My church....need help.

[Christa 0]

I'm in charge of a Youth Group now....it has one member. She's so hungry. The church I'm in is old. The preaching is solid and good, but the worship is practically intolerable. I'm so missing my Vineyard church with the dancing, laughing, and awesome worship. I miss sharing in the experience of when the presence of Holy Spirit manifests in the church body. I want to leave in a way and take that hungry youth member with me. I love the pastor and his wife (they've been our family's pastors for 20 years). I talked to my brother today (who used to be the youth group leader some years back), he said, "Christa, just let the church die....the pastor and especially his wife won't ever change." The main reason why my brother said that is because, the pastor's wife always plays this old fashioned frilly tail at the end of every chorus of every song. It doesn't matter what type of song it is....she plays the same old way for every song. When people try to tell her that it doesn't "go," she suffers through the songs even more. She forces her piano playing on the church regardless of what anyone tells her. She is a beautiful person, and a fantastic intercessor, but she doesn't get that the church probably hasn't grown because of the horrible worship that has gone on for years and years. God's grace is sufficient though, and that's why the church is still around, but I need to know what exactly I'm doing there. If I can't worship freely because I'm so distracted by the aweful music, then I don't know how I'm going to last....or what to do in the meantime. Please either pray for me to have the right spirit about this, and/or pray for the leadership in my church. Thanks a bunch.

[princessdelia 0]

Christa u were led to that church to be the catalyst, the spark that the Lord needs to ignite. Trust me I know what I am talking about, keep at what u are doing with all of your heart, your zeal and life.
I still get updates from my youth group that the Lord led me to 3 years ago, can u imagine that 3-4 years later the impact that the Lord led me to would still be felt and I instead would be the one being blessed by those precious young ones????
So keep at it. Keep listening to God's leading. Send me pms and i'll send u ideas of what i did with my youth group.
I have a passion in my heart for that group because its at that age I came to Christ myself and my life was never the same after that.

[Cholette 0]

I agree with princessdelia when she said that you may have been led there to be a catalyst. I belong to a dead church as well...however I'm being called to pray and intercede. The church is perishing for a lack of knowledge BUT the prayers of the righteous avails much.

The other thing is this, you can't take someone else out of a church with you...especially a youth. Do the parents attend there? You don't want to remove someone out of a ministry just because you don't feel it's meeting THEIR needs...only God can determine that. Allow the "awesomeness" of God to intervene on behalf of that youth.

Also, we can't forget the MIGHTY and POWERFUL ways of God. If a church is dead, then He has the ability to resurrect it. If the church's music is dead, don't wait to worship the Lord when you get to church...do it before you get there so you will already be spiritually charged. Don't forget to REALLY pray for your pastor and his wife. I used to be the administrator in my church office and I know firsthand the things that they have to deal with, as it pertains to the church. It's not all about getting up there on Sundays and deliver the Word...there are so many different dynamics to leading a church. Pray, pray and pray some more.

[Christa 0]

Thanks ladies.....needed those words! Really, really needed them...you don't even know.

[princessdelia 0]

oh I do sis Christa, i was led to write every word I typed to u believe me. God has a plan 4 u at that church.