Ridgell's Originals

 Sometimes you have to move on.  I think it is a last resort, and only done when the church you are a part of changes in a fundamental way that violates your core convictions.

It will be painful.  After all, the church you are leaving is full of the people you have done life with and it will never be the same.  The church you leave is not the same, but there will never be anywhere else like it.

You are probably not the only one leaving.  Some who stay will understand and sympathize with your decision.  They love you and will miss you.  Some will not understand and will not handle it well.

So what do you do?

Obviously you will want to find a community of faith to worship with.  There may be an existing church in your area that agrees with you core convictions.  Check them out.  Ask to meet with their leadership.  Find out their core convictions.  You will not agree on everything.  Core convictions.  Not everything.  That may be your new family.

Or do house church.  That may grow into something very meaningful and real kingdom growth might happen.

Some will want to start another church and be like the old church used to be.  That rarely happens.  And if not very careful, it becomes the church that is "against" instead of a church that is "for."  I do think it would be interesting if a church leadership would proactively plant a church in these situations.  You know that certain changes are going to cause a major upheaval.  I would love to see some church try to figure it out without all the pain and hurt feelings.  But it would take incredible spiritual leadership.  Most churches I have ever seen go thru this kind of thing spin the narrative that no one that really matters will leave.  Some even insist that to be true after 1/3 of their church is gone.  But I wonder if it is possible to do things differently.  

And here are a couple of other things I think worth thinking about.

You are still part of the church you left.  You should not -- and probably cannot -- just cut ties with your spiritual family.  I would love a church that still informs and communicates news to those that have left.    Not sure what the point is of removing them from every communication source.  Some may not want info any more.  OK.  That is their choice. But some would want to know about the people they love. 

So I love peole that leave a church and still show up at the hospital and the funerals.  Or that sign up for meals on a food schedule from their old church. That still serve and do life with their previous church family in ways that matter.

Because you are still family.  My wife and I talk about being members at large of the Abilene church.  I do funerals at several churches.  Teach class and preach at several.  We take meals and serve people from lots of different churches.  We still do a lot of shepherding for people that go many different places.

Maybe we need to stop thinking of church in such a narrow sense and realize that maybe God has something much bigger in mind. 

I don't know all the answers obviously.  And I am not even exactly sure what we are personally going to do.  

Maybe I'll write more about that next time.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM