In Acts 15:36-41 Paul and Barnabas have a “sharp
disagreement” (vs. 39) and separate. (If you missed last weekend’s message, you
can listen to it here.) Doctrinal heresy, mission strategy, or ethical behavior
may be reasons to separate from a church or denomination. However, “how”
Christians go about moving from one fellowship to another may be just as
important as knowing "when" it is okay.
First, disaffiliating from one
Christian fellowship to join another needs rigorous
self-examination. It’s easier to point out something lacking in our church
or denomination than it is to face what is lacking in ourselves. As I said this
weekend, let us first “take our motives, our doctrinal convictions, our moral
precepts, our heartaches, disappointments, and disagreements to the cross and
earnestly ask Jesus, what of this is really about me?”
Second, leaving a church
fellowship must be done in reverent
humility. No matter the failings or shortcomings of a particular
fellowship, there is no room in the Christian’s vocabulary for church or
denominational name-calling. We will keep in mind that the church (even in its
broken and imperfect expressions) is the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Lastly, let’s make communal conversation part
of our discerning process. For the most part, we assume that leaving a
particular church is ultimately a personal decision. The contemporary view is
that individual identity trumps communal belonging in the body of Christ. And
so for instance, when we receive a job promotion in another city, or plan for
retirement near the grandchildren, we assume our Christian fellowship has no say
in the matter. Rather than discerning in community whether or not God is
sending us to a new place, we simply assume we will leave our current church
and find another one. We wouldn’t think of sacrificing career advancement for
the sake of Christian fellowship. The New Testament, however, presents a
picture of the church where joy-filled communal belonging trumps individual
rights. The world may see the church differently if they witnessed more of us
sacrificing personal comfort and career advancement for the sake of belonging
to Christian community.
