LEAVING A LOCAL CHURCH III

Who is being hurt? Just about everyone. Mostly, the children.

When people leave churches willy-nilly for reasons that aren't Biblical they hurt just about everyone. They hurt the godly pastor and people who don't understand their actions. They hurt the cause of Christ. They hurt their own testimonies. They hurt their children and the children of others. Their own children learn to run from problems (real or perceived). They learn the "cut and run" philosophy from people who should know better.

One family left our church because they said we didn't have enough programs for children. We had enough programs for their children to be saved at our church, to learn to follow the Lord in believer's baptism and to memorize much of God's Word but that evidently wasn't enough. Come to think about it, the parents were also saved through the ministries of the church. These parents seemingly wanted to have the church babysit their children so they (the parents) could do their own thing and no, we didn't have programs for that. Where'd these young parents learn that?

Well maybe from Grandma who left the church because it didn't have enough Sr. programs to entertain her in her retirement (though she never took advantage of the programs the church did offer). What did she owe the church anyway? Not much maybe, I mean, the pastor just led her husband to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ but why be loyal when fun is beckoning? Why indeed. "As for me and my house, we shall SERVE the Lord!"