5 Reasons To Leave Your Church
Moving On From Your Faith Community
Saying good bye to your faith community is always a hard thing to do, yet in some cases you must. There are only two life long commitments you make in this life. The first is your commitment to follow Jesus. This is a life long journey of faith that will last even until eternity. The second life long commitment you will make is to your spouse. When you were married, you promised to be with this person, to love and cherish till death do you part. So, to compare your church relationship to a marriage would be a bit extreme. Yes, you should be committed to your local church, but there are occasions when God might be calling you to move on. Many people stay within abusive situations simply because they think it is the right thing to do. Here are a few good reasons to consider when you sense it’s time to leave your church:
1. You’ve out-grown the church. The plant will only grow as much as the proper environment will allow. If you want a larger plant, you need a larger pot. Even nature tells us that plants need the right amount of sun light, water and room. Church is just as much about growing as it is about giving. Sometimes God wants to place you in a bigger pot.
2. Bad doctrine. A church with a low view of Scripture or emphasis on extremes can be a church that is susceptible to error. If your pastor starts teaching the church about Hallebop Comet and how we all need to drink Kool-aid to “rest in the Lord’ you need to run from this church and find a faith community that is sound Biblically and is accountable to the Word.
3. Controlling leaders. You cannot reason with controlling leaders. They believe they are the one anointed from God and you shouldn’t challenge, question or test their teaching or leadership. If you’re in a church where there is a strict hierarchal structure where the pastor is not accountable to anyone and barks out orders to his underlings I would advise you to RUN from this church and find a church where the leaders will serve you and help you fulfill your destiny.
4. The vision is different. Vision will determine where you end up. Lets say, for example, you feel called to become a missionary and there is full evidence of this gift and call from others in your church, yet there is nothing in place to prepare you to become one. Lets say this church has a great vision for local church ministry, but is a bit short sighted when it comes to global missions. What should you do? You should consider finding a church that has something in place for ministry preparation and has a vision that is missions minded.
5. The church is dead. Some churches just don’t want to change and become stagnant. Psalm 1:1-5 says that a tree planted by LIVING water will flourish and bear its fruit in season. It’s important for you to plant yourself by living water, a place that is close to the power and presence of God. Don’t sacrifice a vibrant spiritual life because of sentimental feelings toward a church full of “nice” people.
These are some healthy and practical considerations when deciding to leave a church. I am not promoting leaving a church because someone offended you, you don’t like the style of music or because they don’t have a Starbucks in the lobby. Church ultimately is a place where you should be able to plug in and use the gifts and talents that God has blessed you with to help strengthen what God is doing locally. However, there are some legitimate reasons where God may be moving you on to a new location. Location is very important when it comes to being in the will of God. Find out where it is and who it is that he has joined you with so you can be all HE has called you to.
My next article will further the discussion with some practical ways to leave your church. Transition is ok, its HOW you make the transition thats key.
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