When is it right to leave a church and look for another one?"

[sabrina5140]

Question: "When is it right to leave a church and look for another one?"

Answer: The Bible does not give us a “procedure” on how to leave a church. In the early day of the church, a believer would have to move to another town to find a different church. Sadly, in our world today with a church on seemingly every corner, many believers leave one church for another instead of working through whatever problem there was. Forgiveness, love, and unity are to be the marks of believers (John 13:34-35; Colossians 3:13; John 17:21-23), instead of bitterness and division (Ephesians 4:31-32).

The most crucial thing to do should you feel led to leave a church is to do so in such a way that you do not cause division or unnecessary controversy in the church (Proverbs 6:19; 1 Corinthians 1:10). An important question to answer is why would any person want to leave the church? If the answer to this question is because of the lack of Biblical teaching in your church, then the answer is clear. You are to leave that church and find one that will spiritually feed you. That is your responsibility. However, many people are dissatisfied with their church because they are not involved in any way in the church’s ministries. It is far easier to be spiritually fed by the church when you are an active part of “feeding” others in the church. The purpose of the church is clearly outlined in Ephesians 4:11-14. Allow this passage to be your guide in choosing and finding a church in which you can feed others and that will spiritually feeds you.

[jsimms615]

Question: "When is it right to leave a church and look for another one?"

Answer: The Bible does not give us a “procedure” on how to leave a church. In the early day of the church, a believer would have to move to another town to find a different church. Sadly, in our world today with a church on seemingly every corner, many believers leave one church for another instead of working through whatever problem there was. Forgiveness, love, and unity are to be the marks of believers (John 13:34-35; Colossians 3:13; John 17:21-23), instead of bitterness and division (Ephesians 4:31-32).

The most crucial thing to do should you feel led to leave a church is to do so in such a way that you do not cause division or unnecessary controversy in the church (Proverbs 6:19; 1 Corinthians 1:10). An important question to answer is why would any person want to leave the church? If the answer to this question is because of the lack of Biblical teaching in your church, then the answer is clear. You are to leave that church and find one that will spiritually feed you. That is your responsibility. However, many people are dissatisfied with their church because they are not involved in any way in the church’s ministries. It is far easier to be spiritually fed by the church when you are an active part of “feeding” others in the church. The purpose of the church is clearly outlined in Ephesians 4:11-14. Allow this passage to be your guide in choosing and finding a church in which you can feed others and that will spiritually feeds you.

I totally agree with what you said. I would add that I would think it would be time to leave a church if:
You no longer agree with the doctrinal stance of the pastor or church denomination
If you feel you cannot respect the pastor or his leadership
If you feel called to a ministry that particular church is unwilling to start.
J

[OceanFloor]

I totally agree with what you said. I would add that I would think it would be time to leave a church if:
You no longer agree with the doctrinal stance of the pastor or church denomination
If you feel you cannot respect the pastor or his leadership
If you feel called to a ministry that particular church is unwilling to start.
J

OMGosh - I think it's REALLY time that I leave my present church gathering. I meet all three of your criteria hands-down.

[Frame1520]

When to stay, when to go! Often a tough question. For what its worth, here are my two cents:
1) The church you are attending starts teaching things not in the bible. This doesn't mean things that are not your "personal preference", like music.
2) You are being persecuted/harassed.
3) You are unable to serve Christ effectively.
4) You are not being discipled/spiritually fed.

That is all I can think of. Those are the reasons I would leave.

Be Blessed!

[rak]

ive had a lot of persecuting, harrasing, and weak teatching happen in churches that i was in. i think that that happens to all of us sooner or later. when our church starts getting problems like the problems that you guys mentioned then before leaving the church you should pray for the church. in fact when our church is in trouble that is the time when we should pray for our church even more. a church is like a family. we cant choose our family but we should love them anyhow.

[ChildOfGod15]

I love the people at my church (ex: my best friend and her family, and a few others) but I don't feel comfortable during the worship... :(

Maybe it's cuz worship is so personal for me and it seems like a showy thing at this church I now attend....

Should this be reason enough to leave? =\

[joppajava]

If you feel that you have no wittness in your church and disagree with the teaching then I see no reason to stay. The only biblical advise that I can give is to gather 2 or 3 wittnesses and go to your pastor or elders to discuss what you are having problems with. Pray about and God will give you direction.

[viewfromthetop]

There are some interesting ideas why you might leave a church. First when reading through the Epistles you will see that there were a lot of antichrist spirits out there and still are. The simple fact is that if you may come to the realization that you have joined up with the forgery. Let the Holy Spirit be the guide.

Along the same lines, it is your responsibilty in your walk of faith to produce fruits. And your walk will begin hopefully with milk and end with eating meat. You may find a time when like others have said you no longer receive meat from your pastor or congregation. It is more important to follow where you are led by the Holy Spirit then it is to follow the laws of your denomination or non denomination. One of the most powerful stories in the Bible is repeated by Jesus when he was accused of breaking a law of God. He relates the story of David eating the showbread that was reserved for the priests after they had cleaned themselves sufficiently of sin to partake in Godly rituals without dying. David did not die because it was the will of God to eat the sacred bread. But later when David tries to move the Ark a pole bearer is killed when he touches the Ark in an attempt to keep it from hitting the ground. So you must be walking in faith and faith only no matter what you do. But don't be afraid to walk in faith.