a portion of the article…
Not all the news about Southern Baptists is negative. The convention has begun to focus on planting churches among ethnic minorities and is seeing some promising results. And some older congregations who have adopted innovative practices are thriving.
That’s the case at Life Point Church in Smyrna — which recently changed its name from First Baptist Church. On Wednesday night several hundred teenagers packed an auditorium at the church, singing along as a rock band sang “Everlasting God,” their hands raised in prayer.
Down the hallway, a group of adults hung out, sipping coffee in the church’s World Cup Cafe, while others filled a nearby classroom for a budgeting class. On Sundays, more than 2,500 people will pack worship service. The church is already making plans to expand to a second satellite location.
In jeans and a khaki pullover, the Rev. Pat Hood doesn’t look like a typical Baptist pastor. But he remains conservative in his theology, and loyal to the convention.
“We are not ashamed of being Baptist,” he said. “But at the same time, our goal is not to make people Baptist. Our goal is to make people followers of Christ.”
Longtime church member Joel Sturdivant said the rock music and casual atmosphere help attract newcomers. But he believes a change in the attitude of members was more important.
When Sturdivant, now 70, first came to the church in 1977, it was a fairly insular community, he said.
“It was a typical First Baptist Church,” he said, “more about what we and us and my friends are doing than about what Scripture says we should be doing.”
That changed when a former missionary became pastor, and urged the congregation to be more community focused.
“It’s not just about me and my friends,” Sturdivant said. The church grew, he said, by loving its neighbors with actions, not words.
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