I would ask you all to pray for me. I've been struggling with my desire to continue attending church. Please don't quote Paul to me that's not what I need.

My belief in God and Scripture are there, but my trust in Christian people is not. Without a lot of background let me say that I served as an associate pastor for 3+ years and it was awesome. My wife at the time wanted to divorce me. I stepped out of ministry to save my marriage which failed. This occured 7 years ago.

I have lost my passion and drive for Church. Over the years I've been burned by a couple of Pastors and people I know. The church I served in I felt burned by.

I just don't have a clue as to what God has in store for me and my life..... if anything...

I'm taking a huge risk and putting this post here, (christian people y'know).... Please pray that God would bring a couple of SOLID MATURE believers into my life. I've remarried and things with my wife are wonderful (yes she is a believer....).... could really use your help folks....

I understand you about not trusting other christians... By the way, you know that the major reason for atheism in this world is because of christians who claim with their mouths, but not with their hearts... This is such a sad thing.

I will keep you in my prayers brother.

Stand strong, the devil is waiting to devour those who fall.

If I can say anything to encourage you... Cry out to God in desperation brother (im pretty sure youve already done that). Seek him with all your heart and all your mind. Abandon yourself to Him and he will take care of you in every way that you need.

From deep inside of my heart, God bless you.

Man i've been there in spades. I pray you hold fast to the truth no matter what people do or say.

I hear you bro - and will be praying.

The biggest hurdle in getting my wife back to church is Christians - so I know where you're coming from.

I always tell her - and I would encourage you too - don't worry about folks, they are fallen, we all are - just keep your eyes on Jesus.

Are you afraid that you'll be looked down upon because you remarried? I know thats a big issue in some Churches.

Points:


1. Wes said:

Quote:

I always tell her - and I would encourage you too - don't worry about folks, they are fallen, we all are - just keep your eyes on Jesus.

Big time bingo.


2.

_________________
"The 'farce' is strong with Sith Lord Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

"Uh....You can believe me....Uh....because I never lie, and....Uh....Uh....I am always right." words of Sith Lord Obama-Wan.

Daddy likes it all, the DraíodóirDé likes it all

I can't stand church. All I see when I go into a church is a large group of hypocrites who smile and act pious on Sunday and then live however they want the rest of the time. (I'm right there with them.) Most of this comes from becoming jaded about mankind and from seeing the people I know and family members who exhibit this behavior consistently while encouraging me to go to church, and a huge portion of this comes from seeing the ex-husband of my sister-in-law, who is filled with injured pride and bitterness and poison toward her and other members of the family to the point of spreading rumors and gossip and hate and profane words and lashing out in many ways, become ordained as a minister. The whole denomination thing bugs me immensely, too. There are other lesser elements. After I step out of church there is only one thing I have benefited from and that's the sermon. I've usually got a migraine (if I didn't have one already) from someone's perfume or cologne, too.

There once was a time when I didn't feel this way, and I was even active in youth leadership. I miss that. I wish, I really wish, I could change my view. I have become bitter and cynical, and I know it.

I state all of this with one purpose: to let you know, mr.electric39, that you are not alone in losing your passion and drive for church, and you are not alone in wishing it would return. Sometimes maintaining faith in Christ is actually the easy part, but maintaining faith in Christians is the challenge.

The quality of preaching has plummeted drastically since I first became a Christian in 1985. I remember when pastors, regardless of denomination, actually preached from Scripture. Topical preaching is a big part of the problem. I miss exposition through an entire book of Scripture on Sunday mornings. The continuity made me want to come back each week. Stand-alone sermons fail to create that desire in me. I don't appreciate not knowing what's going to be preached on each week. Preaching through an entire book is the best way to ensure that congregants are Biblically literate. It stresses that each book has something important to teach us about God and ourselves. There's no way to convey that sense when the pastor plays Scriptural hopscotch every week. No wonder so many people, even some who post here, think that most verses can float around on their own in limbo somewhere, completely ignoring any sense of a text's genre or historical/ literary context. They're just modelling the carelessness of their pastors that they see perpetrated on a weekly basis. Nowadays, sermons are usually just 'pastor's pet peeves' peppered with a few Scripture verses to give validity to griping. The only place I've heard preaching similar to the kind I enjoyed as a young Christian was in seminary. I'll never forget what one of my seminary profs said to my class in chapel my freshman year back in the Fall of 1998, 'You'd better savor these chapel services, because you very likely won't have it so good after you graduate.' Man, was he right!

Those are profound words, scourge, and very, very accurate. Although I can still get something out of sermons that are merely situational and considerably out of context, when it's related in the context of an entire book of the Bible and not contorted to fit some personal anecdote it's so much more fulfilling.

The last post above ^^^^ by Scourge.......good post. That said:


1. The church I have attended since 1992.....the pastor (we are on our 4th one in 2008) is only allowed by the Board Of Elders to teach/preach on Sunday mornings directly from Scripture. We are in Romans right now.


2. Scourge said:

Quote:

The quality of preaching has plummeted drastically since I first became a Christian in 1985. I remember when pastors, regardless of denomination, actually preached from Scripture. Topical preaching is a big part of the problem. I miss exposition through an entire book of Scripture on Sunday mornings.

I also really prefer to teach directly from the Bible. I've been the teacher/discussion moderator of the seniors in our church since the Spring of 2001. I'm a *good soldier* in that I teach from whatever the Elder i'm responsible to tells me to teach from......if I really want to teach from, and am O.K. with, the topical book he and the class wants me to teach/discuss from.

That said.....overwhelmingly most of my time since 2001 has been spent directly in the Bible. I prefer it that way.

_________________
"The 'farce' is strong with Sith Lord Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

"Uh....You can believe me....Uh....because I never lie, and....Uh....Uh....I am always right." words of Sith Lord Obama-Wan.

Daddy likes it all, the DraíodóirDé likes it all

I can identify. I've felt that way about churches in general for a long, long time. Right now I'm torn between two local churches. I'll be praying for you, bro.

My wife and I both are wanting to leave our church. I'm tired of all the apathy for our slowly dying church. The push from the pulpit is always on salvation. But, when you go to a church that is made up of all Christians, who is there to be saved?

We're starving for better teaching/preaching. We're both feeling burned out in youth ministry and no longer feel that we're being effective. I'm tired of going nowhere and everyone just telling me to have faith that something big is gonna happen. Everyone acts like the death blow to our church is gonna come any moment, but yet everyone is afraid to speak their mind. We aren't the only ones who want to leave--we're the only ones willing to be honest and open about it, though.

If nothing else, you could start small groups, study groups that dig into The Word. I remember that as the best teaching I ever experienced.

I would like to thank you all for the many kind and encouraging words. Some of the responses I had to admit left me scratching my head....

topical or expository preaching... who cares... That really didn't have anything to do with my request for prayer. It just comes across wrong. I realize that your heart is in the right place (I hope! ), but it really doesn't fit with the thread.

Heck maybe I'm just being too picky or thin skinned. Heck send me a private msg and open a dialogue, posting sometimes just doesn't fit.... It's sorta like going to church on a Sunday after having your life fall apart the week before and the message is all about theological distinctives of calvinism or armenianism (sp?)... know what I mean? all you want is a little love, grace and encouragment and you end up with with some crusty non applicable discussion.

Please don't take it the wrong way... I really do covet your prayers and love to know that so many of you are praying.

It is making a difference...! I can tell....

I know the feeling...


I went back last Sunday since not attending since Ash Wednesday of last year.

The quality of preaching isn't the problem here either.


God is faithful... no matter what.

Mr.electric, sorry that we did not help you per se. I think everyone that shared where they were at were just trying to let you know that you aren't alone in this. A lot of us are feeling disenfranchised with the organized church right now.

I know I am....

But my LORD is faithful!