HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – At some point in life, every person has questions. Some of us have unanswered questions that paralyze us with fear, rejection or a lack of faith.
At First Baptist Church (FBC) in Hot Springs, they made the decision to go fully online with their ministries once COVID-19 hit. Bill Newton, Generations Pastor and newly named Online Pastor, had an idea to start a video series called “Ask Me Almost Anything.”
In this video series, they produce live videos where Newton answers various questions that are submitted by the people watching online. Questions can be submitted ahead of time or they can be asked on the spot.
“One thing we are missing with the online model is interaction. We’ve been asking, ‘what is our replacement for the lobby? How will we get people to interact like they do when they gather at church?’ To help with interaction, we are utilizing the chat. We are utilizing online hosts,” Luke Roberson, Live Production Director shared.
The format of “Ask Me Almost Anything” provides thorough interaction in an online platform. People are interacting in the comments, they can ask questions, they can listen.
“We are giving people the answers to questions they want to ask. Before every session, we boldly pray that somehow, someway, someone will accept Christ.” Not only is FBC fervently praying for this ministry to impact lives for the Kingdom, but they are also hoping to strengthen believers through apologetics. This question time is also helpful for nonbelievers, as all questions – even the really hard ones – are welcome.
“There are so many aspects of church that can be uncomfortable for a first-time attender, but ‘Ask Me Almost Anything’ is a simple, easy avenue for people to get to know what following Jesus is like. It’s like having a casual conversation with someone. We are simply answering questions about things they want to know, things that are holding them back from faith,” Roberson said.
“Many other religions don’t do stuff like this. They don’t want you to ask any hard questions. But, we want them to ask us the hard, nitty-gritty questions. Scripture doesn’t contradict itself. This allows that one believer or nonbeliever who is hung up on one thing to hear a logical answer from our pastors.”
You can watch ‘Ask Me (Almost) Anything with Pastor Bill Newton’ Thursdays at 7pm at www.firsthotsprings.live
One Response
I am moving to hot springs soon and I will be in search of a church. My needs are a Bible believing church, an old fashion church without all prais hymns, a church that is reverent and dresses like you should to worship our Lord, In other words I want to feel like I been to church and not a bachelor party. is this possible in Hot Springs are has organized religon passed me by,