes emotional after responding to the invitation at the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ in Kansas City, Mo.
Making the invitation a priority
The Jenkins Institute, which offers support and encouragement for preachers, did a survey on the topic. Nearly 200 ministers responded, according to Dale Jenkins, the institute’s co-founder:
67.7 percent said they “spend time each week tailoring my close to fit the lesson and audience.”
29.7 percent said they “have a standard invitation.”
2.6 percent said they “do not close with an invitation.”
Clyde Slimp, a Texas-based regional director for Eastern European Mission, known as EEM, said he has visited 50-plus churches in four states in the last four years.
“If memory serves, 85 percent offered a traditional invitation,” Slimp estimated.
Indeed, most ministers who responded to my query fall into that category.
“I always make it a priority to offer an invitation,” said Richard Combs, minister for the Main Street Church of Christ in Walnut Ridge, Ark. “I feel like an invitation to either obey the Gospel in baptism or be restored — or just for someone needing prayers or support from fellow brethren — is important.”
Sammie Berry, minister and elder of the Dallas West Church of Christ, deems the invitation “an important and powerful part of the message.”
“When I preach, I am delivering the divine message and sharing points of application,” said the Texas preacher, who serves on The Christian Chronicle’s national board of trustees. “I am talking to the Body about the transformative power of Jesus. I think we shortchange the Body when we don’t give them an opportunity to respond in a public way (like on Pentecost, Acts 2 and in Samaria, Acts 8).”
Minister Sammie Berry preaches at the Dallas West Church of Christ.
Randy Clay, preaching minister for the Cross Tower Church of Christ in Salt Lake City, said he “more often than not extends an invitation. We are very close to averaging a baptism every week! Just baptized a couple in their late 70s who were lifetime Mormons!”
At the Avondale Church of Christ in Birmingham, Ala., those who preach specify the steps of salvation at the end of every sermon, elder Carter Ross Jr. said.
Ross likes to exhort the church between verses of the invitation song, be it “Just As I Am” or “Lord, I’m Coming Home.”
“The question continues to be asked what must I do to be saved,” Ross said. “The lost still need to know how do I become a Christian.”
“The question continues to be asked what must I do to be saved. The lost still need to know how do I become a Christian.”
Jim Dillinger, minister for the Rochester Church of Christ in Indiana, said his regular invitation focuses as much on encouragement as repentance.
“When someone comes forward, we have groups of people who come with them and surround them during the invitation song,” Dillinger said. “They never sit alone in the ‘sinner’s box.’ When we pray for them, I will share their need to the church, and then one of the elders kneels and lays hands on them while he prays for that need.
“Afterwards, members line up to hug and encourage them,” he added. “Sending someone off to a back room defeats the purpose of the church ‘to encourage one another and even more so as the day of the Lord draws near’ (Hebrews 10:25).”
The Heritage Church of Christ in Franklin, Tenn., stands to sing the invitation song.
History of the invitation
The earliest invitation, it would seem, occurred in Acts 2:38.
That is, of course, where Peter told the people, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The earliest invitation is recorded in Acts 2:38.
The modern invitation in Churches of Christ can be traced back roughly two centuries, according to “The Invitation: A Historical Survey.” Restoration Quarterly published that seminal article by the late Thomas Olbricht in 1961.
“According to Olbricht, the custom of offering a public invitation during the worship service was already prevalent throughout Restoration Movement churches by 1832, when the Christians associated with Barton W. Stone united with those aligned with Alexander Campbell,” said John Young, a Restoration Movement scholar at Amridge University in Montgomery, Ala.
“The practice originated in an era of widespread religious revivals as a way to bring some semblance of order back to the assembly when massive crowds wanted to respond to the Gospel,” Young explained. “However, the specific purpose of the invitation changed as leaders in the Restoration Movement came to a consensus regarding the necessity of believer’s baptism.
“Whereas the public invitation had been offered in other church traditions as a chance for hearers to experience an inward conversion or movement of the Holy Spirit, Restoration Movement churches invited those present to come forward and receive baptism,” the theology professor added. “In both cases, it was thought that the presence of the crowd would help bring about the proper response from the individual.”
“Whereas the public invitation had been offered in other church traditions as a chance for hearers to experience an inward conversion or movement of the Holy Spirit, Restoration Movement churches invited those present to come forward and receive baptism.”
A tradition or a doctrine?
Some ministers voiced concern that the invitation is a tradition that has become — in the eyes of many — a doctrine.
Chris McCurley, preaching minister for the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson, Tenn., said he sees benefits to the invitation — but also potential harm.
“I don’t feel it is wise to urge someone to make such a monumental decision in the heat of the moment, so to speak,” McCurley said. “Anyone contemplating discipleship should consider the cost; that’s what Jesus expressed to potential followers. Baptism is the starting point for discipleship, not the end point. Therefore, I do not want someone making the decision to put on Christ in baptism without knowing precisely what they are getting into.”
Minister Chris McCurley, center, prays during a small-group meeting at his Tennessee home.
Too many come forward, are baptized — and then walk out the church door never to be seen again, McCurley said.
“If nothing else, we need to have solid conversations with those who come forward and perhaps even study further rather than rushing them into the baptistery,” he said. “There is also the aspect of having someone walk down the aisle, which is quite intimidating to many.”
Charlie Harrison, minister for the Brunswick Church of Christ in Maine, shared a similar perspective.
Harrison recalled out-of-town visitors from Tennessee who chastised him one Sunday.
His sin, in their view: Even though his message referenced faith, repentance, confession and baptism, he did not include “the traditional mini-sermon at the end of the sermon.”
“I might ask: When and how are most people converted?” Harrison said. “Does it come from one proceeding to the ‘mourners’ bench’ at the end of a worship service when the call is made?”
Mark Adams, minister for the Tusculum Church of Christ in Nashville, Tenn., said he offers a weekly invitation.
But he’s intentional about saying that it’s a tradition.
“Both the preacher and a couple of elders will receive people at the front,” Adams said. “Instead of only the option of coming down front, which they are welcome to do, we also have a QR code that links to a response form they can fill out online, and we note that there are a couple of elders available in a separate room if they need to have a more confidential conversation and time of prayer.”
Church members embrace those who respond to the invitation at the Greater Metropolitan Church of Christ in Kansas City, Mo.
Baptism in a bathtub
That Sunday in 1977 when I stepped forward, I was not taken immediately to the baptistery.
In fact, our little church in North Carolina — near the Virginia state line — did not have a baptismal pool. My family was part of a team of domestic missionaries that had turned an old nightclub, painted all black when we arrived, into a small meeting place.
Mom and Dad, both teary eyed, joined me up front and hugged me. We spent time that afternoon reviewing the Scriptures and making sure I understood the choice I was making.
Then we headed to the lake. I stepped into the freezing water to wash away my sins. But the bitter chill proved too much.
I have wondered from time to time if that meant I wasn’t ready, but I knew enough to understand the plan of salvation and my need for Jesus.
We drove home, and Dad baptized me in our bathtub.
BOBBY ROSS JR. is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle. Reach him at [email protected].
The post ‘O Why Not Tonight?’ appeared first on The Christian Chronicle.
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