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The Most Unlikely Preacher You’ll Ever Meet
My journey with the Pilgrim Church on Earth: Part 4
I closed the last installment of this series recounting my meandering religious sojourn with the statement that due to God’s sense of humor and two key individuals, I was about to become the most unlikely preacher you’ve ever met. And it all started with an altar call.
For those unfamiliar with the term, an “altar call” is an invitation given at the end of a Baptist (and other Protestant denominations) church service for individuals to come forward and declare their commitment to Christ (often referred to as “accepting Jesus as your Savior”). Coming from a Catholic background, I always found the phrase a bit strange as there is no altar in a Baptist church. I guess a “pulpit call” would sound too weird.
In any case, an altar call is not confined to folks making that initial declaration of faith in Jesus. You can go forward for any number of reasons, including a desire to join the church if you’re new in town (or if you don’t like the church you’re currently at), for prayer about a specific need, or to answer a call to vocational ministry. One Sunday night, at the church pastored by the man from Arkansas I mentioned last time, I answered a call to preach, specifically in the role of an evangelist.
