Perhaps you’ve thought of leaving your church for another, but you’re not sure. It can be an agonizing decision.
I’ve done it twice in my adult life — voluntarily left a church for another. Sharon and I have been at Grace Church Roseville now since 1997 and have no plans for another switch.
I’d like to offer a word of caution that stems from some recent discussions I’ve had with wise friends, and from my own churchmanship of 35 years:
If I choose to leave, I’m trading in one set of problems for another set of problems. No church is perfect, no pastor is without flaws, no elder/deacon/session group is permanently in charge.
No preacher will be there forever. No music will stay the same. No ministry style will remain unchanged.
If any of those reasons are the “main reason” I decide to leave, I’ll be in the same position in six months or two years (or five or ten) in my new church home.
Will I leave then as well?
It seems to me there has to be a deeper set of reasons to make such a major move. Next week I’ll explore them a bit.
