Comments on: When to Leave Your Church

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:45:33 +0000

For a long time I couldn’t understand why Heb. 13:17 stood
out alone as an unconditional command to submit to church
leaders leadership when there were so many other passages
that warn believers of false leadership. In reading the
chapter more carefully, however, I discovered that verse 17
is a command to submit to civil authorities. Verses 7-9 of
the same chapter (Heb. 13) describe how one ought to regard
church leaders. When I read Rom. 13 I get the idea that the
civil authorities will behave according to the faithfulness
of the Christians that they govern. Submission to civil
authorities involves determining from their behaviour whether the Christians under their governace are regarding God’s word as they ought and responding accordingly.
The way I see it, Christian churches which have leaders that
place the focus on their own authority are already in deep
trouble. The job of church leadership is to help people
receive instuction directly from the Lord. If I perceive
that church leaders are attempting to discourage me from
determining the truth of a matter myself, or that they are
trying to diqualify me from understanding scripture, then I leave.

By: c shanks

c shanks — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:34:27 +0000

I have been going to a rural church in the midst of mostly
very weak churches in the area.Even so our church has dropped wednesday and sunday night services for a few Bible study groups and “cell groups” which replace sunday night church totally. these can be led by virtually anyone on many themes, Book study,mucic,games,as well as Bible.and they offer leader training.No pastoral epistles requirements are required as far as I have heard, even though as I see it these meetings at rather obscure and varied locals compared to the Church are Replacing Church Assembly.
Wednesday night the entire church is used for a great childrens program but Can’t we have both Church and the program there is enough room.I do go to sunday school and lisen to John MacArthur and Alistair Begg from time to time through the week.But I do not get the encouragement at church I have at times past when my churches I have attended had a full program..Also our preaching is topical to a large degree with lots of storys and jokes to my way of thinking.Please Help.I live in Ohio and would love to have the Lord move me to Pastor Begg’s church.Prayers welcome.

By: elnwood

elnwood — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:19:35 +0000

I appreciate what MacArthur has to say about leaving a church that has fallen into error. In an elder-ruled church, that’s the only alternative. It’s worth noting, though, that in a congregationally governed church, there’s also the option of removing the leaders if they have fallen into deep and unrepentant error.

By: Lawrence Lim

Lawrence Lim — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:01:25 +0000

We left our church last December because the Sunday School teacher start introducing secular/pop music to the kids, songs that doesn’t not give praise to God. The reason I got from the teacher is that, “Gone were the days when we sing Hymns, because the kids will start leaving the church, we must sing songs that can attract them to church.” Are we going to that extent of not praising God in the songs we sing? I did confront the teacher and even brought this case to the pastor.

To my disappointment, I was asked not to cause division in the Church and am encouraged to have unity in the Sunday school. I think we have missed the most important element of going to church which is to glorify God and not to satisfied man.

I really hope the church should influence the world and not letting the world influence the church. We are called to be the salt of the world, a preserve substance that cause a different.

Leaving a church is never easy especially with 3 kids, bidding farewell making new friends is already a struggle for us. I am very grateful to God for this experience which really cause our family to stay together and wait upon His grace and guidance.

By: Quest

Quest — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:32:25 +0000

Thanks for answering I have talked with my senior pastor but its useless he is on youth pastors side this is what he told me:

I have talked with my senior pastor about this issue but briefly not all details and it looks like he does not listen to me I tell him and he is on the youth pastors side he told me to not worry or think about what he thinks but to worry about what God thinks of me well with that statement yeah I of course I agreed but it does not end here I mean its been way to long I have made lots of mistakes before I became a believer and I know for sure that i’m not the only one everyone has but then they learn from them and ask God to forgive I know for sure that God has forgives and I know that he forgave me but when I have apologized to my youth pastor it does not look like he forgave me even though he said that he did and that this issue has never bothered him but why doe he bring it up them and not letting me minister at my church choir,nursery,give out brochures? i’m so lost and confused need help!!!! as to what I should do.

By: Jesse Johnson

Jesse Johnson — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:46:20 +0000

Qwest,

I would endcourage you, before leaving your church, to sit down with the pastor or another elder and talk to him about it. Ask him what he thinks you should do. He may agree that leaving would be good, or he may talk to the youth pastor for you, or he may challenge you to examine your thinking. But, becasue he is in your church, and knows both you and the youth pastor, he would be in a much better position to give input.

Thanks,
Jesse

By: Mike Riccardi

Mike Riccardi — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:49:40 +0000

Quest,

I appreciate your inquiry. I am by no means John MacArthur or even Jesse or Nate, but if you’d like, I’d be willing to share what I think is a biblical perspective on the issue. I’m afraid, though, that if I were to do that I’d need a bit more information about the issue at hand. If you’re interested, you can email me at mriccardi23[at]yahoo[dot]com. If not, don’t worry about it at all.

MIKE

By: c day

c day — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:30:40 +0000

Thanks for the points of when to leave. We left a church last year for the second reason stated. The church allowed a teacher to teach wrongly the doctrine of sanctification which was a big one for us. We had served in that church faithfully for 10 years, as deacons, as Bible teachers, we had and been established with the people and because we disagreed that they kept this man teaching other men wrongly the pastor asked us to leave? wow …there are times when you really need to go…and God moves you and its clear you need to go. We saw His hands in that and His Sovereign will for us to move. We have learned so much about sanctification and the walk of obedience from this new pulpit and church that we realized we were so stagnat at the other church just sitting on jusification preaching…the church was complacent. I would rather move on and change from the heart then to sit in complacency. The Lord is faithful to show us when its time to move…we are ever grateful that He has protected us so much over the years and that He has kept us in His Word, and has continue to grow us and change us in spite of stagnat teaching and poor doctrinal teaching.

By: Quest

Quest — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:28:03 +0000

Hi pastor John,

I have a question I am planning to leave the church I attending now because my youth pastor …. is not living by what he teaches for example I tell that something that he thinks about me is not true anylonger was but not anymore from the past. I mean like 5 years already and I just dont know how to prove it to him I tell him over and over again and he does not listen he is just so stuborn. Well any ways he thought us not to live by the past and he himself does this is not the only things there is a lot more so anyway he said that I cant minister at my church because of what had happened from the past envolving him he thinks that whatever I do I do it to please him and to show of type of thing but deep inside of me I know the reason as to why I do what I do and for what. I cant do anything at all at my church. I’m a believer for about 2 years now.

Is this a christian approach to this issue?
Please answer ASAP!!!!!!!

By: Lionel Woods

Lionel Woods — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:29:16 +0000

Hey Steve,

You said:

“If you actually think that teaching the Bible is unbiblical, you need to spend some intense time studying the pastoral epistles. And, what exactly do you think Jesus was doing when He preached the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7? You think He was having a nice dialogue?”

1. Who said teaching the bible was unbiblical?
2. Show me where the bible talks about pastoral epistles
3. Jesus sermon on the mount is one act in all of His teaching. How many times did He dialogue should be the question. Ding, Ding, Ding. A lot more than He monologued.

Now let me pose some questions.

1. How was the Jewish synagoue set up for teaching? One man preaching a 45 minute sermon?

2. How was the teaching set up in Corinth? We find that in 1 Corinthians 14

3. How about Acts 20 when Paul is “preaching” to those at Troas?

4. When exactly in Church history did the monologue begin? When “laymen” (a non-biblical term) became spectators and someone talked to them for an hour.

5. Finally when is it teaching when you can’t interact? How many classes have you been to when someone speaks to you for a semester with no interaction? But we go to “church” and do this for 50 years or so! For 45 minutes to one hour someone “exposits” the text while you listen with no chance of any interaction. Can you show me this style of teaching in the Bible besides the sermon on the mount? The answer is no.

So don’t be so quick to say I don’t think teaching the bible is biblical. I actually do believe TEACHING the bible is biblical but ain’t much teaching going on, just speeches! No different than a daily inarguration speech.