Zeke sent me this link and after reading it, I thought I’d link up here. That way I can refer back to it if needed. ;o)
The entire article is HERE.
And the specific part that really jumped out at me was:
Here are some things which must be done before one leaves a church:
• We must check our motives very carefully.
• Our reasons must be well grounded and clearly articulated.
• We must be in regular, earnest prayer about the matter.
• We must guard our tongues very carefully.
• We must be extremely careful that we do not unnecessarily create unrest in other members.
• Our discussions with the leadership must be characterized by love.
• Our attempts to correct matters must be with great respect, care and patience.
• If our concern is over personal preferences, rather than biblical matters, we must consider others’ interest more important than ours.
• Great care should be taken that we submit to the leadership of the church, unless we determine with proper counsel that there is a serious biblical issue at stake.
• If the leadership will listen, we need to give them plenty of time to consider the matter.
• If the leadership will not listen to us, or will not take proper action to correct the matter and we are thoroughly convinced that there is a serious biblical issue, we should ask for a meeting of the church Elders in which to express our concerns.
• We should ask ourselves what we have personally done to correct any wrong or deficiency in the church with which we are concerned.
• We should evaluate if our leaving would do harm to an otherwise good church.
Also, we should never leave, nor encourage others to leave, unless we are thoroughly convinced that one or both of the following conditions exist:(1) that the church has become an apostate church (where serious unbiblical teaching or practices are allowed), or (2) that we are convinced that, over the long haul, we cannot find a place to serve in the church, or that our families will not be spiritually fed in that body.
I am convinced that if these suggestions were given careful attention, there would be fewer people leaving churches. In our culture people flip around from church to church in almost the same way they change from one automobile to another, always looking for something a bit more new and pleasurable. That is not the essence of Christianity.
Christ called on us to serve one another, not to be seeking our own comfort. He certainly gave us the supreme example. The welfare of others is why He came to this earth, suffered abuse and extreme discomfort and, ultimately, the horrible death of a vile criminal on the cross of Calvary. He could have moved from this earth and taken up a comfortable residence in heaven, rather than having to suffer at the hands of sinful men. Yet He set His sights on the good of others, rather than those of His own, and gave His all. That is how much He loved the church.
Christ’s example often demonstrates how cheap our view of the local church can be. We ask how the church can serve us, rather than how we can serve Christ through His local bodies. He exhibits extreme patience with us; how can we do otherwise for His people, for whom He died?
