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timf -> RE: Need input (6/9/2008 8:20:44 AM)
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but whenever I call pastor he doesn't return our call or it takes days to hear back. I guess I feel like our pastor doesn't care if we are there or not.
The idea that a single man is the "church" owes more to a tradition of the priesthood instead of the Bible. This idea has grown and is sustained by many forces. There is a desire to prevent error and most modern church goers enjoy the freedom that comes from minimal involvement.
Many pastors are almost prisoners of systems that cause as much if not more damage to them and their families as they do to the attendees.
What you are observing is typical in churches that run on activities, events, and programs. The Christian life described in the New Testament has Christians ministering to each other. While many pastors lament and even lambast Christians for not ministering to each other, they often use church systems that guarantee that they are overworked and church members are underworked.
Many denominational franchises operate via systems and traditions that perpetuate the organizational system, often at the expense of the spiritual welfare of the members. You may be observing just one symptom of such a condition. Another more serious symptom is the failure of the members to be growing into the image of Christ.
Our classroom experiences account for church sermons that are just copies of seminary lectures. The real instruction of an older wiser Christian to younger ones does not often happen. Few can even recognize, much less desire wisdom. The organizational system often restricts teaching to those who have been "trained" (which usually means only the pastor). People are often so caught up with the world, that they don't want their church to be any different.
Your church experience may just be that its structure is poorly suited to new people, or it may mean that there is a poverty of spiritual growth opportunities and you may have to look to making relationships with older and wiser Christians on your own. If your mother is not as outgoing as yourself, you may want to inquire of some of the older ladies if they could take an interest in meeting with your mother.
It would be convenient if these steps would be provided automatically by a church system, but then what would be provided might be devoid of the relational connection that would make if human. Some churches seek to quench the activities of Christians ministering to each other outside of specifically endorsed systems. If this is the case, you may have to consider another church environment.
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