Am I wasting my time at church?

Question

I had a meeting with my Pastor on Friday and asked him specific questions about where he wanted to take our church(ministry wise). I mean we should be doing better and we are loosing members lleft and right. --he tapped dance around every question i had. Is it time for me to move on? Lately he has not been pracehing from his heart and the sprit of worship isn't the same. What's a girl to do?

i am a memeber of the church its my right to know why we aren't living up to our statement of purpose...it shouldn't have to ask the deacons..I am going to give it one more try.One more appt. but i am still accepting answers to my questions so fire away

FUNANA-I have been praying for years...its appears that he is reluctant to take the next step...

thank you all fro your answers again its not a matter of flesh me "liking people" there has been a whole change in the sprit of worship and in the way the messages have been presented. thank you all for your prayers!!!

Answer 1

Totally something you have to pray about. God will give you the answer. I have a friend in the methodist church and with some of the things going on, he wanted to leave. He feels God wants him to stay and try to change things.
So...pray about it.

Answer 2

The New Testament clearly forbids denominations from forming. If you take that seriously, then you cannot leave, but instead you should pray for the Spirit. A church which has become dysfunctional must not be abandoned but rather revived. Otherwise, you assist in the further shattering of Christianity. If all it is about is people liking the service, then it is completely hollow and nothing was ever there in the first place. That still doesn't mean you get to abandon your community. It means you must bring it together and reform it. If the Truth is present, and I don't mean the bible, I mean God, then you do not get to shatter relationships to because it isn't good anymore. If the Truth was never present, then why were you ever there? If it just seems gone, how do you bring God back?

Answer 3

I think it's great that you're getting that involved in your church. The pastor's job is to set the tone and direction for ministry, and you've probably tried to affect some basic issues he's not going to budge on. He (and probably a board) have determined what is in the best interests of that church, and you have a choice -- get to be on that board yourself; concentrate on other things; or switch to a new church. I'm in a similar situation, I don't agree 100% with the way things are run, and once in a while I say "see ya" and worship at another church in the community. Keeps me balanced and yet I stay at that church most of the time, the pastor and congregation are great people, just different from me and that can still be a good thing.

Answer 4

No, you're not wasting your time. If your pastor is undecided, pray that God gives him understanding. And he is not able to make those decisions on the direction the church should take by himself. It takes the whole congregation to do something about what direction the church takes. And if you have to ask someone, ask the deacons or the church council. Point out to your pastor that you don't feel that he has been preaching from his heart, and have him work on that first. So, go ahead and take the bull by the horns and start witnessing to people outside your congregation, and perhaps you will help turn the tide of membership from loss to gain. Show them that there are some people that still are passionate about their beliefs and their church.

Answer 5

It would seem your Church has issues.Look into non-denominational. I think these are comprised of various religious people looking for something fresh. There might be some youth churches out there if you're young and like the vocals. I remember the typical boring hymns sung by old ladies and hard wood pews.The sermons were the same old mono tone mantras also. I personally would prefer something more relative than repetitiously boring. I visited my old church where I was confirmed but the pastor practically threw me out because I wasn't a member there anymore.I guess it depends on how much you give to the church to get anything in return.You're not a little girl anymore, move on.

Answer 6

Have you asked any of the former members why they left? Maybe they know something you don't... maybe there is a better/healthier congregation and your missing out.

If it doesn't feel right, it's a sign to look elsewhere or fix whatever is broken where your are at. If your leader has lost his gift, then there is nothing you can do... he is going to have to do that work himself. If on the other hand your fellowship is drifting apart maybe it needs to begin doing more together to build a sense of community.

Whatever it is that is going on, trust that in the long run it is teaching everyone a lesson, and the lessons will vary from individual to individual. Seek that which fills you and feels right for you.

Answer 7

The important thing is after giving it careful thought, do you feel it in your heart. If you are going to grow spiritually, you need to feel the message enough to commit to it. Sometimes the preacher can't do that for people for whatever the reason. Sometimes it isn't the preacher.

You have the right to rejoice in your spirituality and hopefully a church home can help you do that. Do not let the lull in the lifecycle of a particular church or preacher's skill stop you from finding that!

Answer 8

Rather than being concerned with the numbers, you need to ask yourself if you are happy with your current church family (not the Pastor). If the answer is "no", then it might be time to explore other options. Otherwise, stick it out with the others. You may not be the only one who feels the way you do. If that is the case, your Pastor may be gone soon.

Answer 9

It really depends on if you're getting anything out of it. Personally I think religion is a waste of time, but it does help some people through life's problems and gives them some direction. If I were you I'd give the guy a bit more time and see if he changes, after all, everyone goes through dry spells or times they aren't at the top of their game, maybe he's struggling with something personal. Maybe you can be the catalyst that helps your church get back on track.

Answer 10

Church is a place where you go and try to understand God, the right things to do, and the meaning of life. If you are not finding yourself that you are being taken care of properly than there is nothing bad to feel since all the churches has a same purpose.

Answer 11

If you are not happy with your current parrish, there are certainly many to choose from. If you are losing members like crazy, then maybe it's the pastors inability to make decisions or answer the tough questions thats causing it. It seems to me that Chrisitans especially put alot of trust and faith into a pastor, if you can't trust your pastor than what kind of experience are you really having from your church. Find a church that speaks to you. Go church shopping. Many churches welcome walk in visitors. You might find one you like better.