Missionary Joshua Rhoades Won't Let Garrett Even Visit His Church

Missionary Joshua Rhoades Won't Let Garrett Even Visit His Church

“I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” 3 John, verse 9

Brother Garrett Kirchway, who is currently on a missions trip in Guyana, was looking for a church to attend on Thursday night since a lot of churches have a Thursday night service. He found out about an IFB church pastored by Joshua Rhoades and gave Mr. Rhoades a call to ask for directions.

Brother Garrett had given his first name and said that he was looking for a church to attend that night. Rhoades, an American missionary in Guyana, was apparently suspicious of an American wanting to visit and questioned Brother Garrett further about who he was and where he was from.

“My name is Garrett Kirchway, and I’m from Arizona. So far I've been going to New Testament Baptist Church, and on Sunday I was at Foundation Baptist Church.”

“Do you have anything at all to do with Steven Anderson?”

“Yes, that’s my home church.”

“Well then you wouldn’t even be welcome here.”

What in the world! Joshua Rhoades has never met me or Brother Garrett to have anything against us personally. Obviously, he must be aware of some doctrinal differences, but so what? A Hindu or Buddhist would obviously be welcome to attend the church, but a fellow Baptist with doctrinal differences is not? I can’t help but wonder what he has against us. Is it my position on the post-trib rapture or the hard preaching against Sodomites?

What is the scriptural reason to not allow Garrett to even visit his church? Is Garrett a drunk? No. A fornicator? No. An idolater? No. What could he have possibly done to offend Pastor Rhoades? He hadn't even spoken with him or met him!

Perhaps Joshua Rhoades preaches another gospel? It kind of looks that way, unless his doctrinal statement was a careless copy and paste from another church. The following is a quote from the salvation section of the doctrinal statement on Missionary Joshua Rhoades’ website: 

“…It involves repentance (a change of mind concerning sin and a turning from it) and faith in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross of Calvary…”

Even the repent-of-your-sins-to-be-saved crowd normally welcomes those of a different stripe, so could it be that this guy is offended by my preaching against the homos? One of the most common reasons other pastors won’t fellowship with me is that I have said that no homo will ever be allowed in our church. Even many of the more mainstream independent fundamental Baptist churches have something in their bylaws that allows them to kick out Sodomites, so it’s strange that so many take offense to me just saying it out loud.

I wonder if Sodomites are welcome to visit Joshua Rhoades’ church? All I know is that Brother Garrett Kirchway, a soul-winning Baptist missionary, is not.

Here is a sermon that covers SCRIPTURAL reasons to not allow someone to attend church (drunkenness, fornication, etc.)