(CC) Question about altar calls

[forty-two]

My tradition (Lutheran) doesn't have altar calls, and I'm trying to understand the role they play in the traditions that have them. 

 

To this sacramental outsider, they kind of seem to function similarly to confession/absolution, in that people who are feeling convicted of their sins can go forward and "get right with God".  Is this at all accurate?

 

Also, I sort of had the impression that altar calls are about being converted from "not a Christian" to "Christian".  So that if you come forward after having already been converted and baptized, it's understood as you've fallen away from the faith, rejected God, once again were lost, and now have been re-convicted and re-converted.  Or do people come forward as kind of a "re-dedicating themselves to God" thing - they feel convicted of their sins and seek forgiveness, but it doesn't imply they'd lost their faith?

 

I'm curious, because in my tradition being "reconverted" through confession/absolution doesn't at all imply that you'd rejected the faith (although that could have happened), only that Christians still regularly sin and thus need regular forgiveness (lest they *do* become hardened in their sins and reject their faith).  (Daily repentance is part of our tradition.)  But my hazy understanding of altar calls was that they *did* imply that people were lost before being converted or re-converted. 

 

So, please explain altar calls to me :).

[Ellie]

My tradition (Lutheran) doesn't have altar calls, and I'm trying to understand the role they play in the traditions that have them. 

 

To this sacramental outsider, they kind of seem to function similarly to confession/absolution, in that people who are feeling convicted of their sins can go forward and "get right with God".  Is this at all accurate?

 

Also, I sort of had the impression that altar calls are about being converted from "not a Christian" to "Christian".  So that if you come forward after having already been converted and baptized, it's understood as you've fallen away from the faith, rejected God, once again were lost, and now have been re-convicted and re-converted.  Or do people come forward as kind of a "re-dedicating themselves to God" thing - they feel convicted of their sins and seek forgiveness, but it doesn't imply they'd lost their faith?

 

I'm curious, because in my tradition being "reconverted" through confession/absolution doesn't at all imply that you'd rejected the faith (although that could have happened), only that Christians still regularly sin and thus need regular forgiveness (lest they *do* become hardened in their sins and reject their faith).  (Daily repentance is part of our tradition.)  But my hazy understanding of altar calls was that they *did* imply that people were lost before being converted or re-converted. 

 

So, please explain altar calls to me :).

 

People might go up at an altar call because they are giving their hearts to Jesus. :-) They might also go up because life has just really sucked lately and they'd like more prayer. Or they might be re-dedicating their lives. In churches which do altar calls, I don't think anyone really analyzes the reasons that people are at the altar. They're all just people standing in the need of prayer.

 

Anyone who has not been confirmed, in whatever way their faith tradition does that, is "lost," yes? So in some traditions, there is religious education and eventual confirmation; in some traditions, there's an altar call--or a bedside call, or an at-the-lake call...some moment in people's lives when they realize they need to be saved, and they receive Jesus in their hearts. Some people can't identify a specific moment, because the love of God and the acknowledgement of His power in their lives grew slowly over time.

[QueenCat]

In the United Methodist Church, altar calls are for a variety things. You can come up if you want to transfer your membership from another UMC church to the church you are now attending, you can come up if you want to be baptized OR have your baby/child baptized, you can come up to be confirmed and you can come up to simply pray during that time period. Not all United Methodist Church's have altar calls, but people still have the opportunity to do these things.

[Loowit]

In the church I grew up in, which was non-denominational evangelical leaning, an alter call was a chance to go forward and become a follower of Christ or sometimes to rededicate their lives to Christ if they have fallen away from the faith.  Typically an alter call happens after a message on how to become a Christian/rededicate your life to Christ, like the tent style evangelists.  Usually people are asked to sing a song and those wanting to receive Christ are asked to go forward   This wasn't a weekly event, but happened a few times a year.  We also used to have a week long revival every summer where a traveling evangelist would come in an do special meetings each night and there was an alter call every night.

 

In our church we also offered times for people to come forward for prayer for things like illness and the elders would come up along with other members of the church to lay on hand, sometimes anointing them with oil, and pray with them.  This was not called an alter call in our church because alter calls are about salvation/forgiveness and not general prayers for fellow Christians dealing with illness, family problems, etc and was a much more frequent thing.

[Garga]

No one reason for an altar call. Sometimes the person leading the service might specifically say, "Anyone who wants to dedicate their life to Jesus can come up now," and only those who are new to the faith will go up. But plenty of times even when the person specifies that, others might go up because they want prayer for something entirely different.

 

It's a time when all the players are gathered: the person who wants prayer for any reason under the sun and a roomful of people ready to pray and time set aside for praying.

[FaithManor]

Our UMC does not have "salvation " appeal type altar calls. There is simply a time during the service in which people can gather at the altar to pray together. Often this is in support of a sick or injured person, someone grieving a loss, for peace during a tragedy, etc. Recently many of us have joined on Sunday to pray for Syria, for Aleppo, ...

 

I have known evangelistic churches who have very specific altar calls for salvation, sanctification, confession, backsliding, etc. I think the term "altar call" is associated with these practices.

[Outdoorsy Type]

I grew up Baptist without altar calls, but with an encouragement that someone in the church is always available to listen/pray with you.

 

 

I think it will differ from church to church.

Edited December 28, 2016 by Outdoorsy Type

[MomatHWTK]

This isn't the present application, but offers some historical background: 

http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/horns-of-the-altar.html

 

[Guest]

Agree that the meaning differs from church to church. When I was growing up the "alter call" meant you were becoming a Christian at that moment, or re-dedicating yourself after having fallen away. But there were also prayer alter calls at the end of every evening service and people went forward for any kind of prayer; essentially the whole congregation would be towards the front of the church.

 

The church I now attend never does an alter call and the pastor is openly against them as a way of inducing people to become Christians. However, there is a prayer group that people are always invited to meet with at the end of the service if they desire and this prayer could be for any purpose including becoming a Christian or re-dedicating to Christ. (Although my church does not teach that one can lose salvation.)

[Hyacinth]

I grew up in a church that had periodic evangelistic altar calls. The pastor would lead us in every verse of "Just As I Am" while we waited for someone to take that walk down the aisle. I always felt uncomfortable and somewhat manipulated during those "invitations."

 

My current church (nondenominational) doesn't do altar calls but they almost always offer prayer after the service for anyone interested.

[scrapbookbuzz]

I was raised Methodist and we did not have altar calls. Between then and the Bible Church I attend now (which also does

not have altar calls), I have attended churches that do. Altar calls were multi-purpose: to allow those who wanted to finally

surrender to Christ and ask Him into their hearts to publicly do so (not required, they could also do this quietly from their seat

and ask for guidance later); to allow those who felt they needed to do so to rededicated their lives to Him; for repentance; or

to come to the front to plead with God for the hurting people you knew or didn't know or whatever was on your heart at the time.

All of these were options but never required. It is a different and much more public way of worship. Not better or worse than any 

other, just different. 

[lauraw4321]

Grew up evangelical Southern Baptist. Altar calls happened every service after the sermon. They were calls to become saved (become born again, become a Christian), or to rededicate yourself to Christ, to join the church (which is a totally separate thing from being a Believer), or to be baptized. Of course if you were coming forward to be saved, you would be baptized soon thereafter. But if you were already a believer, but had not had "Believer's Baptism," or Credo Baptism, you could come forward just for that purpose. Baptists believe that Baptism should follow belief, and should be by immersion. So if you had been baptized as an infant in another denomination, the Baptist church would encourage you to undertake the ordinance (Baptist word for sacrament - there are only two - Lord's Supper and Baptism- which were ordained by Christ) of baptism.

[vonfirmath]

My tradition (Lutheran) doesn't have altar calls, and I'm trying to understand the role they play in the traditions that have them. 

 

To this sacramental outsider, they kind of seem to function similarly to confession/absolution, in that people who are feeling convicted of their sins can go forward and "get right with God".  Is this at all accurate?

 

Also, I sort of had the impression that altar calls are about being converted from "not a Christian" to "Christian".  So that if you come forward after having already been converted and baptized, it's understood as you've fallen away from the faith, rejected God, once again were lost, and now have been re-convicted and re-converted.  Or do people come forward as kind of a "re-dedicating themselves to God" thing - they feel convicted of their sins and seek forgiveness, but it doesn't imply they'd lost their faith?

 

I'm curious, because in my tradition being "reconverted" through confession/absolution doesn't at all imply that you'd rejected the faith (although that could have happened), only that Christians still regularly sin and thus need regular forgiveness (lest they *do* become hardened in their sins and reject their faith).  (Daily repentance is part of our tradition.)  But my hazy understanding of altar calls was that they *did* imply that people were lost before being converted or re-converted. 

 

So, please explain altar calls to me :).

 

Yes, you can come forward at an altar call to rededicate yourself to God without losing your faith.

 

You can come forward at an altar call just to pray as well. But I don't see it very often :(

I think it would help others be more comfortable going forward, though, if it was something that was just done. Not because it was a enormous life-changing moment, but because a person just needs some prayer and support. It would not be so scary in those circumstances.