AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

I want to know....WHY don't preachers/pastors KNOW when they have reached their audience????? I continue to be frustrated service after service. My Pastor was preaching today....he was doing a really good job. There were several people up front worshiping, the congregation was worshiping, we had gotten the point and were ready to shout, pray whatever....he says he's going to end. We are standing there for another 25 MINUTES!! By this time, the spirit was totally supressed. Then he doesn't understand WHY he doesn't get a reaction at altar call. So then he's FRUSTRATED and keeps trying to pull something out of us that was there 25 minutes ago. I'm so frustrated. I want to talk to him about it, but my husband says it's not my place. Okay, rant over.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Take your frustration to prayer and pray for your pastor.

Maybe next time you should go down to the altar and pray when you feel that tug and conviction on your heart while the pastor is still preaching.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

I totally understand what you are saying and have experienced this frustration as well. What I have started doing is just going up to the altar to pray or worship if the pastor is winding down and the Spirit is moving. If you do this, it may encourage others to and then you won't worry about how long the pastor is taking to wind down. The Spirit won't be quenched because you will be in the Spirit praying or worshipping.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

First of all, pastors are still human. LOL!!!! They don't always get it right. Secondly, if you're feeling like you need to get down to the altar, then get on down there!!!! :) Would your pastor stop you halfway down the aisle?

My pastor often says that if you are noticing a problem, maybe God is talking to YOU about fixing it. Maybe God was looking to you to lead some people to the altar this morning. Something to think about....

Don't lay it all on your pastor's shoulders. Most pastors are not going to keep preaching if everyone is in the altar prayer, crying, repenting and worshiping.

My suggestion would be to get on your knees at the altar and start praying fervently for your pastor, and those who need to respond to the message. :)

I've seen pastors do this whenever there is someone still out in the audience they are trying to reach, who isn't responding. I don't think the entire service should be pointed toward one person, but it's a common (and somewhat understandable) mistake to make.

Really, though. Talking to your pastor isn't going to help. What do you want him to do? Give you a banner to raise above your head so he can know he's done his job and can stop, in your estimation? LOL!!!!! Just pray for him, and when YOU are ready to pray and worship, go do it. Don't be guilty of suppressing the Spirit yourself, by waiting for a verbal invitation from the pastor. I don't think your pastor would want that.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Wise advice.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Get together with the saints before service. Synchronize Watches. Agree at a certain time to all start saying "Amen" a LOT...he will assume he has reached you and close his sermon

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Honestly this isn't something that has ever bothered me. I can understand how a preacher may not be in total sync with the rest of church. What DOES bother me are the preachers (usually guest evangelists) who continually say they are "almost done! I promise!" -to which there is a chorus of "preach it!"'s from the audience. (Which is the only reason they keep saying it... for the constant validation.)

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Say that!

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

I've always heard it said that if you don't strike "oil" in 30 minutes, quit "boring!" :D

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

I believe that is true. A pastor friend of mine took some classes geared toward general presentation skills (not church related), and that was their advice. Studies show that you start losing people in a big way after 30 min. I understand about moving where the spirit leads, but I will tell you that some of the best messages I have heard fall within that time frame. It seems to me that after that, speakers often start repeating themselves - sometime because they are unsure that they've made their point.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

My motto:
"It's better to leave them wanting more, than wishing you had quit long before!"

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Funny I don't find anything in scripture about altar calls and interrupting the pastor to make sure we don't QUENCH the spirit. All this sounds out of order. Trust me I come out of a church where folks were completely out of control. If the pastor even tried to teach instead of preach we would have people leave because they said the "spirit" wasn't in it. During an altar call you were luck if a new convert made it out without whiplash.

Just pure crazyness. I just don't get people NEEDING all the antics. I just don't understand, if people are full of the Holy Ghost why do they yearn for these moments.

Sorry if I offend anyone I am just in that preMonday morning funk. :blah

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Is that just an Arkansas thing?:ursofunny

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Well, I just left a super bowl gathering in Mississippi and now I am back in Arkansas. Guess it is time to get to bed. :sad

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

okay, our church is not like that at all. We are very much in order.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

I like order...If the spirit is moving then it is in order to move with the spirit...

I too hate to keep standing and standing and standing....

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Be VERY CAREFUL with this! I DO know a pastor who WOULD stop you. My former pastor was all about "order" and structure. If he didn't have control over everything that was going on, he regained it very quickly with calculated actions. If someone were to actually feel something and run to the altar for prayer, if he wasn't done with his message/lesson, his wife or son (or someone else to whom the responsibility was delegated) would swoop in and quickly usher that person to a seat. It just was not proper to do anything like that. If the congregation became too excited over, say, a choir song or special, and carried on for much longer than the permissible 30-60 seconds, the wet blanket was unfolded. One of the sayings that was always a pet peeve of mine, was "we're going to change the order of the service now..."

Miss B, I know your posts always are saturated with well-measured, logically balanced thoughts and advice. And I would agree that this one is as well. The broad brush of reason does not always apply everywhere, as I assume you know. So, while it would seem reasonable that a hungry soul praying at an altar would be the entire reason we gather with the saints, not everyone sees it exactly that way.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Some preachers aren't good at winding things up... bringing things to a close. Some are excellent at it.

Bear with... and if you think it's a huge problem Miss B's advice was wonderful and prayer for your pastors/teachers is always in order.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

I love it when a visiting minister speaks, then the pastor gets up and says, "I don't want to add to the message, then goes on for another 30 minutes repeating what they just preached"!

Guess they aren't really adding - they are just repeating!

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

That may be wise advise in all areas - including romantic affection, steak dinners, company, and Chardonnay.

:)

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

Amen.

Re: AHHHHHHHHH......I'm SOOOOO Frustrated.
 

What about the ones that holler and scream and get all red faced... LOL