Altar calls, when properly handled, are certainly effective. First of all, they remind the listeners that the gospel demands a response.
As Billy Graham has said, "You cannot give God a definite maybe. It has to be a definite yes or a definite no." When the altar call is properly handled, lost people are asked to trust Christ as the only way to heaven. The issue is responding to Christ, not to you. The person therefore knows that to trust Him is to receive His free offer of eternal life, and to reject Christ is to reject that free offer.
In addition, when a person responds to an altar call, he or she is right there in front of you. Of all the invitation methods, this is the easiest way to get with the person one-on-one. You have not asked them to meet you in another room after the service, which they may not find, nor have you asked them to meet you at another time, allowing them to forget when. Instead, you have said, "Come see me, and come see me now." With them right before you, you can speak to them one-on-one, either immediately or after they are escorted to a side room.
A third advantage is what an altar call says to other listeners. As a lost person sees another walk forward indicating a need of Christ, he/she is tempted to think, "If that person is unashamed to admit his need, what's wrong with me?" The one responding encourages others to respond.
That said, there are situations and reasons where giving an altar call is not only wrong, it is dishonoring to God:
When it is made a condition of salvation
This first reason is the absolute worst. A television evangelist once proclaimed, "There are two conditions for salvation—one is to come to Christ, the other is to come forward." He continued to make it clear that, in his opinion, if one does not come forward, he/she cannot come to Christ.
May God have mercy on such a person—he has changed the terms of the gospel. Jesus so simply said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life" (John 6:47). Not one word was said about walking forward through an altar call. Furthermore, if an altar call were essential to salvation, we would be confronted with two huge problems: For one, it means the thief on the cross, contrary to Christ's declaration, went to hell. The man did not and could not "go forward"; there on the cross, though, he acknowledged Christ to be the One He said He was. Jesus so lovingly assured him, "Today you will be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
A second problem comes up in John 12:42, where we are told, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue." "Believed in Him" is the Johannine phrase for "salvation" used throughout the Gospel of John. It's the same phrase used in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Other verses where this same phrase is used include John 3:18, 3:36, 5:24, 6:35, 6:40, and 6:47. Here were Jewish leaders who had sincerely trusted Christ, but they were afraid to confess Him lest they should be excommunicated from the synagogue. Such a verse makes it clear that trusting Christ, "believing in Him," is a separate issue from confessing Him publicly.
Comments
January 21, 2010
38.kurt gundersen says...
Confession is just a part of sanctification? This sounds like the idea that we can accept Jesus as Savior and not as Lord. I can deny him publicly and, as a friend of mine likes to say, be a "secret agent Christian." As William Herndon says (Aug 27,'09), this denies the very Scripture Dr. Moyer is referencing. Romans 10 is clear, unless you are so committed to easy believism, you have closed your eyes and ears.
August 27, 2009
37.William Herndon says...
To say that confession is just a part of sanctification flies in the face of the very Scripture Dr. Moyer is referencing. Romans 10:9-10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The Bible is emphatic "But with the mouth confession is made unto salvation". If faith is not strong enough to cause one to confess, obviously it is not strong enough to save.
Matthew 10:32-33
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. [33] But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. We are producing a church full of secret disciples!!!!
July 24, 2009
36.Howard Riley says...
I appreciate the article. All those I have seen "pray the prayer" are still serving the Lord in a great way. So maybe we should take this article case by case.
Paul taught, "By all means I utilize to save some." (I Cor. 9:19-27)
The key is presenting the gospel:
A - Admit that one is a sinner and needs to repent and turn to Christ for salvation
B - Believe in Christ as the substitutionary payment for the forgiveness of sins
C - Call on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved. (Rom. 10:9,10)
The methods can be many and varied.
Certainly the best articles are the ones that promote thought and discussion, so Dr. Larry gave us a dandy. In a time when the gospel is being watered down to the point of dismissing the cross because of it cruelity. I am inclined to say, Just preach the word, baby, just preach the word. Phil. 1:18 comes to mind, "But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice." Not that every message or invitation is good or godly, but neither is failing to give a chance to respond. And for what it's worth. I have never invited people down front, but ask each week for a raised hand to express committment.
July 22, 2009
33.Pastor Joe Covino says...
I am the pastor for what alot call a biker church.. I have preached many a funeral for every spiritual condition, lost, saved and uncertain. I always close with an altar call. But last year I was conducting a wedding and while the bride and groom were lighting the unity candle, the Lord impressed on me that I should give an invitation,,,I had never done that before..I gave the invitation and 2 people came forward to recieve Christ... It was a blessing and the bride and groom were as excited as the new believers..
July 22, 2009
32.James Allman says...
Having grown up in a setting where the altar call was normal, I found that it too easily, even with the best of motives, became manipulative. Thank you for calling attention to this matter.
July 22, 2009
31.Jerry Dunn says...
I have been preaching for 38 years, and I never close a service without giving people the opportunity to respond to the gospel and receive Christ, or rededicate their lives when needed. I never use any high-pressure tactics and the invitation is short if there is no immediate response. I know that I am 'old-fashion' but I feel that it is necessary to compel people to come to Christ at the moment the Holy Spirit has spoken to their heart. I know that styles and methods change. I just pray that our message never changes. God bless all who preach His Word of truth.
I think maybe you approached this from the wrong direction. Maybe you should have written an article on other methods to end a service and bring souls to Christ. Instead of bashing and degrading the altar. I didn't like the article.
I am so happy to hear someone else agree with this thought. I have been preaching this for sometime. Since the Spirit of God is within us the altar is in the mind.
Thought provoking but perhaps a better title would be; "Four Reasons Not To Give A Poorly Done Alter Call." How about another article on a really good or effective "Invitation"!
I see this model in Scripture: people who heard the gospel and responded to it did so through baptism. We were very apprehensive to take this approach believing it was not “seeker friendly” or the “ask” was too big. God has blessed our step of faith though. Since January we’ve had 97 baptisms –many immediately following a Gospel presentation in service – dress clothes and all. God is good!
I was a victim of high pressure altar calls when I was 10 years old. The preacher kept hammering away. I went to the altar along with 15 other kids, but I wasn't really saved until I was 39 years old. Most of those kids didn't stay in church either! I believe in altar calls if they are handled currectly!
July 20, 2009
24.Devasagayam Denzil says...
Amazing. As a pastor I have realized that we need to be careful to lead people only to Jesus Christ.
This is a thought provoking article which is at the heart of a serious problem today in the evangelical church--the issue of genuine regeneration. After 32 years preaching and teaching the Word, I am very concerned about the life and vitality of the Church of Jesus Christ because the Church (to a large degree) seems to have lost a true understanding of the gospel. We have learned how to psychologically motivate and get folks to say a prayer after affirming some truths from Scripture and then promise them they are Christians and are on their way to heaven. We are far too results oriented and as Larry has so poignantly pointed out, they are the lost who believe they have been found. There is this giant divide between justification and sanctifi-cation because they were never truly born of the Spirit (even though their church told them they were saved). May God help us to humbly share the grace and truth of the glorious gospel of Christ and allow His Spirit to witness to their spirit as to the state of their soul before God. I think a struggle as to whether one truly is a child of God or not is quite healthy, after all, physical birth doesn't happen without labor pain either (we have 5 precious children). Thank you Larry and Ron for keeping our focus on the gospel of Christ.
July 20, 2009
22.Bryan Gerstel says...
In response to comment #11, I am reminded that when the new believer is baptized, that is when they publically share they are a beliver. We have effectively use connection cards allowing people to "check the box" to share their next step in accepting Christ as Lord and Savior. We then have the opportunity to help them take next steps in their new faith and encourage them to be baptized. Although we do not do altar calls, I concur that, as the article points out, there are "right" ways to use them. However, in 10 years of full time ministry now, I can say I have seen more commitments in the last five years made using our connection cards as a "tool" to respond to a message than I have seen using altar calls the first 5 years of my ministry. The key to either being effective is follow-up and providing next steps to grow in their new found faith in Christ.
The last I knew - my salvation took place because of my relationship with God - not because of my location. I agree that we need to make a commitment to God - and there are times that we need to stand up and be counted - but does salvation come in any other way - outside of a relationship with God? Do I always need to offer an altar call every Sunday morning during our "Holy Hour"? Or can I ask a person to make a commitment to Christ while they are working on their car or shopping at the market? We as ministers should always strive to help people make deeper commitments to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks Larry for the article. I would say that we always need to search our motives - as we invite people to follow Christ.
I could not agree with you more I have always had serious challenges with the abuse of alter calls, I really appreciate this article and trust that all of us learn and put into practice these principles. Thank you.
July 20, 2009
19.Craig Thomas says...
Good posting for the 21st century church. Even though we've had great leaders throughout the years, we have to be mindful of the fact it is Christ, not we who are saving. It's not about our long standing traditions which are man-made. It's about God's long standing power which regenerates the soul of men to change. Just keep feeding them the Word and let the Spirit do His work.
The Church that I pastor doesn’t give what can be referred to as an “alter call.” Every week there is an “invitation” offered for those who want to accept Christ, rededicate a life that has gone astray, to come forward for prayer, or to share how God is working in their life so we can celebrate with them. We seek to be a church that has an “effective invitation.” We realize and must always remind ourselves that the invitation that is offered isn’t ours, it belongs to God. This article gives a good reminder that we must always be aware of our motives in doing something, and that re-evaluation of our ministry practice is always a good thing…. Thanks Larry
There are two views that i find to be extremes on the issue of using altar calls. One is the view that it is unbiblical because we don't find the words in the Bible. On the other hand, there are those who think that those who refuse to come forward have no chance of getting saved. On the former, it would be at the height of arrogance for a church to say that all tools, methods and concepts they employ in evangelism have a name somewhere in the Bible. Even "Original Sin" is nowhere to be found in the Bible. For a preacher to say that he doesn't use 'Altar Calls' because some do it in an dishonest and manipulative way, would think twice before preaching because even before the altar call became a by-word in Evangelical preaching, preaching itself have been used for dishonest gain through manipulative ways even by 'legitimate' pastors. On the latter, let us be reminded that God can move in a variety and surprising ways. The wind blows wherever He wishes.
July 20, 2009
16.Cal Swickard says...
Everyday is and altar call. When I close on Sunday morning, I tell them that God invites them to come to the altar everyday.
July 20, 2009
15.Billy Weems says...
I agree with the idea that one must never equate coming forward with salvation. I also agree that one should never use the invitaion to manipulate others. Overall this is really a good article. However, I think that too many churches have stopped giving invitations. Rather than concentrating on how not to give an invitaion, the article might have also offered insights in how to give a better invitaion. I have given invitations and said; "Just two more verses!" But, then the Holy Spirit would move and the people would come to the altar and the invitaion would continue. I certainly do not feel that was lying, in fact that was God giving grace to people who needed it, and the church participating in that grace through the extension of the invitation. God bless!
July 20, 2009
14.Rev. Wayne Claxton says...
For the love of God, don't throw the baby out with the bath water. People, can we still compel them to come to Christ? Coming forward is an obedient act of marching toward victory. Christ is victory.
There are some good points here but I do question the exegesis of Romans 10:9-10. "Saved" in Paul's writing most often means saved from the wrath of God, as it does for instance in Romans 5:9. Is it really correct to apply the term "saved" to our changed lifestyle as believers?
we give an altar call each week. I hope you are not suggesting that churches get away from this practice. we do not pressure at al but we do want to give the opportunity for someone to tell others publicly that they are a believer. :)
we give an altar call each week. I hope you are not suggesting that churches get away from this practice. we do not pressure at al but we do want to give the opportunity for someone to tell others publicly that they are a believer. :)
We tend to forget that God stops at nothing to reconcile His people - His INDIVIDUAL HUMAN - to Him... and that the reconciliation, the salvation, may not occur during an altar call.
I find myself agreeing with Mr. Moyer on two significant points:
1. In the Bible "Not one word was said about walking forward through an altar call". In fact, there is no mention of a "communication card", "raising a hand", or praying the "prayer of salvation". By contrast, when the crowd asked "What shall we do?" Peter responded "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38 KJV). That marks a distinct difference between (as Mr. Moyers said) something which "does not have its roots in Scripture but instead in church practice."
2. I also agreed that "A church that does not use variety in the way it invites people to express their desire for Christ is a church too deeply steeped in tradition" (traditions such as "raising hands" and "praying the prayer"). In the book of Acts, Peter gave an invitation and 3000 were baptized into Christ, Philip baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch in the middle of nowhere, and Paul baptized the Philippian Jailor and his family at midnight. It's amazing how effective the scriptural way can be when we don't try to mix in man-made elements.
July 20, 2009
8.Alan Davis says...
Good article, we need to be tools of God's grace not drum up our own grace. Too many use the alter call to inflate their rolls and compete with other churches
It is a sad day when we as pastor's manipulate the flock with guilt & shame. Let's take this article to heart and give God the honor and respect He deserves.
The sad truth is that I have witness all four of these.
July 20, 2009
4.Linda Harris says...
I could not agree more. I ended up backing away from a children's ministry because we were being asked to get children to "pray the prayer"! I knew this was wrong, and over the years that was tragically confirmed as I saw them go far from God, and some say, "Oh, but we know they are saved. They prayed the prayer!" My heart weeps.
July 20, 2009
3.Ron George says...
I agree, We must preach the Gospel, But salvation is up to Christ,
Bill Bright taught us about an effective witness, ( an effective witness is, Witnessint in the HOly Spirit and leaving the results to God"
Right on Brother.
