I have a real problem. I am very fearful of doing things at church eg. reading, exalting, etc. Here is the real problem: if I know that I am going to do something at church or called on without knowing, I do not go church. Honestly, I do not want to be like this. In my heart, I want to serve God and not be ashamed. How can I get through this? I need help.<\/p>\n\t
The only way to conquer fears is to face them. So long as you continue to let your imagination tell you how horrible it is to stand before others, you’ll find the fears overwhelming. Only by experiencing the fact that things aren’t as bad as you thought will you convince yourself to continue trying.<\/p>\n
Congregations can help a lot in this area. Have people take turns reading passages from the Bible, being one of a number doing this makes you realize it isn’t so bad — and you can do it from your own seat. Have prayers offered up in smaller groups by those who don’t often participate? Have singings at someone’s home and invite each man to lead a song. Have men come to help with the Lord’s Supper, but don’t expect them to lead a prayer at first. In other words, have opportunities to start small and build up confidence.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I have a real problem. I am very fearful of doing things at church eg. reading, exalting, etc. Here is the real problem: if I know that I am going to do something at church or called on without knowing, I do not go church. Honestly, I do not want to be like this.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[352,84],"class_list":["post-29076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-fear","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46284,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-handle-my-contributions-when-i-rotate-between-three-congregations\/","url_meta":{"origin":29076,"position":0},"title":"How do I handle my contributions when I rotate between three congregations?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 17, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings, I have a question regarding the weekly contribution (I Corinthians 16:1-2). In my city, there are three local churches of Christ that I attend regularly. Normally I'll attend one on a certain week, the next on the following week, and the third the week after that. And then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93053,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-you-know-you-are-in-the-right-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":29076,"position":1},"title":"How do you know you are in the right church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello there, I am getting on here as I have many questions about God, the church, salvation, and the Bible. I was baptized into Christ just over a year ago, and while I understand that Jesus built one church and when I was baptized the Lord added me to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49116,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-get-my-dad-to-see-that-his-church-isnt-good-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":29076,"position":2},"title":"How do I get my dad to see that his church isn’t good enough?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a problem I have been dealing with my father, and he simply does not understand. For many years we've been going to this small church. The people are nice. I would describe the church as traditional because it is Baptist. The majority of people who like to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35128,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-find-a-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":29076,"position":3},"title":"How do I find a church?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I really want to become a Christian and be saved, but my problem is finding the right church. By the way, to whomever this is going to, I found this website and don't know how I have forgotten but I love it. I started to cry and I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50815,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-doesnt-god-deliver-the-addicts-in-our-congregation-after-all-our-prayers\/","url_meta":{"origin":29076,"position":4},"title":"Why doesn’t God deliver the addicts in our congregation after all our prayers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: There are many things I notice in our church, which I feel propelled to address, but I am not sure what to say, or how to approach my pastor. I really don't want him to think I'm forward. I just need to get your take on the situation before\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":42135,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-friends-are-not-content-with-the-church-what-can-i-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":29076,"position":5},"title":"My friends are not content with the church. What can I do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read your questions and answers often, and find real, godly, and biblical solace in them. I trust your judgment and wanted to ask you several things. My family has been attending churches of Christ since before we are born, and I could not see myself anywhere else. 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