[quote="topshot rhit"]

Staybrite wrote:

I apologizing for being blunt, but if you're in God's will there's nothing to really worry about.

Oh yes, and BTW no need to apologize to me brother. I have come to appreciate (and often expect) your "blutness" especially when it comes to matters of faith in Christ.

--

I agree with TT. Honestly, the impression I now have from what you wrote is Pastor Brent has lost his first love.

Not having the whole body involved in many of the ministries is very common. Every church has a large % of pew warmers I think. I'd love to see one that doesn't.

Quote:

Our "seeker friendly" environment has held the members back from actively worshipping during the worship through music.

While I'm not a fan at all of seeker churches as there's not much meat given, this statement puzzles me. Maybe I'm reading this wrong. I thought P&W music was central to a seeker church so they'd be more welcome to worship, yet you say they are being held back. ???

I'd be calling for mass prayer and fasting to seek the Lord's face and letting the Spirit go to work.

What you're seeing isn't very uncommon though. Many churches are losing members. The road is narrow....

Thanks for the advice guys.
Still not sure where we will end up as a church.

The main problem with our Pastor not being paid is that he doesn't really have any job skills, so it would be very difficult (or impossible) for him to be bi-vocational.

And yes the whole P&W music thing is a little crazy. We have been told to sit quietly in our seats for the last five years, so as not to scare any newcomers with our vigorous praise. Now the congregation just sits there stone-faced and bored, while the band plays. It has never seemed like worship to me.

How in the world did I miss this thread???

If your church wishes to live, then it will. Just stand firm in the Truth of the word, allow the Spirit to guide you, and worship the Father like you've never done before! Even if your pastor steps down, you can find another. Even if the bulk of the congregation has left, you can still rebuild if you are willing to do MORE outreach.

I know where you're at, though, Gary. My church is the same. We had nearly 100 people when Holly & I first came to our church. We're down to about 35 regulars. We've had people get mad and leave, people who just weren't all that pleased with our meeting facilities (we meet in trailers, not a brick building!), some people left over the pastor having been married/divorced before he was called to preach, etc. We've even dropped in the youth group from around 17 regulars down to 8-9. Some people have left for good reasons (taking a new ministry position), and others have left for petty reasons.

But, I am going to worship God and preach/teach the truth. If I offend, I will work on my delivery style. But, I will not back down from the truth. Neither will our pastor. Our church does need a lot of encouragement, and we need to get off our lazy buttocks and start reaching out to people around us. Without meaningful worship (ours is rather dead, too!) and effective outreach, a church will die. Both yours and ours seem to have that in common. But, we can be the voice that challenges folks to change. We can pray for a move of God to revitalize our church as we seek His vision for us and as we repent of our sins.

I think your church needs stones where your church can build on.
That's very important now.
support your pastor now your church is going through tough times.
Pray to ask what God's will is in this.

Thanks for all the input guys.
Still not sure where our church will end up, but we are praying.
Also our pastor has taken steps to remedy the lack luster worship during music, I just hope it isn't too late.

--

How many go to your church, staybrite?

Fundy

There's a church about an hour from here that purposely moved out of their building so they could be more like the NT church and drive home the point the church isn't the structure. I believe they meet in a hotel. There's one in town that's doing that but I think they are too new to build.

You have a liot of people that think that the church building itself is holy because it's "God house". I really don't believe that. I think that if we have a nice place to worship that we should take care of it just like we would our homes. But, God's Temple nowadays is the human heart. If we are believers, then He and Jesus have made their home IN us.

But, you still have people that have to have everthing their little way. If the pews are too hard, they'll leave. If you sing the wrong styles of songs, they'll leave. I don't see how some people ever find a church that they like.

It's sad people leave church because the pews are to hard.
Important in God's house the communication with the other believers in the congregation and to learn from the things in the service.
You go to church for God not for the nice building, the pews or other things.

Here is the website of the church I mentioned above FWIW. I like the pastor's style (he does devotions I've been getting for several years) at least. I've thought of driving up there a few times to check them out.