Baptists and Creativity
Creativity among Baptists is solely needed. Imitation can be a cheap way to creativity but among Baptists there is sometimes a tendency to imitate the wrong people.
Note the trend toward an institutional view of the church. People need to come to a place, the building of the church, to be converted. Coming down the aisle has become sacramental. The ministry is becoming priestly-only the ministry wins people to Christ.
Religious life is increasingly centered around buildings. To attract people we build service structures-gyms, swimming pools, bowling alleys, etc. Here we are able to isolate ourselves from society. We don't have to rub shoulders with those "other people."
The Baptist church is not a sacramental institution. We have no priesthood. There are no sacramental ways of confessing Christ.
If Baptists are going to advance, rather than just hold their own, we must recapture the creativeness of our forefathers. We must overcome this "building complex" and get out where the people are. Let's face it: non-Christians are not drawn to the church building!
In a world that tends to isolate itself from and insulate itself against the church we must come up with new answers, new techniques, and perhaps adapt old ones to get to people where they are. Here is where creativity comes in.
Suggested Ideas
The New Folk, a singing group of eight college students, are now on a tour of the nation's campuses. As part of the program at Kansas State Teachers College they gave their testimony of faith in Christ in a way that appealed to college students. They did everything but receive an offering and give an invitation. But the latter they did in an indirect way.
The admission was $1. A card was passed to all students to evaluate the program. On it was the space to ask more information about the Christian life. It was a tremendous way to reach people who would not go near a church.
The Billy Graham film, The Restless Ones, was viewed locally by several thousand who paid to see it. Hundreds responded to the invitation. Many of them would never take a preacher seriously.
What if one argues that many respond for information or from curiosity. When has a local pastor had as many as a dozen people knock on his door wanting information about Christianity?
Christians must do more with the local radio station. Question the value of the morning service broadcast. Most ace amateurish, dull and insulting as compared to professional radio.
Use radio well! Sponsor the noon news. More people listen to news and music than anything else.
Let the commercial sum up the appealing Christian gospel in a one-minute spot announcement. Sponsor some music with low-key commericals about the folks down at Blank Baptist Church wanting to help, whatever the need.
Baptists can adapt a new slant on the use of literature. Several student groups on our campus loaded tables in the administration building with new books. Signs advertised a sale at discount prices.
Sale of Books
Over a three day period, some 250 . books were sold. There is need for an experiment like this on almost any college campus. We must take seriously the role of making available, at close-to-cost, literature that will lead to serious consideration of the Christian faith, or upgird the Christian.
Baptists have been slow in using the newspaper media. We have fineness in getting our scandals publicized, but not the gospel. Why not have the Brotherhood Qr WMU sponsor a correspondence Bible study course in the local newspaper? The Home Mission Board is branching out in this area and needs help.
Why can't we have some golfing evangelists? This means that we must . break out of our routine of partners. But it might make golfing more meaningful for some of our duffers.
Some people can promote Bible studies in the homes. The home does not have' the halo of a church building and people will come for feJlowship and coffee.
Our age is interested in psychology and self-f\lIfiJlment. The fellowship of believers can contribute to this. People will not respond to a building, an institution, or an impersonal organization. They desire friendship and fellowship. Believers must reach them at this point in their lives.
Basis of Friendship
The home, family and feJlowship of believers offers a natural basis of friendship to bring people to Christ. Yet Christions tend to be ingrown in church. We make our best friendships with Christians. We also need as friends those we are trying to win to Christ.
If the church dies, as some are predicting, it will be the institutional church. The church as the fellowship of Christ wi11live on.
As Christians in an affluent, mobile, and secularizing world our purpose is to help bring people to Christ. We must reach them where they are. We need creative approaches.
Dallas M. Roark, formerly a teacher in the Religion Department at Wayland Baptist College, is an associate professor in the area of philosophy and religion at Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia.
August 30, 1967 Baptist Standard (Texas)