THE ROAD TO OVERCOMING CHURCH HURT!

 

CHURCH HURT-CAN I BE HEALED? (DO I LEAVE OR STAY?)

 

Why do we go to church? What is it we are searching for when we go to church? Is it to go to meet people? Is it because we were invited by the pastor or one of the members of the church? Or was it because we knew something was missing in our lives and we felt that the church was the place to get it? Whatever the reason, we made it to the church and at one time or another we became a member of the church. At first we loved it. The singing was good, the camaraderie was great, and most of all the Word that was being preached was out of this world. We had found ourselves a church home.

 

Suddenly, we found ourselves being disillusioned. What has changed? Is it us, is it the people, is it the pastor, is it the Word that is being preached? What is it? Who is it or what is it that has hurt us so bad that we are contemplating leaving? Not only are we thinking about leaving that particular church, the hurt is so bad that we no longer want to be a part of any church.

 

THINGS WE SHOULD CONSIDER:

 

What are our expectations? Friendship, Perfection from leadership, To be accepted by our Christian peers; To find a place free from gossip, slander, envy, jealousy, hatred and un-forgiveness; To be taught the Word of God in love? Exactly what is it we expect? Are our expectations reasonable?  We have to put a pin in what our expectations are.

 

What or who is it that is causing our pain? The members, the pastor, or is it us? If we leave, where are we going? Are we leaving that particular body or the church as a whole? If we stay, why are we staying? Can we worship freely there? Or are we staying to make a point? In doing research for this particular topic, I found several examples of people who have been hurt in the church. There was a musician who left the church because the pastor actually blamed him for members leaving the church, adding that he sang and played songs that no one knew, thereby causing the members to leave. This musician left the church and now has a television pastor. He does not attend church anywhere nor does he have a desire to attend any church. Another echoed that they left the church and had no intention of ever returning, saying that the thought of ever attending another church made them very uneasy. There was another who was publicly humiliated and was voted out of the church for conduct unbecoming a Christian. Another anticipated leaving because they were told they were not faithful enough, although they were always in attendance and made themselves readily available to assist in the ministry in anyway possible. These are stories of church hurt that I read about. However there are more stories of church hurt that I actually know of and that I can attest to. There are actual stories of jealousy, which if the parishioner did not have a strong determination, they would have left the church, they would have left God. There are actual stories of members being targeted by the pastor as being untrustworthy. There are stories of those who actually left the church because of the messages being preached, messages of hate instead of love, messages of confusion and not peace. (to read more)

 

Dr. J. G. Johnson

Issues of Life Conquered

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