In this day and age people are just criss-crossing the earth moving from church to church. It has been deduced that in developing countries an average Christian may move churches about 10 times in their lives. While some do it out of a genuine reason some are just moving for varied reasons that are not even worth mentioning.
Some think they will find a perfect church only to be disappointed when they get to the next church for example someone leaves the church because someone has rumoured about them. This you will find in all churches and in every organisation be it religious or secular. People must just mature to expect this and learn how to overcome such challenges.
Otherwise I counsel you to stay in your God-given church and not be blown by every wind of doctrine.
Always love you Apostle Pride Sibiya.(off my book, Why Should I go to Church?)
Some think they will find a perfect church only to be disappointed when they get to the next church for example someone leaves the church because someone has rumoured about them. This you will find in all churches and in every organisation be it religious or secular. People must just mature to expect this and learn how to overcome such challenges.
 |
| Apostle Pride Sibiya |
Here are some of the reasons that can be considered reasonable in leaving a church and joining another:
- Permanent movement to a geographical place where your church is not located. Sometimes as people move geographically, they get to places where their churches are not located for instance, a member of a small church in Zimbabwe may emigrate and become a citizen of Afghanistan where the church is not and will not be there in the foreseen future. The person has to move on with their faith and so has to join a new church. However for churches which are bigger and have a more organised mission and financial status this could be the right time for the member to plant an assembly for their church in that land!
- Serious deviance from the correct Christian doctrine generally agreed to by the body of Christ. The secular world agrees that everything that calls itself Christian is indeed Christian but for the Body of Christ globally there are some set things which they consider as “non-negotiables” of the faith (things that almost all Christians believe in regardless of their denomination). A few examples include the divinity of Christ (Christians believe that Jesus is God), the trinity (God is three-in-one), that the church is one: (although the churches are split and are so numerous, we are all members of one universal church, the Body of Christ). If a church goes against some of these doctrines then sometimes it may be necessary to leave the church. It is agreed that Christianity major source and writing, the Bible is the Word of God and that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit gives life and is our norm in the Christian walk.
- Though the Bible is sometimes interpreted out of its correct context and abused or twisted to suit preachers’ needs, it remains the Word of God. The churches that reject the Bible and/or its teachings must also be rejected! Then find a good one and join!
- Making of the ministry of God into a personalised cult is a also another issue that can be accepted as reason enough for departure of saints from a church. This is whereby a church becomes more like a personal property of the leader and the leader becomes more central that the Lord himself, Jesus Christ. It is obvious that the Bible commands us to give due respect to our leaders in God...very great honour but never for them to eclipse God. There are churches today who talk more about their leader than about God, they read and listen to media resources of their founders and leaders more than the Bible and some even equate their writings to the Bible. To say or pray, “the God of Guti” is not bad because the people are just identifying the God of their spiritual father but for us to pray in the name of a leader and not of Jesus is going astray. These must be left hurriedly! I am not saying we should not talk about our leaders and honour them but am just saying we need to see that we do not worship men but God and him alone.
- Serious chronic morale failure on the part of the central leadership. The servants of God are of God but still remain human no matter how much we are convinced that they are not. Every man of God, no matter how gifted they are in any regard, are susceptible to sin...no-one is immune to sin, if we do not control ourselves. In fact men and women of God do sin! You should not leave a church becomes a man of God has just made a mistake and sinned, for example. However when the central leadership lives in continual sin that seems to be chronic and sometimes without remedy; the leader defends his sin; the leader rejects help and discipline from others in the Body of Christ; then people may leave the church and find a good church that you are well versed with and that God leads you too. To say that pastors are sinners therefore you will not go to any church would be to seriously err.
- Deviance from the one true God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth to worship other gods. The apostle Paul tells us that there is absolutely no other God and that the so-called gods are just demons. When a ministry begins to teach worship of other gods explicitly or implicitly, people may leave that church because they will be worshipping nothing but demons. In short the ministry becomes a satanic cult. Leave the cult; Christians are not Satanists. Join a Christian Church and be faithful to the vision there.
- A leader who refuses to be accountable to anyone may also be deserted. The church is not a personal belonging but we must all be accountable to the Body of Christ for our lives and ministry. This means that every leader even a founder of a church must also have someone or somewhere they submit to and are accountable to. There should never be anyone with “absolute” power. One once said, “absolute power absolutely corrupts!” A leader who is an end in him/herself is dangerous to follow. Everyone must submit to someone. The person they submit to must also be someone very credible in the Body of Christ.
- Joining a band of rebels is very dangerous. God has never blessed rebellion since the days of Lucifer the rebel till eternity. I am absolutely not fearful to declare that rebellion is an extension of the devil’s mission and ministry. I encourage people to leave ministries that are founded on rebellion from God and his leadership and join churches found on the leading of God.
Otherwise I counsel you to stay in your God-given church and not be blown by every wind of doctrine.
Always love you Apostle Pride Sibiya.(off my book, Why Should I go to Church?)
