Pastors, do you train altar workers?

[Esaias]

Found some writings from a Holiness/Wesleyan perspective on the altar service and training altar workers.

Do any of you who are pastors or evangelists have an altar worker training program in place? Are you an altar worker? Have you been formally trained by your church for that work?

http://media.sabda.org/alkitab-6/wh2-hdm/hdm0053.pdf

[Esaias]

From the link:

"It is never wise nor proper for two or three persons to speak into the ears of a seeker, or try to give instructions all at the same time. Such a course is certain to hinder rather than help a seeker.

It is never wise nor proper for workers to place arms about seekers, or even to lay hands on seekers of the opposite sex. Keep at a proper distance, lest your undue familiarity will repel, and distract, and give occasion to the devil. Keep your hands to yourself, and do not manifest undue familiarity; it is not in good taste and will grieve the Spirit."

[BalancedLife]

I do not believe in the "huddle" prayer. That is when one person comes to the altar, about 10 other people come and form a huddle around them. Most of the time they sway back and forth and never do any good other than draw attention to themselves.



God bless

[Esaias]

Looks like I should have included the word 'anal' in the title to get more response!

[Esaias]

More from the link:

"All of us know the harm done to a meeting, and indeed to the cause of Christ by the sight of persons inside the altar posing as instructors and workers, who ought to be on the outside of the altar in the capacity of penitents. The inconsistent and even sinful lives of such parties is a great stumbling block to the people. Men are disgusted and repelled who otherwise would draw near. They want their food in clean vessels. To fully grasp the situation, let the reader imagine how he would enjoy receiving spiritual counsel from one whom he knew to be a corrupt man or woman.
Then besides this element there is always a sprinkling on hand of individuals with a screw loose in their heads; with an assortment of nonessential or false doctrine; with some kind of hobby; or with manners coarse, offensive and repulsive in the highest degree.

We owe it to God, and the people who place themselves in a helpless condition at the altar, to deliver them as far as possible from all such trials, afflictions and impertinences."

[Esaias]

"The writer has led many hundreds into pardon and sanctification by a series of verbal steps that the Holy Spirit smiled upon and blessed; but the fact remains that in many cases there is entirely too much conversation.

If, then, the talking of one worker is not best at times, what shall we say of four or five speaking at the same moment to the seeker, and yet this is a scene that many of us have beheld again and again to our amazement and sorrow."

Many of these articles were written in the early 1900s.

[Michael Phelps]

This is a good subject, it's definitely not emphasized in most Apostolic churches.

When I pastored, we did have Altar Worker training classes, but it didn't really do much good, unfortunately. I still had to fight with the ones who never came to the classes, but swarmed the masses in the altar anyway.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Michael Phelps

This is a good subject, it's definitely not emphasized in most Apostolic churches.

When I pastored, we did have Altar Worker training classes, but it didn't really do much good, unfortunately. I still had to fight with the ones who never came to the classes, but swarmed the masses in the altar anyway.

I know a woman who was seeking at the altar and the people who gathered around her and 'ministered' to her... well, let's just say she never had any desire whatsoever to go back to that church or really even that 'kind' of church. The people meant well, but ignorance can do a lot of harm.

[MissBrattified]

Your response might be limited because you directed it to pastors.

My pastor doesn't train altar workers. However, he will correct people who hinder people responding in the altar, and he has commented on the appropriate way to touch people. I believe he has also said that people should pop a breath mint before getting close to someone.

He would certainly not allow anyone to be shaken, yelled at or touched inappropriately.

[Titus2woman]

I agree that your post seemed more directed to preachers.

My experience in the UPC is that altar workers were not trained in any way and indeed most of the chruch if not all was expected to empty their pews at altar service and mob those at the altar praying.

My 22 year old who grew up in church will not go back after moving home from college because some of the people at our former home church know that he did not regularly attend the recommended church in his college town but went to the college's stadium services instead.

While he really misses his friends and would like to go he feels that the church will feel the need to 'pray him through' and he will be dragged to the altar (there is one particular older man who regularly grabs teen boys and young men in a bear hug and pulls them up to the altar) and mobbed and shaken and have his ears screamed in to.... and he's right, that's just how it will go.

OTOH a good friend is an altar worker and prayer partner at her church. She had to go to a month long class (every Sunday) and learn how to effectively listen and interceed for a variety of needs. Also the Pastor will try to pair seekers or those with prayer requests with prayer partners who would be understanding and loving.

A church we visited had individuals wanting prayer stand and state in VERY simple terms what they were seeking prayer for... finances, marriage issues, children, moral issues, etc. and then they came forward and a few members gathered around each to pray as they were led. All very decent and in order and quite different than what I am used to.