Was reading the recent issue of the Baptist Standard and saw an interesting piece about Gateway Community Church in Granbury. In that church, the church members baptize, men and women do the baptizing, laypeople do the baptizing! Try sending a church member from that church to the IMB to be appointed as a missionary and see how fast they get shown the door!
I am sure there are some who really believe that the only “appropriate” person to perform a baptism is an ordained minister. Seems like I don’t see that in Scripture. Sure the only ones we read about are done by males, but so what. The first evangelist were women, no really read who first went and spread the news of the resurrection of Jesus, it was women. Anyway I digress.
Was wondering if the church in Granbury, a baptist church, will be asked to leave the association. It wouldn’t surprise me that some in the area are upset that this is happening and if that isn’t enough, they have taken baptist out of their name! Horror of horrors! “Why they aint real baptist anyway and are ashamed to be baptist, so let’s just kick them out of the association.” Never mind that they are leading people to Christ and seeing them be baptized in record numbers. Never mind that the church is growing rapidly and fulfilling the Great Commission.
To the church in Granbury, I say keep up the good work. Don’t let the naysayers get to ya. Hold your head up and keep going. Nehemiah dealt with lots of negative people who only saw fault in what he was doing. But he was called and did what God asked him to do and ignored the rest.
Wackypreacher's Wit and Wisdom 