Comments on: Jason Helopoulos on Good Reasons for Moving On

By: Random Links (10-17-11) « CCadults

Random Links (10-17-11) « CCadults — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:35:31 +0000

[...] Good Reasons for Moving On [...]

By: Danielle

Danielle — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:42:25 +0000

Very helpful thank u for this!

By: Desert Springs Church Blog » Good Reasons for Leaving a Church

Desert Springs Church Blog » Good Reasons for Leaving a Church — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:01:07 +0000

[...] organized a number of legitimate and illegitimate reasons under three helpful headings in a post, Good Reasons for Moving On, published to Kevin DeYoung’s blog about a year ago now. I found it helpful and commend his [...]

By: Noralee Jane Jones

Noralee Jane Jones — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:36:55 +0000

Some of these responses have obvious biblical support even though the contributors don’t cite chapter and verse. For us, it was a 5 year journey of many, many Scriptures and teaching by the Spirit that, along with clear direction, clarified the reasons, the way and the time we were to depart. Being on staff, it was as serious to us as perhaps a divorce might have to be for a Christian married to a repeated adulterer/ess – not taken lightly. How many times to forgive when no confession, admission, or desire for forgiveness was ever offered? When no repentance was ever evidenced? When an entire leadership team was so codependent to alcoholism of a senior pastor that none, including those on the board, had courage to expose it or require a stepping down, counseling, or a recovery program, for fear of losing their own positions? In the name of grace, this is the dysfunction that continues there to this day…as many good and fine followers of Jesus have reluctantly moved on. So yes, lots of biblical support backed up our particular decision, as well as the “living”, daily guidance of the Holy Spirit, but to put it all here would require a book.

I think, for most sincere Jesus followers, leaving a church they loved has always been not flippant, but done in a thoughtful, biblical, prayerful manner. We will all stand before God for our decisions and hearing and following HIM will be the factor that He will be preciding. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will lead us, and guide us into all truth, and that we will need no man to teach us because He Himself will be our teacher. And so long as what He Himself is teaching us does not conflict with the written Word, we are safe and can be secure without fear. Perfect Love, who is Jesus, casts out fear. Religion comes with fear, and it casts out perfect love. We need not fear when the Spirit and the Word agree, for we have the mind of Christ….it comes with the New Creation that is ours by salvation’s gift.

By: Patricia

Patricia — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 06:09:55 +0000

I would be interested in see Biblical citations in this article to back up the principles for leaving and not leaving a church. I never noticed the Bible was so specific about regulations of attending a certain church.
I don’t think leaving a church should ever be taken lightly or done hastily, and there are bad reasons for leaving a church, like sin, etc. There are also instructions in the Bible about being in fellowship and some basic do’s and don’ts of how churches should be run. But I never saw anything so specific as this article mentions.
This article seems to really box things in, and over simplify things, and in reality things are not always that simple. It also seems to put a little bit of a trip on people who have decided to leave a church for a “bad” reason, and some of those reasons on the “bad” reasons list are not really “bad” reasons all the time. There is not very much allowance for a leading of the Holy Spirit, and I don’t mean someone who is wishy washy using that as an excuse, but a true, sincere leading where a person has thoroughly sought God’s will and prayed over.

By: cheryl Leigh

cheryl Leigh — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:53:17 +0000

I didn’t see ‘church split’ as a reason, but it is valid. Also missing are ‘unhealthy control’ over members or leaders. When a church becomes too institutionalized, the reasons for leaving can be the same as for a career change. Many churches are run on the same construct as a business (see “Unchurched Harry and Mary’, by Lee Strobel in how he asserts they view a church), or a nation-wide model construct (Willow Creek) that may not fit every community of believers. To over-spiritualize the issue is not to do it justice. We do not belong to cults, but to the church of ‘our choice’, and as adults, we are capable of making such choices. The point is to be in church, and to offer service to the body of Christ in whatever capacity we can.

By: wissli

wissli — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:29:37 +0000

Jason: You did not even touch on so many things in this article. One of which is abusive leadership. When people go behind your back, accuse you to the pastor,leadership puts you on trial without giving you a chance to defend yourself and then sentences you. In addition to this you are slandered in front of a group of people. Even though you try to meet with leadership to resolve issues, there is never an apology of admittance of wrong doing on the part of the leadership. Leadership takes money raised for a certain cause and even though that money is designated for that cause and promised before the congregation to be donated to that cause,the promise is never followed through with and the money goes elsewhere. What then?? Maybe you are assuming that all pastors who preach the Word and have their morals in order are otherwise above board and full of integrity. Not so.

By: Mary Smith

Mary Smith — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:01:05 +0000

One thing we tend to forget in all this is that “we” are the church. We’re the only bible someone may ever read. Use me dear God!!

By: Mary Smith

Mary Smith — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:42:56 +0000

Another reason to leave a church is if the church preaches ministry but doesn’t support the ministries. It becomes difficult for the individual to support a ministry themselves. God has placed the church here for just a time as this. We are to be God’s hands and feet to reach outside the church. We are not to stay souly focused on the church body. Others parish when the church stays inside their 4 walls. It’s sad to be part of a church that is souly focused on what they can do for their pastor, instead of what they can do for the lost in their community.

By: Rolf Storz

Rolf Storz — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:30:26 +0000

One good reason for leaving a church would be if the pastor departed from the fundamentals of the faith (divine inspiration of the Scriptures, the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, salvation by faith through grace.) That would immediately cause my departure, after having confronted the pastor on the issue and consulted with the other spiritual leaders of the church.