What do you call a Baptist in an Episcopal parish?

A couple weeks ago Shannon and I attended St. Bart's in Nashville for their Good Friday service. It was a 3 hour service (we stayed just an hour and half) on the last 7 statements of Christ on the cross before his death. It was really good. One of the ministers, Dixon Kinsor, did a great job using atypical sacraments/disciplines to illuminate Christ's last words and His local presence. He had us hold hands (for like 5 minutes) for the uncomfortableness of dependence. Then we stood in awkward and slightly painful positions as we prayed for those who suffered. It was wonderful to put my body into my worship, beyond raising a hand or just closing my eyes.



St. Bart's is an Episcopalian parish. It is very evangelical and fundamental in its beliefs. It is one the conservative Episcopal churches opposing the ordination of homosexual bishops. I was first exposed to Episcopal worship by my friend Greg Methvin. Greg was a singles minister at my old church. Greg left this mega Baptist church to be the minister of discipleship at Christ Church in Plano, TX. I met with Greg after he left and he gave me a tour of the parish and explained their different worship style. He invited me to come on Sunday and I did. It was a wild experience. I didn't know how to react or what to do. People were turning and saying "Peace be with you" and I was clueless on how to respond. I did not know when to kneel, when to stand or what to say. But I loved it. I loved the emphasis on the crucified Christ and his last supper and his present presence here with us. I felt that the choir in the back balcony reduced the temptation to be entertained rather than worship the risen Christ. And finishing the service with the Eucharist with real wine - and boy was that wine strong - caused me to leave the service with my precious Lord on my mind. Whether it was because it was so new which prevented me from going through the motions or because it touched something deep inside of me, I really, really worshiped there.

But, I was called to my Baptist church and service there. I stayed at Prestonwood until we moved, but I kept thinking about the Episcopal worship. After Shannon and I moved to Nashville, a friend, whom I told one day of my fish out of Baptist water story, recommended I try out St. Bart's Wednesday noon service. This was perfect since we would not have to miss our services at Springfield Baptist. Shannon and I went, and we loved it. We were able to go several times before moving to Springfield.

My Nashville friend, Timothy Bennett, also introduced us to the Common Book of Prayer. Shannon and I both enjoyed the daily office, how it tied Old Testament, New Testament and Psalms together in a daily reading. The office also provided a structure for a quiet time with the Lord that included prayer, reflection, singing and Bible reading. We don't use it every day, but we still find it refreshing as a spiritual discipline.

I am proud to be a Baptist and proud to be at Springfield Baptist as an active member and don't plan on leaving. The Episcopal/Anglican church has tons of problems with its ecclesiastic hierarchy. I don't think I could give my tithe to an Episcopal church knowing part of the money would fund unbiblical denominational leadership.  Yet, my recent trip to St. Bart's reminds me that there are many ways to worship and serve God, and if we limit ourselves we can miss out on God's best.

It has also encouraged me to take up a challenge a friend gave me recently. We were talking about authority within the church. He suggested I read through Acts and note every time the Holy Spirit was involved in a decision, what the people were doing at that time and how they responded. I am going to do that. I am going to re-read The Acts of the Apostles and look for 1.) instances of the Holy Spirit at work and 2.) any decisions, good or bad, that were made by the church. I want to look at the situations surrounding both of these to see what went right or wrong and why. As I do my journey through Acts, I am going to record my observations here on my website. I am hoping to learn more of the Holy Spirit and how he wants to move and lead us as body of believers. Look for reflections on the first few chapters in the next couple of days.