There are two “subtle” things I noticed that caused me to join the church my wife and I have been attending for the last few months (and really like).
1. No national flags in the sanctuary.
2. No alter call.
When I first became a Christian, I was a fan of the alter call, though that is not what brought me to the Lord. I’ve since come to the conclusion that there are many better ways. In fact, reminding “newcomers” that there is an information desk in the lobby with people that are waiting to answer their questions is, in my opinion, the best way to bring non-Christians to the Lord from the Sanctuary.
Also, the Alter is an old testament concept about a thing on which sacrifices are offered. This means that every Christian church that has a Cross hanging on the wall has an alter, and that Cross is it. Well, it’s a symbol of the alter on which Christ was sacrificed.
altar - noun - a table or flat-topped rock used in religious ritual
37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. Acts 2:37-41 NASB
**alter**
Don’t you mean altar call?
To alter means to change something — such as hemming a skirt, taking a different route to work.
No altar call?
I can’t imagine church without that