FAQ
​
Why plant a church in
Sampson County?
Our ultimate goal in planting All Saints Church is to see Sampson County as it is in Heaven. By making disciples–baptizing and teaching them to follow God and apply his Word to every single part of their lives–we hope to glorify the Triune and Living God.
​
Further, we hope to meet various needs for individuals and families in and around Sampson County. We seek to provide families with a place to baptize their children, to commune their children at the Lord’s Table, to educate their children with a thoroughly Christian worldview, to support the roles of husbands and wives, to provide covenant renewal worship, to offer communion weekly, to sing Psalms, to hear biblical and expositional preaching, to live in the church calendar as a community, to feast and practice hospitality, to support fellow believers in doing great things for God in their work, to have an optimistic vision for God’s kingdom on earth, to build together, to fight against evil together, to labor for God’s Kingdom and will in Sampson County as it is in Heaven.
Why the name “All Saints?”
Our church is named “All Saints” because it is a place for any and all saints to worship the Triune God. If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and commit to follow him in all he commands, then come and welcome! If you don’t, then come and see; God is in the business of welcoming many. With this, All Saints is a historic name used by churches throughout the centuries that reflects our hope in God’s work in and through the church under the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Why do you baptize babies?
We baptize children because they belong to God. Because God works covenantally (relationally) with his people, we recognize that the children of believers are saints and children of God (Eph 1:1; Col 1:1). As God worked in and through families in the Old Testament, so today God’s promises are for believers and “your children” (Acts 2:39). As Jesus told the little children to “come” to him (Matt 19:14) we baptize our children into the church.
Are you Roman Catholic?
No, we are a Protestant church. Each week we recite the Apostle’s Creed, possibly the oldest creed in the church, and confess: “I believe…in the Holy Catholic Church.” As “catholic” means “universal” we simply declare that we believe in the universal church, the body of Christ, under the Lordship of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ. Though there are elements in our service that may appear to some as “Roman Catholic,” we are a Bible-believing, Evangelical, Protestant church. We embrace many historic traditions because we recognize the church did not start with us. Our forefathers in the faith were wisely guided by the Scriptures in their faith and practice.
Why does your pastor wear a collar and a robe?
If you see our pastor working in the community you will likely see him in a clerical collar. During the service you should expect to see him wearing a white robe. The minister who officiates in the ministry of word and sacrament ought to be dressed in a way that identifies him as the representative of the Lord Jesus.
​
Many jobs require a uniform, especially those who serve or have authority: a judge in a black robe, a doctor in white coat, a police officer in blues. The collar and the robe emphasize the office of the pastor and de-emphasize the personality of the man. When the pastor is robed it is not just “Jimmy” or “Joe” preaching and administering the sacraments, it is the Lord’s ordained minister who is leading us into God’s presence. If the office of pastor is important, it would be fitting for a pastor to wear a uniform that is easily recognizable and matches the significance of his role.
Why do you take communion every Sunday?
The apostle Paul assumed the church would celebrate communion “when you come together” to worship–that is, weekly (1 Cor 11:20). By coming to the Lord’s Table we receive grace from God, “taste and see” that he is good (Ps 34:8), and engage in an essential element in renewing the covenant between us and God.
​
No one would say that saying, “I love you” to your spouse daily, or often kissing or hugging them makes it less special. In fact, the more regularly we do it, the more “special” it becomes, and we could never imagine worshipping together without it.
Isn’t the liturgy just
going through the
motions? How can
this be genuine?
Each week we confess our sins in unison, respond with Scripture in unison, confess a creed in unison, and sing various songs as one. When the church comes together each Lord’s Day it is not a gathering of individuals, but a unified body of believers, the church of Jesus Christ. When we sing, recite, and pray in unison we, as the body of Christ, are cleansed, instructed, and blessed by our God. Together as we worship, we stand with the Body of Christ throughout time, beat back the gates of Hell, and glorify our Triune God.
Why do you use wine in communion?
Our Lord Jesus’s first miracle was to turn water into wine. And not just a little wine, 120 gallons worth of wine. Wine, “well-aged wine” (Is 25:6), is the drink of feasting given by God and it will be the drink we share with Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Matt 26:29). At the last supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “drink of it,” and what they drank was not Welch’s.
The use of grape juice, or pasteurized wine, only began to be used by churches in the late 1800s. The common use of grape juice in communion is not traditional but recent; it is not biblical but tied to the temperance movement and era of Prohibition. Therefore, in obedience to the Lord Jesus and in joyful celebration of all that he has done, we drink alcoholic wine in communion.
Why do you sing Psalms?
Three times in the New Testament we are commanded to sing the Psalms (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16; James 5:13). The Psalms present the full array of faith and life, including praise, lament, wisdom, and imprecation. By singing the Psalms we are shaped by the Word of God. Therefore, we join in singing the songs of our Father in his own hymnal.