Before I offer some constructive criticism of this movement, let me say first of all, that at Reformation Baptist Church, we are a “family integrated church”… sort of.

At RBC, we believe that the family should worship together, whenever possible. There are families however, with babies and sometimes, small children who are simply not ready for the challenges of having their children in the service. Do we condemn them for this? By no means.

In fact, there is a passage in Nehemiah 8 that is very helpful in trying to understand this matter. In Neh. 8:1-3 it says:

And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand (emphasis mine).

We believe it is good for fathers (and mothers) to teach their children to sit still and learn how to worship God. To insist on this however is going too far and really creates a law that is extra-biblical (think: legalism).

To use passages such as Deut. 6 to create complex arguments for mandatory integration in all things is going way beyond what the text actually says.

What we are calling the “Family Integration Movement” seeks to go beyond what we believe is good and encouraging (families worshiping together) and really define the church with family integrated categories (rather than Law, Gospel and Worship). We believe that this movement is unsound and moves our emphasis from Christ as the center to the family as the center.

Brian Borgman has posted a helpful critique of this movement on his blog. You can read it here:

http://gracenevada.blogspot.com/2010/01/critique-of-family-integrated-church.html

I would add to his critique that not only does the FIC movement misunderstand the purpose of the church and the gospel, they also do not convey (at least in any of the literature I have read) a Biblical understanding of the Sabbath and worship.

The FIC encourages father’s roles in the church, to be involved in teaching their children on the Lord’s Day, etc. But this confuses the roles of fathers as priests and elders as priests. While we are all priests, we do not all share the same function and roles.

You can understand this if you just think about it for a minute. Are not children who are saved also priests in God’s temple (the priesthood of ALL believers)? Yet, the FIC recognizes a difference in roles between fathers and children (that fathers should teach children).

But, the FIC wants to downplay the difference between the roles of teaching elders and fathers!

The biggest problem we have with this is that fathers are not encourage to “rest in the gospel” on the Lord’s Day. This I believe is one of the most tragic consequences of the wrong-headed theology being taught by this movement.

The answer to this question is yes, and no. I guess it depends on what sense you mean “traditional.”

In the sense that most people mean it, then the answer is yes. We sing many of the hymns of the faith, we believe very much in the primacy of preaching and we believe that the gospel is the “Power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16).

We are not “seeker sensitive” because the truth is, as Paul says in Romans 3:11, “There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God.” Nevertheless, we are sensitive to people because people need the Lord, and people are made in God’s image.

In another sense, we are not traditional at all, in the sense that our traditions (which is what legalism is) should never be taught in place of the Word of God.

There is a perfect example of this in Mark 7:7-8, where Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for the wrong use of tradition:

“In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Emphasis mine)

Whenever our traditions, whatever they might be: 1) You must wear ties, 2) You can never drink alcohol, 3) Your church should be a family integrated church… Whenever these traditions take the place of God’s Word, that is called “legalism.” Legalism is not obeying the Moral Law (that is called obedience), it is making up our own laws and imposing them on others.

So, in that sense, we don’t want to be traditional.

If you are interested in worshiping God in the way that He has prescribed in His Word (many people call this “traditional worship”) then we would love for you to join us in worshiping God together.

If you have any questions about the church, don’t hesitate to call Tony at 720-544-1916.

May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to know Him and love Him!

The sad truth is, most churches today do not consider the Bible as being sufficient to teach and show us what we need to know about life.

There is popular preacher on television who begins every service by holding up his Bible and having his people repeat after him that they “Believe what it says.” Then, remarkably, he puts the Bible down and never looks at it again for the remainder of the message.

Why are preachers so afraid of actually reading and proclaiming God’s Word? Quite simply so many today do believe what Paul said in Romans 1:16, that the gospel “IS the power of God for salvation.”

If you don’t believe God’s Word is actually the means (by the power of God’s Spirit) to convert and sanctify people, then you will fill up your ministry with anything and everything else, including good works, social justice, family programs, or whatever the trend of the day may be. There is nothing wrong with any or all of these things in their place, but without God’s work of His Word, they will fail to accomplish His will.

At Reformation Baptist Church, we believe very much that the Bible is sufficient to address each and every need in our lives. We would invite you to come and study the Bible with us as we grow together to be like Christ.

Reformation Baptist Church is a Denver Baptist Church meeting in Littleton / Highlands Ranch.

If you are looking for a Baptist church in the Denver area, you may be wondering, how do I choose the right church?

Following are three criteria that you ought to consider whenever you are looking for a Baptist church.

1. Choose a Denver Baptist Church that Preaches God’s Word

There are many Denver Baptist churches that focus on programs. They have programs for children, programs for youth, programs for mothers and even fitness programs. There is nothing sinful about any of these things, but the primary purpose of the church is not to become a social club for Christians.

The primary purpose of the Church is to preach Christ, and to worship God through through the sacrifice of His Son.

As Paul told Timothy (a young pastor) in 2 Timothy 4:2-5,

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

So what is “sound doctrine” (or sound teaching)? It is teaching and preaching that leads us to Christ as our only hope, both in this life and the life to come.

Christ-centered preaching and teaching gives us the hope and strength that we all need in the middle of the trials and tribulations of this life.

Jesus told his disciples in John 15:5, “Apart from me, you can do nothing!”

Now this is precisely why, when you look for a church, that you look for a church that seeks to exalt Christ in all of its preaching and teaching.

Preaching that attempts to help you “solve your problems” without resting in the grace and mercies of Christ will only make more problems for you. Why? Because this kind of teaching puts the burden back on you to “do something,” to “try harder” rather than “looking to Christ, who is the author and finisher of your faith.”

2. Choose a Denver Baptist Church That Holds Fast To the Truth

In Jude, verse 3, Jude wrote:

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (emphasis mine).

Many people today believe that the church as no right to say that there is such a thing as “the faith,” or “the truth” of God’s Word. But that is not what God’s Word says.

Does this mean that we or any church believe that we have everything right, and that we do not make any mistakes? Of course not. Why? Because we are all human beings who are tainted by sin (pride comes to mind, when thinking about doctrine for example).

Nevertheless, we do believe that truth has been given to us, or as Jude put it, “handed down to” us, from outside of ourselves (namely from God).

We cannot (and should not) have any sense of pride in this truth, because we did not invent it. We simply believe it by faith.

And yet, there is a sense, especially in a day like today, when so many people desire to “have their ears tickled” that we must “fight for the truth” and again as Jude put it, “contend earnestly for the faith.”

3. Choose a Denver Baptist Church That United by both Truth and Love

It is enough to have the truth (even the truth that exalts and glorifies Christ).

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:2

“If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

Why is it important to have love for one another? Because as God said through John in 1 John 4:19, “We love, because God first loved us.”

While we were dead (to God) in our sins and transgressions, God had mercy on us and sent His Son to die in our place and take the penalty of our sin upon Himself on the cross.

And because God loved us, we are commanded also to love one another, to be patient with one another and gentle in the truth.

This does not mean that a true church will not “rebuke and exhort” and “tell you the truth” (that you may not want to hear – none of us do). And it doesn’t mean that a church won’t discipline its members who stray from the truth (for that is one of the marks of a true church).

It does mean that a church however (and the people in it), should always remember that all of us are imperfect, because we have not yet been glorified. It also means that we should all remember where we were 1 year ago, or 10 years ago. This means that we should be gracious with one another, and help one another and encourage one another in the truth.

If you have read this far and you are looking for a Denver Baptist church, we would invite you to come and worship the Lord with us. For He has been so kind and gracious to us, to give us His Word, to give us His Son and to invite us into His presence to Give glory and honor to His wonderful name.