Moving On

Three weeks ago today, on March 11, 2012, my family and I worshipped for the final time at the church where we’ve had our membership for almost 19 years.

There were a number of factors that led us to the decision to leave; it wasn’t just one thing.  The best way to wrap all of those factors up in a single package would be to state it like this:  God is leading us in a direction that we wouldn’t be following by staying in that congregation.

The decision to leave was years in the making, but it’s been within the last nine months or so that I’ve talked with others (besides my wife) about it.  Our pastor was one of the first people I shared my thoughts with.  Considering all that he and I have been through together over the years, being up front with him was the least I could do.  There were two other fellow members with whom I also talked this over.  One of them, after hearing what I had to say about our congregation and my thoughts about worshipping elsewhere, said, “How’s it going to be any different anywhere else?”

I’m sure our congregation isn’t very different than most others within our denomination, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS).  Our pastor preaches and teaches from God’s Word; doctrine is not my issue with our congregation.  My issue is more along the lines of the overall purpose of the church.  More specifically, my question is, who’s the church for?  Is it for us, or is it for God?  Does the church exist to provide us Christians with a convenient place and time to worship, with an entertaining sermon and music we like?  Or does it exist to serve and worship God?

If you’re wondering what the difference is, I’d say it’s this:  is the congregation united in the mission of going out into the community and the world to teach and baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?  I suspect that true commitment to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19,20) is kind of rare, at least at the congregational level.  So to answer the previously stated question of my brother in Christ, “How’s it going to be any different anywhere else?” I’d probably have to say, “It most likely won’t be any different anywhere else!”

Which is exactly the answer I gave myself last November, when he first asked me that question.  Which is why we stayed an extra few months.  But enough is enough, and the time has come to move forward in our walk with Christ.

God calls us to tell others about His Son, and we can’t do this if we as Christians spend all of our time, energy, and resources within the walls of our church building.  It’s now on me, as an individual follower of Christ and as the spiritual head of my family, to heed His call.  If I don’t heed His call, then I’m just like those at whom I’m pointing my finger. 

I pray that God will grant me the spirit of a servant. I also pray that He will give me the wisdom to recognize opportunities to share the Gospel with the people in my life, and the courage to act on those opportunities.