Question #278

What about altar call?

Why doesn’t the church have Altar Call services? Where did Altar Call come from? How is it for us today?

The Answer:

The term “altar call” may refer to several different things. It had its beginning in the 1800’s in the work of Charles Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875), an evangelistic preacher in the Second Great Awakening (1790 – 1840’s). It originally was a call for those who wished to be saved to come to the “altar.” This nomenclature often referred to nothing but the front of the building when an invitation to become a Christian was extended. For some it became a “mourner’s bench” where those who came were “prayed through.” For others, especially in the Pentecostal movement, it became a call to receive the gift of tongues. Today it includes a general reference to the extending of a “gospel call” even when there is no “altar” to be found. Thus, it is identified less with a piece of religious furniture than it is with the extension of an invitation. In this sense the church does follow the practice when the preacher extends the Lord’s invitation at the end of a sermon. This practice is not generally followed in European congregations and many in South America, although some are adopting it as a result of American influence. There is to scriptural requirement to extend an invitation in a worship service which makes it a matter of opinion and not a matter of faith. That said, it is a good practice because it provides an opportunity that people often need as indicated by the number of people who respond.