Shall I leave my church ?  Sunday 27th March 2016. Written By Manashantii  

First you must repent of all your sins. Forgive those who have offended you. If you are asking this question then you must have at least one  reason and doubt(s) about your church and or you are under spiritual attack. Write down the doubt(s) you have and pray to God about the situation and pray for God to give you clarity and pray against the spiritual attack.

To answer this question, “Shall I leave my church?” You need Faith, Commitment and Spiritual insight. You need Spiritual Discernment and you need to Obey the Holy Spirit. You need to be Holy Spirit filled and Holy Spirit led. Pray and ask The Holy Spirit to help you. In prayer ask God to guide you to make the right decision. Spiritual Discernment comes from reading The Holy Bible and speaking to God in prayer. Pray for Holy Spirit Discernment. Discernment is a Spirit led gift. Make your decision through Spiritual discernment and not from worldly logic. Pray against the spirit of confusion that may be causing your indecisiveness. Pray spiritual warfare prayers. As your faith grows and your spiritual knowledge increases and as you learn more about the Holy Bible, you will be able to make wiser decisions in regards to what church and or denomination is suitable, what is the truth and what you should follow.

When you are a beginner Christian you will grow in knowledge the most where you are most motivated and are happiest. However you spend most of your time outside of church; so for this very reason your spiritual growth must be your responsibility, this becomes more true the longer and more mature you become in the Christian faith. Your Spiritual growth and Bible knowledge should be 87% your effort and 13% your church’s effort. Your own private Christian life is important, you must have a regular routine and be prayerful and read the Holy Bible daily. Forgive those who hurt you and pray always forgiving everyone. Be open to the Holy Spirit’s direction. Pray and wait on God.

The first ten years of my Christian life was wasted in churches where they taught the Holy Bible in microscopic doses.

Beware of Pastors who take advantage of the lack of Bible knowledge of the church members. 90% of churches are not preaching what is Biblical. Read the Holy Bible to know the truth. God will minister to you in your spirit. Focus on building your relationship with God. Be lead by God’s Divine Wisdom and guidance. 

We have different needs at different times, this may drive us to change church. Some churches focus on teaching the Holy Bible, some churches strength are evangelism and outreach, some churches worship music is their strength, some churches friendship forming of the congregation is their strength this gives the members a sense of belonging and fellowship. *If your church is weak in praise and worship then you need to set a separate time to have powerful praise and worship at home or in your own time with other Christians. *If your church is weak in evangelism then you need to fellowship and evangelise with a Christian evangelism group which is independent from your church. *If your church is not weak in the Holy Bible teaching then you need to search for a Bible Study fellowship, increase your Alone Bible Study time; but it is important to have a church that teaches the Holy Bible well, if you stay in a church like that then you are encouraging that church’s way of managing the church, by you staying you are making them think that they are providing a service that is of good standard. 

Discover and ask yourself what is your church’s strength?  What is your church’s weakness? What can you do about the church’s weakness? Should you stay? Should you discuss it with others in the church? Should you discuss this with a church leader?

If your church preaches the Prosperity Gospel and or is Word of faith based then you should leave. If your church financially abuse you by asking for excessive tithes and offerings on a regular basis then you should leave. Choose a church by what you gain greatly spiritually and not what you gain socially. Stay in a church where you grow the most Spiritually and not how many friends you make in the church. A church is a place where you go to meet God, that must be your priority. You should be united in heart, mind and Spirit in the church you worship, however sometimes you can be under Spiritual attack in your church.

You need a church where you can socially integrate and as a result socially relate to others better at the same time you need a church where you are encouraged to spiritually grow in a healthy way. Church is a great place to go for fellowship, relationships and your church and pastor are your spiritual covering.

You need to have a regular routine for relating to God like singing, praising God, praying and reading the Holy Bible. Have faith. Fast if you can. In prayer ask God for His guidance. PRAY. Be Holy Spirit led. You must have a relationship with God before you can hear what He is saying.

You need insight into the situation, spend time listening to your feelings and ask God to guide your feelings, seek guidance from The Holy Bible. Listen and observe your thoughts, then own your thoughts. Know when to trust your feelings and know when to act according to your feelings. Listen to your feelings and know when and how to respond appropriately to your thoughts and desires. Reflect on the problem and contemplate the solutions.

There are Spirits assigned to you and your church, when you keep changing churches it disrupts Spiritual continuity. It is good to be Spiritually fed in the same church. Pray for strength in your Spirit so that you are focused and fortified in the Spirit.

Maybe you need to let go off your expectations of what a church should be like. Negative judgement, fear, doubt and unbelief praises the devil.

Perhaps you have grown too comfortable in your current church even though it is no longer suitable for you, you are scared to go to a new church, then you must be strong and leave, don’t over intellectualise. Don’t be afraid of trying a new church. Have courage to leave.

Don’t let people or a person decide for you. The decision making has to come from you. You also need to know what is a good church from a theological point of view in order to make the right decision. Trust the Wisdom of God. Obey the Holy Spirit.

In some cases it can be difficult to leave a church even if the church is not fully helping you to grow. The church you are a member of should not be like a job you attend but hate, because worship is an emotional and Spiritual thing, you must love to worship God willingly and wholeheartedly. Pray throughout the day, read The Holy Bible, relate to God, praise, love and thank God as a result you will grow spiritually.

You may have commitment issues concerning your church, if you keep changing churches you may need to think about staying and committing to one church. It is not good to keep changing churches for spiritual reasons. Pray for and love your church members and Pastors expecting nothing back. Love in truth and in Spirit, commit to your church and you will grow in the Spirit. Christianity is about relating to God in the Spirit. Don’t make decisions solely on your logic, because sometimes spiritual warfare is blinding you from seeing what is happening in the spirit realm. We Christians walk by Spirit and faith not by sight and the physical. Pray for God to open your Spiritual eyes, and to strengthen your Spirit.

The healing salve for indecisiveness and confusion is prayer, have faith in God to guide you, believe that you will come to a good solution, have a discerning Spirit, come to a place of acceptance of your decision and commitment to your decision. Pray to God for peace of mind because only peace of mind can bring you to commit to your decision and choice. Prayer is an active tool for relating to God and prayer is a more powerful  weapon to use for spiritual warfare than a head full of dormant knowledge that you don’t use.

Examine your insights (awareness), examine your interpretation, examine your judgement.

Now evaluate. Do you choose to amplify the differences and disagreements? Are they differences you can’t ignore and is important to you? Do you choose to accept, minimise and let go of differences and forgive? Which will it be? minimise? Or magnify?

Make three lists,1. write down the list of disagreements and 2. write down the list of things you like, and 3. write down the things you accept. Now examine do you accept too much? Do you disagree too much? Do you like it too much?

Ask God to speak to you through His Word in The Holy Bible. Yes, you should leave your church if you find out that it is a cult. You should leave immediately or as soon as you can. Do not discuss with anyone. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read the Holy Bible.

Sometimes the problem is not your church, the problem exist due to your relationship with God. When you don’t spend enough time alone with God in prayer you will feel disconnected, frustrated and deeply discontent because you are spiritually out of tune with God. Make time and discipline yourself to have a routine and be with God through worship. Maybe the only time you have to be with God is when you are travelling to work or going somewhere, use that time to pray, read the Holy Bible. Make a timetable and an appointment in your diary to spend time with God.

If you are in the wrong church or denomination and you become spiritually malnourished, you must leave. You should listen to the Holy Spirit, if the Holy Spirit is telling you to leave, then you must obey the Holy Spirit. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read the Holy Bible. Take your time don’t rush into another church, research other churches first. Pray to God and take your time to decide what to do. Listen to sermons online of the new church of your interest to see if you like it, also attend Bible study in the new church that you are thinking of going to.

If you want to leave the church for personal reasons, then you should present whatever problem you have regarding  your church to God in prayer first before you decide to leave your church. Secondly present the problem to your church pastor or a senior in your church. Keep on praying about the problem. Listen to God about what to do. Your desire to leave may be a spiritual attack, pray for guidance and revelation from God.

When you are being delivered Spiritually the enemy can make you leave your church so that you remain in spiritual bondage. You can de-programme and get Spiritual deliverance from the Holy Bible and The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will tell you what to do. Remain focused and keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Only leave if you are told by the Holy Spirit to leave. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read the Holy Bible.

Think about what you want and need. Decide. Make a decision and stick to it. If you can’t commit to your decision then ask yourself Why? Usually the reason is conflict of thoughts within.  Write these down:–What is my ideal church?  What do I need to grow in a church? Commitment, What can I overlook? Am I prepared to sacrifice what I don’t like and accept that it is not a perfect church? Trust your instincts and commit to your decision.

See Hebrews 12v2  which says:- We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.

Ephesians 6v10 Says :- A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  

Constantly pray for love in the church that you want to leave. There’s blessing in unity. Be the bridge.

Going to different churches can make you confused and indecisive as to what to do. If you decide to leave your church, search for churches you want to go to, write down the names, pray over it and keep praying and ask God to guide you as to what to do. Make sure you find a church that matches your needs, a church where you can grow and serve God and others. If you are happy with the denomination you attend then you should search for churches of the denomination that you are used to. Pray about these churches before you attend, then decide which is best for you. Choose a maximum of 5 churches you are interested in which is suitable to you and visit the churches. You may also decide to watch the sermons online on the internet or listening to services or a podcast before you decide to attend the actual church service.

I have been told that a church is a Spiritual hospital, even the Priest or Pastor may need Spiritual healing because there is no perfect church because we Christian humans are beginning a Spiritual cleansing whilst we are alive, a process which will be completed when we are resurrected in new bodies in heaven by Jesus.

Pray for leaders in your church, including the Priest or the Pastor. Pray for the congregation (members of the church).

Maintain an intimate relationship with God. The shield of faith is the word of God. Let God direct you and plant you where you should be. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read the Holy Bible.

Ephesians 6v12-18 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

Pray for the Holy Spirit to do deeper work in you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what to do. Pray for God to heal your disappointment. As you pray let the Holy Spirit speak hope into your Spirit. Ask for your mind to be renewed. Grow more in love and understanding. Trust God for a breakthrough. Advance into God’s kingdom. Let go off the past and do not remember the things of old; forgive those that hurt you.

You can’t judge a church by it’s name and reputation, you will know if a church is good by personal experience, Spiritual discernment and by you being Spirit led. Let your soul be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read the Holy Bible. Obey the Holy Spirit and what He tells you. Listen to God’s advice not man’s opinion.

Happy people attract happy people. Go to a church where you are happiest and where people value you. You need to be joyful in the Spirit.

Don’t leave with hatred and bitterness in your heart. Pray for restoration in the church that you are leaving. Forgive anyone who has offended you in your current church. Forgive anyone who has offended you outside your church. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and read the Holy Bible. Pray for the people in your church that have offended you. Make peace with your enemies. Do not leave your church if you are feeling Anger, Bitterness, Fear or Frustration. Only leave the church if you are Spirit led and told by God to leave.

Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, as you worship God your Spiritual nature will be changing and developing as time goes on. Know that you are being Spiritually refined. Christianity is about worshipping God and building a continual personal relationship with God and being in Spiritual obedience with God. Being committed to God is more important than where you go to worship, for God will meet you wherever you go, make quality praise and worship in your personal time a daily priority.

Whilst looking for a new church it is vital that you maintain an even stronger relationship with God, because you need deep guidance and communication with God. Keep praising God and read The Holy Bible this will help you to know what to do. Use The Holy Bible to guide you, in prayer ask God what to do and God will surely answer you through His word The Holy Bible or a thought will come to you as God speaks to your Spirit, learn to listen, the gentle quiet voice will guide you.

Read The Holy Bible and increase your prayer life. Reading the Holy Bible and praying more will help you to hear God’s voice more clearly. Avoid being a lukewarm Christian, be strong, be dedicated, responsible and loyal to God in your Christian life. Learn to let go off the rebellious spirit within you that may be making you rebel against your church or against God. In order to not block God’s blessings, be obedient to God’s will. If it is God’s will for you to leave your church to go to another church then you must leave. If you have been at a church and you have prayed and you have been unhappy for more than a year and you have forgiven everyone but still want to leave, then you should leave your church.

You should ask people to pray with you until you come to a peaceful decision. It has to be your decision, don’t be influenced or persuaded by others. Pray and fast if you can, asking God to give you guidance before you leave, church should not be torture. You may leave your old church to find that you need to return to the old church because you don’t find a better church, but if you stay you will not know that, in fact if you stay you may be bitter and undecided.

You spend more time out of church in any given week. Church is where you go, maybe once or twice a week for a few hours, to be spiritually fed. Make building your personal relationship with God your priority. Participate in praise and Worship daily at home. Pray. Talk to God as often as you can, within a day, throughout the day. Your communication with God will become very profound, proficient and sincere as you spiritually mature. You need a church where your gifts can be put to use, a church where you get support to grow socially and Spiritually. You are responsible for your Spiritual growth. You will have to answer to God as to why you stayed in a church that did not encourage your Spiritual growth. Be wise.

This question of leaving your church is a Spiritual discernment issue and a loyalty issue. Will you follow your intuition, feelings and  judge and blame your current church? Pray to God for Spiritual Discernment. Improve your relationship with God. Ask yourself the following question:- Should I be loyal to my church? Should you be loyal to what your heart says? Pray for your church to have unity and love. Pray for your preachers to be filled with Spiritual Wisdom, pray for their families, health and finances. Pray and practice fasting if you can. It takes discipline to do what is right. Doing what is right will bring you peace in the future and long-term. Pray and listen to the Holy Spirit.

Make spirit led decisions with strong confidence. I hope this helps. God bless you.

See also:-

How To Choose A Church

 Decision Making Skills

Manashantii