Church Hopping

"Under what conditions should a Christian change churches?"

In the age we live in, in which people are overly busy, in which they are afraid of making commitments, in which they approach church as consumers, and in which they are easily offended, it should be little wonder that people change churches with increasing frequency.

I see three primary reasons a person should change churches. First and foremost, Christians are obligated to change churches if doctrinal inaccuracies become heretical. This requires a diligence on your part to know what doctrines are essential and worth going to the wall for, and which ones are non-essential. Essential doctrines include the Deity of Christ (John 1:1), salvation by grace through faith (Eph 2:8), and Christ alone as the way of salvation (John 14:6). We should not change churches on non-essential matters, such as the Rapture, the wearing of veils, or the frequency of communion.

Secondly, there are practical reasons when a change should be considered. You may need to find a church closer to home as the price of gasoline goes up. You may need to change if the ministry to your children is woefully inadequate. There may be a drastic change in the vision and direction of the church in which you can not conscientiously continue, such as when a Bible-preaching church becomes a political-activist church, or when a traditional church paints the sanctuary orange and starts playing “thrash metal” music to reach the kids (which has it’s possibilities).

Thirdly, you should change churches when God leads you out for a specific purpose. Sometimes, out of concern for a neighboring church, a gifted leader will switch to that church to help carry the bulk of the preaching. This is best handled by communicating your desires to godly leaders, seeking their counsel, and gaining their support. Most churches I know would rather send their leaders as a blessing, than to hold them back from a God-sized opportunity.

Members should not change churches because there is a change of ministers. This consumerism approach only considers what the consumer’s ‘wants.’ This embodies an attitude that says, “I’ll check out the new guy, but if he doesn’t’ measure up to what I’m looking for, then I’m outta here!” This attitude fails to recognize that the church is greater than any one person, and that commitment to relationships within a congregation is of great value.

Christians should not change churches because they have been hurt or offended by the actions of another. Rather, we must forgive the offense for the sake of love. Some circumstances require a firm but loving confrontation, but we must ‘work at’ our problems rather than run from them. Besides, you can be hurt in any number of good churches--provided they have people!

If you must leave a church, ‘how’ you leave will reveal much about your Christian character. Before leaving, you are responsible to seek a resolution to your problem. If unresolved, then ask for your church’s blessing and leave on friendly terms. Those Christians are most honorable who leave without guns blazing. Then, speak well of your former brothers and sisters in Christ or not at all--we ARE going to be spending a lot of time together in the future!

--Pastor Scott (www.askpastorscott.com)