People say you should switch churches if the Holy Spirit leads you. Others say you should never switch churches. The truth is that people have different ways of looking at it. We live in a time where people take their liberty seriously and so the decision to leave a church is made like the decision to look for another job. Switching Churches might e the one decision that changes your life for good, or it could be the one hidden reason behind the so many problems you are going through.
I dare say that leaving one church for another is almost as serious as leaving one spouse and remarrying. You have to count the cost spiritually, emotionally and in many other ways. Paul said all things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial. So while you have the right to get up one day and walk out of a church, you may want to ask God first, and even when asking God, you must learn how not to let your emotions lead the way in your hearing from God. I dont know anyone who changed Churches that will not say he or she was led.
Let us therefore start this discuss by agreeing that you have the right to leave one Church and move to another Church. However,
1. It is important to have a proper perspective of what and who a pastor is in your life.
2. Following that is the fact that you have to also have a good perspective of the roles that people play in your life.
3. Then you can consider effects of the move on you and the people you are moving with, if that applies to you. Just as a separation or divorce affects all the involved parties, leaving one Church for another has similar effects. It would be like moving your family from one city to another. The kids would have to go to new schools, make new friends and start life almost afresh. For many children, unsettled lifestyles affect them very negatively, and parents must endeavour to be stable enough to breed emotionally and mentally healthy children.
4. It is also important to know the truth. Most people who change Churches do so in search of what they would call better or balance preaching of the Gospel. Others seek for better atmosphere, yet others seek for friendship/relationship. Daniel 11:23 talks about those that do know their God being strong IF you dont know the word of God, you are likely to have a wrong idea of what to look for and most likely to keep hopping around. If you know what you are looking for, and if what you are looking for is the right thing, then you wont have to try a number of places to find it cos you know it and can identify it.
5. Last but not the least, the one other thing to consider is YOU. If you are not right with God, no amount of Church hopping will heal or correct your issues. People who change Churches are always looking for something new or running from something old. If God does not deal with you and heal you, your past will always catch up with you and your future will always run away from you. You would one day be running from the new church to another new Church. In marriage, if you dont seek to be healed but just walk away from a marriage, you are likely to carry your issues into the new relationship.
