The idea of committing to one place is vanishing in the workplace and the home. That leads us to evaluate our church, our faith, our experience and each other according to our preferences and whims. And they fail. Probably not. Given this glorious picture of what church is for and what its supposed to be like, is there ever time when its good and right to leave yours? The one thing we didnt need at the beginning of the year was more time online and less time in church, but thats exactly what has happened. Our gatherings will become less about us and more about Jesus and the world he loves. Carey Nieuwhof is founding pastor of Connexus Church north of Toronto and is author of several books, including his latest #1 best-selling work, Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations That Will Help Your Church Grow. Leaders trot this out when they want to explain why theyre not able to do whatever someone is suggesting might help them. I personally love chapter 9, Ideas for the Shepherds! I think in certain niches online church might become the church for some who simply have no other access to church. Andsurpriseour online ministry is also 100% video. It doesnt help, of course, that the pandemic has made it easy to hide behind a screen or drift to a different flock. Join in the conversation about this post on Facebook. Sign up for our newsletter: Even if there are unbridgeable differences, why not engage the concerns forthrightly, with candor, grace, and love? Your context isn't that different from anyone else's as long as you're ministering to people. Your church may not be functioning the way that it should (i.e. That's because they're continually evaluating their work, and they're doing what it takes to reach people and make disciples. This will help you know what. When it comes to what works where its often your attitude that determines the outcome. please take a minute and donate to help give voice to stories that inform, encourage and inspire. People reach people. The engaged will attend, in large measure because only the engaged will remain. Some churches offer so many programs for families that families dont even have a chance to be families. The mission is travel. One time, in a culture far-far away, I heard a pastor say, People arent afraid of change, theyre afraid of loss. I thought those were good words to remember. While there are a number ofvalid reasonsthat Christians change churches, I nonetheless want to say: think twice before switching churches during COVID-19. Its our joy to share freely what God has so graciously entrusted to us. Today, I'm thinking about change in the church. 4. Even if there are good reasons for switching churches, there can be bad ways to go about itways that hinder witness, create needless relational hurt, and further divide the flock. Maybe the sermons are dull and the conversations youre having with people consist of the same old small talk. Theyre biblical. We are just glad to have you here! Change efforts are never unanimous. On My Shelf: Life and Books with Matthew Barrett, TGC Editorial Staff: Books We Enjoyed in 2022, On My Shelf: Life and Books with Thaddeus Williams, On My Shelf: Life and Books with Claude Atcho, Get Updates About The Coronavirus In Your Inbox. The authors insights and ideas are priceless! Acity church is different than a country one. If those reasons havent changed, it might be imprudent to leave. Help TGC bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work. Every new person added to the body is a change. The pastor of one of southern Californias largest churches, the Rev. How Can I Lead a Quiet Life When My Job Requires Self-Promotion? 2) The culture will change the Church. Do you believe that too? This cuts across generations. It is about God bringing near those who were once without hope, alienated from God and his people, through the blood of Jesus Christ (Eph 2:12-13; 2 Peter 2:9-10). Its music. Im firmly convinced Im my own worst enemy. Only 44 percent said the denomination was an important factor in choosing a new church. In these tribal timesat least in the American contextsome say addressing racial injustice is to abandon the gospel while others say addressing some dangers of anti-racism is to promote white supremacy. But these are not my concern here. How we use cookiesWe use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. They may not always do this consciously but from their responses it is evident that they are struggling with it. Dont pretend like youve got it all figured out. Great leaders know. CTWeekly delivers the best content from ChristianityToday.com to your inbox each week. What works there won't work here. Your Exit Doesn't Have to Be Messy You can still bless others by the space you leave behind. Struggle with love/hate/shame/unforgiveness/brokenness/bitterness. Wow! Even if there are unbridgeable differences, why not engage the concerns forthrightly, with candor, grace, and love? But at the same time, we cant expect all churches to be perfect. At the end of a trial period (I recommend one year), one of three decisions can be made. Just because most people don't give doesn't mean your people won't give. Sometimes God blesses because of us. Why not trust Gods wisdom by gladly submitting ourselvesto the decision-making wisdom of godly elders? Subscribe and get one year free.The views of the blogger do not necessarily reflect those of Christianity Today. (615) 669-8201, If we believe in the body of Christ, then ministry leaders must be change agents. Every new person added to the body is a change. To get to where God has brought us today definitely involved a whole lot of grace on Gods part. Even if there are good reasons for switching churches, there can be bad ways to go about itways that hinder witness, create needless relational hurt, and further divide the flock. Stop to pray. Leaders quickly understand what needs to change, but the how of change is just as important. In the future, churches that love their model more than their mission will die. Now, before anyone says anything, I'm not thinking about leaving the Its not a question of whether people like big churches or small churches. We need time to discern our motivations; time to talk to our church leaders; time for us to pray together; time for mutual understanding; time for forgiveness and growth. The church will always gather. The result? PredictionsReally? And neither was John the Apostle. But this requires making changes, not only in the way they worship but how they do ministry and mission. Decades ago, he noted, American culture supported church loyalty out of respect for the church, obligation to family, or social expectations. Think of a restaurant for a minute. People also claim video teaching doesnt work. Multisite will continue to explode, as churches that are effective expand their mission. Not every change will work. Sonny Arguinzoni at Victory Outreach, says he tells church hoppers to return to the church where they were discontent and resolve the relationships there. . 15:3), stay put. Most pastors are not called to lead a big church. The world is a confusing place right now. Currently, many churches try to get people to attend, hoping it drives engagement. As we gather, we show to the world and the heavenly realms Gods wisdom and love in bringing such a diverse people together and giving them purpose, hope and life (Eph 3:10). It's our hope and prayer that these Conversations for . Its an exciting shift. . Firstly, you should leave if your church is engaging in false teaching. If so, advises eHow Mom, make sure you know the true reason why you want to leave the church you currently attend. While many might think the mega-church is dead, its not. Its been a hard year. As Kevin DeYoung writes, I fear that in the months and years ahead we will see Christians and churches and gospel movements reshuffling their associations based upon a unity not in shared Christological and soteriological truths but in the sameness of our political and cultural instincts. We reveal Corinthian pride when we divide the body of Christ over important but temporal concerns (cf. . Because everybody is affected particularly kids who are leaving behind close friends and favorite Sunday school teachers. But that doesnt mean the Gospel should die because of it. More than half 58 percent of those who changed their house of worship without making a residential move, told her that their old church failed to engage their faith, or put their talents to work, or it seemed hypocritical or judgmental. Forty-two percent of the people say they switched because another church offered more appealing doctrines and preaching or the preacher and church members' faith seemed more "authentic." So they labor, not just in obscurity, but in loneliness. Remember, church is family: there may be ups and downs and hurts, but were still familya people who are one in Christ. While necessary right now and important in the future, we can't close our eyes to the downsides of online church. Why not trust Gods wisdom by gladly submitting ourselves to the decision-making wisdom of godly elders? But changing churches is a significant move for Christians. Ive only heard leaders talk about context to justify a lack of progress. We have more money to reach people than we ever had before AND our families have more money for their lives. 13:7). It doesnt matter if theres other evidence of health outside the numbers. Occasionally, we wont run a series because its explicitly American or cultural (we didnt run Andys election messages or the Christian series because it addressed Bible-Belt issues). In some cases, people end up with no life except church life. If you dont plan on staying, then be careful before starting something that the next guy is going to have to finish. Changing jobs will change your stressors, but not it certainly won't eliminate them. Often, your attitude determines the outcome. Theyre called to do faithful, effective and consistent ministry in a smaller congregation. If you disagree with the direction of the church, why is that the case and have you spoken to anyone about it? While we praise the growing church, were not just ignoring the small churches, were often promoting the growth of one congregation at the direct expense of others. Ive been guilty of rushing the, of change without taking time to consider, change should happen. This can help you to not make an emotional decision.. Theyre doing what God has called them to do, but without constant numerical growth almost no one knows how to gauge their effectiveness, let alone encourage or build on it. They may not go to church but they still stick to that identification," Gautier told Grossman. A church that spreads false teaching is not one you should be part of. (Yes, some crowd sizes are mentioned in the Gospels and Acts, but those crowds werent churches. Sadly, hurt from church is eating up many people and distracting them from moving on in their spiritual lives and keeping them from church altogether. So here I will defend my thesis. Monday Morning Moment Chuck Lawless on Executing Positive Change | Blog Deb Mills, All Around the Web July 31, 2018 sola evangelii. Pray that through your preaching, God will teach your church how it needs to change. ), You need a username to create bookmarks - please register below. Change can be emotional for people. After all, lingering frustrations are no longer offset by the positives of being together. No pastor ever took a seminary course on pastoring amid a pandemic, so be patient with them. After some self-reflection and prayer, reach out to the leadership to talk through your issues. And how should you and I respond? It will survive our missteps and whatever cultural trends happen around us. If we remove ourselves from their oversight, we rob ourselves of a God-ordained means of spiritual flourishing. Companies that show innovation around the mission (Apple, Samsung) will always beat companies that remain devoted to the method (Kodak). We pastors need to set a different model in our churches. The mission is reading. This statement will cause the professional Christian to rationalize and think of the costs to produce and hours to produce a sellable truth; dont work for bread that is perishable, dont store up for yourselves treasures here on earth. Sure, we also teach live. Philippians 4:8 ESV / 10 helpful votes Helpful Faithfulness - if you're always hit and miss and rarely come to church, you're more of a visitor than a member, and you'll have a difficult time connecting. 13:17). As President of Church Answers, Sam Rainer wears many hats. Offering counsel on a wide-range of questions from actual readers like you! So they try. Increasingly, I think were in such a moment now. 3:5ff.). Some of us have had short and faithful pastorates. A few people seemed quite shocked by this. Changes that dont happen this year may come next year, or in ten. But the local church is actually Gods mechanism for helping strugglers endure. By continuing to use the 9M website, you consent to the use of cookies. . This will help you know what to look for in the next church. The model is a buggy, or car, or motorcycle, or jet. . The challenge, of course, is that church can easily end up burning people out. No idea should be dismissed for fear that it is too large or unworkable. Carey speaks to church leaders around the world about leadership, change and personal growth. Posted on October 21, 2020 "The boundaries that once kept people in one faith, one church, have become more permeable," says Mary Gautier of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. So this is as good a season as any to leave and join a different church. 3) We are to be saved from our corrupt generation. First, our ideas for our churches should come from Scripture. Regular expositional preaching of Scripture is how Gods Spirit normally works in human hearts. I minister in a jurisdiction in which the lions share of the churches were established as a reaction to doctrinal and other changes in another denomination and as refuges from a changing world. In my experience asking for forgiveness and all it entails is truly tough but can produce some wonderful uniting results. They also help us analyze general site traffic so we can improve the website for everyone. The myths I outline below are ones we had to break through in our ministry at Connexus Church,where I serve as Founding Pastor. Ministry leaders can push too hard for change among the wrong people, at the wrong times, and in the wrong ways. If you have truth, if you are given prophecy to share or anything that will equip, encourage, or benefit the believers, freely give it as our master Jesus did. Our church now reaches 1400 people each weekend in three locations and weve seen nearly double that on Easter weekends, which even 7 or 8 years ago was not exactly a massive reach weekend for us. Copyright 2023 CareyNieuwhof.com | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions, The Art of Leadership Academy Church Leader. When the car was invented, it quick took over from the horse and buggy. Effective churches exist in all shapes and sizes. John simply recognized a truth that is very easy to forget that the size of a congregation has no direct correlation to their health or faithfulness. Whats the prize? In the future church, being right will be less important than doing right. If thats actually the case, faithfulness may require you to leave. people are not being mutually edified). All rights reserved. In the future church, being right will be less important than doing right. US news Losing their religion: why US churches are on the decline As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year - probably. More often than not, though, it means staying put. But leaders tend to want to see tangible results right away. In many respects, even many critics of the church who have left have done so under the pull of consumer Christianity because nothing meets their needs. Theres no question that today online church has become a back door for Christians who are done with attending church. Have you lost a loved one recently or know someone who has? It's not whether people like big churches or small churches; people like effective churches. A necessary ingredient we need in thisand most other difficult decisions in lifeis time. Nearly 40 percent said there is too much religious talk in politics. Blog Forum. Consider it thinking in pencil, not ink. The goal is to generate lots of ideas in a short period of time. This article originally appeared on The Gospel Coalition and is used with the authors permission. Here we are moving into a grey area: this is not something explicitly mentioned in the Bible. Rather than a gathering of the already-convinced, the churches that remain will be decidedly outsider-focused. You can lead a growing church in a dying building, and a dying church in a great building. Scripture tells us that in an abundance of counselors there is safety (Prov. 2020 Fieldstone Pkwy. Were tempted to approach church membership more like a gym membership than a covenant relationship, with the option to cancel our membership when were not satisfied. This thinking is not just mistaken, its dangerous. Here are 10 things I see. Even good, godly people find change hard and even if they trust the leadership.

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