I'm Outta Here
Submitted by pastor joe on Mon, 07/07/2008 - 07:00.There are times in all of our lives when we simply have to leave the place we've been behind and move on to something else. Sometimes, because it's been a place of trial, it's a joyful experience, while at other times, it's incredible hard. Leaving a church is one of those really difficult decisions, so how do you know it's time? Ryan and Joe offer some thoughts on this week's Swim.
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Should I stay or should I go now?
C'mon...you guys could have opened up with or ended with that classic Clash song and gotten away with it, couldn't you?
Nice job on the podcast. If I had a question as jEveryguy, it would be this one: "You guys talked a little bit about finding a new church after you've (possibly) left one. I know I should leave the church if they're not preaching the Gospel, ok. And if I'm looking at churches, they should be churches that preach the Gospel, ok. After that, can I look for churches that sort of jive with my musical taste or other whimsical opinion-based issues, or am I a heretic for wanting to hear an electric guitar/organ/sitar/glockenspiel? What are some of the more important differences in churches I should notice (if preaching the Gospel is a given at all of them)?
in Christ,
jW
the Gospel and ...
You know, I'd love to play the Clash song, but I'm trying to honor copyrights, be it music, flickr photos, or whatever else ... and seriously, me singing more than once on an episode is right out!
As for thoughts from jEveryguy, if the Gospel's there, I'm rather easy going. There are obvious perks to traditional stuff in that you're linked to something far greater than any one cultural moment, but there's also advantages to the newer stuff in that it's more native (for me, trying to figure out the flow of hymns can be an absolute nightmare). If I was looking, it would be for a place that offered re-mixed hymns and liturgy so I'd get a combination of the old and new.
Ryan? Thoughts from jWinters as opposed to jEveryguy?
The Core
I think Joe's right on. I will not say that the next church has to be hymns or rock music. It's ok to find one that you 'like' that also preaches the Gospel clearly. At our church we have a contemporary worship but the only thing that is changed is the music. We keep the liturgy and sometimes have hymns done in a contemporary style. I think the core of the issue is the Gospel. If that is being addressed then many other things will fall into place.
A different slant
I always thought there were only 4 reasons to leave a church:
1) You moved away.
2 )The churches doors closed and you were one of the people locking up.
3) God called you away. This isn't an I felt like going to another worship style. It's a 'I have enough of a relationship with God to know that he is calling me elsewhere'. I'd expect this to typically be a tougher situation in a church where ones gifts will be put to good use. If he calls us to someplace he calls us to be put to use there.
4) The teaching has gone bad. As in there is an issue of inaccurate theology being taught.
A common problem is that people want to leave when they want a different musical style, when they want something more entertaining, of when they don't get their way in a ministry at the church. If we approach the church like a family or community we have to put others first, it's about the mission and not my taste, and it's about being involved with imperfect things being run by imperfect people. It's about being involved with the mission and Gods people.