The Christian Way To Leave A Church

Acts 15:39 tells us that Barnabas and Paul, who were good friends, had such a sharp disagreement that they departed company. This says something to us about how to leave a Church. While " church hopping " is immature and unhealthy, we all realize that there are times when all we can do is move on. We ought to be able to do this without some of the "drama" that goes on when some people leave the church. This can be true of the one staying as well as the one leaving. Let me give you a couple of examples:

First, the leader can react something like this: "God is separating the wheat from the chaff". That is unkind, to say the least. Just because someone doesn't agree with my leadership, or God forbid, they don't like me, doesn't mean that they are chaff in the eyes of God.

Secondly, the person leaving may say something like "I'm not being fed" ( I bet you've heard that one before), declaring themselves to be more mature than anybody else in that church.

The Christian way of releasing or leaving is to bless, not dump a load of guilt or hostility on the congregation or the person leaving. Try to resolve any of the issues or misunderstandings. Don't write-off the congregation or the person leaving. Speak well of the people you have left or don' speak at all. Recognize that they continue to serve the Lord, just as Paul recognized that Barnabas was serving the Lord some five years after they had parted company (1 Cor. 9:6).

It's hard when you have to leave, or let people go, but when it happens we need to do it well. And never forget that leaving a church doesn't mean the person is leaving THE Church.