Micah,
Great changes often begin with small steps. You can begin with the young people in our church who respect and love you. Encourage them to be more vocal, more excited about what God is doing in their lives with each other as they practice a song you are teaching them, and then move to the next step of sharing at a Wednesday night service.
I believe that in our particular church the older folks will be less likely to "catch on" to this right away but if they see the kids doing it, and realize that it changes the whole atmosphere of our mid-week service when people are praising and sharing openly and sincerely, maybe they will. I certainly will help you.
As far as sharing personal salvation stories, I believe some, including myself, were saved out of very sinful circumstances and would prefer that the church as a whole did not know some things about their past. Unfortunately, while most would praise God for His saving grace, others would use the nitty gritty facts to gossip and point fingers. The church family has it's good and bad members just as any other organization.
I think there is an unconscious resistance to anything that may seem charismatic. Anything that may look like "feelings over faith". I also think that many people are happy with the day to day routine and seldom think about what God is doing in their lives or what He is keeping from their lives for that matter.
I have gone on long enough. Just some thoughts regarding our own little church.

That is certainly something I have been feeling as I come back from college--a disconection. Like you, I do not know who's fault it is, or whether there really can be finger pointing. I do not keep up with the church as much as I should while I am away. When I come back, people ask how college is, but nothing more than a superficial conversation. I do not know the names of a lot of people in our church, and our church is tiny! I agree with what my mom said about starting with us...the youth. WE need something different in order to keep the zeal of coming, then the olders may or may not catch on. WE are the future of that church, and a lot of us are lost among the unknown names and mixed in the midst of a crowd who has know idea who the person standing near them is. I know I have talked to you before about it, and I feel strongly the desire to see our church learn to TALK and not merely speak to one another. No on knows the pain of eachother, and yet the whole purpose of a church is to be there to take on other's burdens and to have yours lifted from you shoulders. How can I intervene for someone I hardly know? It does break my heart.

you got what i said just fine.

i think this topic is one of the things i am most concerned about for my church, too. and i think that's biblical--the idea of κοινωνια or fellowship.

even a passing glance at this word and the character of the early church shows how essential it is. i highly recommend a book on the church called One People. It's by John Stott, but it's out of print so you'd have to find it used, I think.

at any rate, just to share what's been happening at my church...a young couple became very concerned about the lack of fellowship, so much so that they were going to leave. they went to Pastor and they discussed it. he encouraged them to stay and become part of the solution. they did. and things have shown marked improvement. a bible study was the immediate outgrowth, but a growing number of people who care, pray for, and spend time together is the ongoing thing.

this couple influenced cathy and me. now we try to have one couple or family over every week, though it doesn't always happen. it is so much easier to have true fellowship in a home setting, and now when we see people at church we have prayer requests we can ask them about and can generally catch up, instead of trying to build a relationship and find all out about a person in a five minute conversation in the aisle. other things i have seen that promote fellowship in our church is our men's prayer breakfast, men's and ladies' retreats, family missionary nights, and small group Sunday Schools.

anyway, all that to say, i appreciate what you said and it is possible, as the young couple in my church has proved, to make a difference by actively pursuing a biblical philosophy. people who love God and each other will get on board, and all will be the better for it.

i'm praying for you that you'll have the grace to be able to fellowship with others, and that your church will grow in its ability to build itself up.

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