As with pretty much everything that grows from the gospel of Jesus Christ, this is a freedom which is meant to be enjoyed, not abused.
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Once a group of sailors discovered a man who had been trapped on a desert island for several years. They found him sitting on the beach in front of three huts.
As they rowed him out to the ship, one of the crewmen asked him about the three huts.
“The one in the middle is my house,” He replied and the one on the right is my
church.”
“What about the one on the left?” Asked the sailor.
“Oh,” Whispered the castaway conspiratorially, “That’s my old church.”
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When catching up with an old friend, have you ever been asked “Are you still going to ______________ Church?”
There is a natural thought that there is a good chance that you have left the old church and are not part of a new one. How should we feel about that? How do we know it is time to switch membership from one local church to another? (It is not theologically possible, in my understanding of the gospel, to leave The Church – the cosmic body and bride of Christ – the presence of His Kingdom on Earth – once you have joined it.)
In order to answer these questions, I feel like it is important to first ask…
How do I choose a church in the first place?
You have recently moved to a new town. Starting college, changing jobs, getting closer to family – whatever the reason you KNOW that it is vital that you don’t miss gathering with others to celebrate Christ for even one week, if possible.
So, you start checking out churches. How do you determine which church is the right fit for you?
For years, and especially since becoming a pastor, I have people periodically ask me for thoughts about when it is appropriate to leave one church for another within the same community.
We will get there. If that is where you are, feel free to skip to those posts, or know that they are coming soon.
But first, we need to talk about how you choose a church in the first place.
If you change where you live, it is probably necessary to change your church, because it is necessary for believers to gather together (Heb 10:23-25)
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
There really is no good excuse in most of the United States for a family or individual Christ-follower to go even a few weeks without starting the process of finding a local church or creating one.