Having just gone through a church move, I thought I'd share a bit of wisdom given to me about that process...
I've long held that you should only become a member of the local church that the LORD leads you to. I've also therefore long held the opposite: you don't leave a church that the LORD led you to unless the LORD Himself leads you away.
While I still fundamentally agree with that second notion, I think it needs some careful articulation. What does it mean to say "the LORD led me away"? How does that work? Surely He doesn't audibly tell us. So what does this really mean?
A wise friend of mine once told me about the unasked question in these sorts of situations. We always look at the potential good our staying in a given local church might do. We look at the ministries we're involved in. We look at the things the LORD has been teaching us in that context. But we don't ask one very important question:
How much more might I bring Him glory in a different context?
We focus on the present situation and potential, which is good. But we forget to at least entertain the idea that the LORD might have even greater things in mind somewhere else. I admit this is a sensitive issue - I'm certainly not advocating that everyone constantly ask themselves whether the grass isn't greener somewhere else! But we all know that sometimes you simply feel like maybe a change is needed. Sometimes it becomes obvious that we should at least consider leaving. At times like these, we need to first ask and then pray for wisdom regarding this too-oft unasked question. It keeps the focus off of us and places it squarely on God and His glory. Hopefully it will keep us from making the decision to leave a church based upon silly, trivial, or even down-right stupid reasons.
Don't leave a local church unless the LORD calls you to do so. But just be aware that He might reveal His will only when we're willing to ask the unasked question, and accept His answer.
Hatushili
Sunday, May 13, 2007
The Unasked Question
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2 comments:
That is an interesting perspective Nathan. I feel that I agree with you completely. For me to leave a church, I would have to be certain the Lord is calling me away. All too often my friends in college "church hop" and seem to never settle down with any one church. They are completely missing the concept of what it means to be a part of a church. However, I see the opposite as well. I have friends who would stay at a church merely because it is comfortable, and they simply are not willing to ask the Lord what He wants them to do. I feel we are called as Christians to serve the Lord and by that we must remain open to His leadings. If I can bring God greater glory serving Him in another church, then I must go to that other church. I may have to leave my friends, my ministries, even my family. But if that is God's will, then I surely can't deny Him. From past experiences, I have come to learn that not going where Christ is leading me will in the end hurt my present ministries. How can I expect God to bless me if I am doing something He has not called me to do any longer? Thus, I agree that this "unasked question" might need to be asked more often by Christians. I would also venture to say that it could be the reason that some are simply not fruitful any longer.
Kim said: I would also venture to say that it could be the reason that some are simply not fruitful any longer.
Great point! I have to agree with you, Kim. You wonder sometimes why the ministry that folks have been involved with year after year sometimes seems to be slowly dying...
Hatushili
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