Harvest's new affiliation with SBC comes after Harvest America collaborated for the first time with SBC's North American Mission Board for its 2017 Crossover Phoenix evangelism event. "The vision and mission of Harvest remains - as it has been for 42 years - focused on the teaching of God's word and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ." It merely extends the reach of our fellowship within the Christian world at a time when I feel the American church desperately needs unity and a renewed passion for evangelism," Laurie said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. Major event: Harvest Crusades have been attended by more than 7.8 million people worldwide, both in-person in stadiums and arenas across the U.S., Canada, Australia & New Zealand, and via live Internet broadcasts."his decision does not change our theology, philosophy of ministry or our history. Main campus: 6115 Arlington Ave., Riverside “We should see this merger as a symptom of a major trend in American evangelicalism,” Clayton said. “That’s huge.”Ĭlayton said that in today’s religious landscape, it’s becoming harder for independent ministries to survive financially. but up to this point, Greg Laurie has been the spokesperson for Harvest Christian Fellowship,” Clayton added. “The Baptists are represented by the Convention, which speaks on behalf of a huge number of congregations. “There is the danger that Harvest Christian Fellowship will be completely absorbed by this massive denomination.” “It is a big change for Harvest Christian Fellowship to be affiliated with a traditional denomination,” Clayton said. Where Harvest and Southern Baptists differ is in their institutional structure, Clayton said. Southern Baptist and Harvest share many practices and beliefs in scripture, salvation, and evangelism, said Philip Clayton, professor of theology at Claremont School of Theology.Īny potential changes won’t be theological, he said. Some believe the merger could bring changes. Laurie can help attract crowds, while Southern Baptist can provide resources to host such events, he said. Of those who attended, about 3,000 accepted Christ, while nearly 500 made salvation decisions online, The Baptist Press reported.Įbert called it an example of what could be in store with Harvest’s new partnership. It attracted 38,000 people, according to The Baptist Press, the official news service of the Southern Baptist Convention. On June 11, the Southern Baptist North American Mission Board co-hosted with Laurie an evangelistic crusade at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Ariz. “He (Laurie) really will become a leader with the Southern Baptist Convention as a voice and an advocate for sharing the gospel.” “We feel like it’s going to be a good move,” said Mike Ebert, a spokesman with the North American Mission Board, an organization supported by contributions of Southern Baptists. “It merely extends the reach of our fellowship within the Christian world at a time when the vision and mission of Harvest remains - as it has been for 42 years - focused on the teaching of God’s word and the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.” “This decision does not change our theology, philosophy of ministry or our history,” Laurie’s statement said. The SoCal Harvest event comes to Anaheim on Aug. Calvary was born as a movement away from religious denominations.īut, in a statement, Laurie calls the partnership an extension of the collaboration already taking place between Harvest and a network of evangelical churches that participate in the annual Harvest Crusades - a Southern California Christian institution that’s drawn millions of people to stadiums and arenas around the world. Laurie has been seen as one of the biggest crusaders of Calvary Chapel, an association of evangelical Christian churches to which Harvest belongs. Some theologians see this as Laurie’s official shift toward mainstream evangelicalism and worry that Harvest could be overshadowed by the denomination. Greg Laurie, pastor and founder of the 15,000-member Harvest, announced the move in June. The Riverside-based Harvest Christian Fellowship will be joining the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant body that has about 15 million members.
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