Because of my job I'm not able to church hop - but changing churches has become the norm. In this USA Today article, it claims 80% of people who join megachurches will be gone in 2 years, even if they complete a new member's class.
Church hopping is truly the "all about me" experience. Attend the Beth Moore study at First Baptist, Youth Group at First Methodist, and the Saturday night Weekend Worship at Community Church. Why attend one church when you can pick what you want from 3 churches?
When you change churches frequently, you avoid the ABCs of church membership: Accountability, Buildup (a "B" word for Growth), and Commitment.
If you do change churches, here are 3 signs it's time for a change:
1). Your church doesn't preach or teach the Bible. I could stand up on Sundays and Wednesdays and read the newspaper, share about a book I'm reading, tell funny jokes I found online, complain about the Democratic Party, and share illustrations of great Americans from the past.
Jesus did not preach this way in His most famous sermon in Matthew 5-7. He quoted Scripture, taught against sin, and boldly shared the narrow way of salvation. The church you attend must preach and teach God's Word.
2). Your church isn't engaged in ministry and missions. The church in Acts 6 was so involved in ministry, they had to appoint deacons. Why? Because there was too much work for the disciples. The Bible says the number of disciples multiplied greatly.
If your church isn't making disciples of all nations, it's not a Great Commission church (Matthew 28:19).
3). Accepted Immorality. If you attend a church and there are open homosexuals telling everyone they were "born gay" and there's nothing wrong with their lifestyle - and the pastor and church leadership refuses to confront it, instead pretending it doesn't exist - 1 Corinthians 5 offers instructions on how to address immorality within a church.
If a church won't discipline people, the people won't grow as God wants them to. Hebrews 12:11 says God disciplines us for our own benefit - and it produces fruit.
Resources
9 Marks of a Healthy Church
Movement towards Larger, Contemporary Churches (LifeWay article)
When Is It Time to Leave a Church? (Albert Mohler audio)
Church hopping is truly the "all about me" experience. Attend the Beth Moore study at First Baptist, Youth Group at First Methodist, and the Saturday night Weekend Worship at Community Church. Why attend one church when you can pick what you want from 3 churches?
When you change churches frequently, you avoid the ABCs of church membership: Accountability, Buildup (a "B" word for Growth), and Commitment.
If you do change churches, here are 3 signs it's time for a change:
1). Your church doesn't preach or teach the Bible. I could stand up on Sundays and Wednesdays and read the newspaper, share about a book I'm reading, tell funny jokes I found online, complain about the Democratic Party, and share illustrations of great Americans from the past.
Jesus did not preach this way in His most famous sermon in Matthew 5-7. He quoted Scripture, taught against sin, and boldly shared the narrow way of salvation. The church you attend must preach and teach God's Word.
2). Your church isn't engaged in ministry and missions. The church in Acts 6 was so involved in ministry, they had to appoint deacons. Why? Because there was too much work for the disciples. The Bible says the number of disciples multiplied greatly.
If your church isn't making disciples of all nations, it's not a Great Commission church (Matthew 28:19).
3). Accepted Immorality. If you attend a church and there are open homosexuals telling everyone they were "born gay" and there's nothing wrong with their lifestyle - and the pastor and church leadership refuses to confront it, instead pretending it doesn't exist - 1 Corinthians 5 offers instructions on how to address immorality within a church.
If a church won't discipline people, the people won't grow as God wants them to. Hebrews 12:11 says God disciplines us for our own benefit - and it produces fruit.
Resources
9 Marks of a Healthy Church
Movement towards Larger, Contemporary Churches (LifeWay article)
When Is It Time to Leave a Church? (Albert Mohler audio)
RSS Feed
