5 Signs You Should Find A New Church
Church · Dec 21, 2016 · BabylonBee.com

"How do I know if I should leave my church?"

It's a question everyone wonders from time to time - and not one to take lightly. Transitioning between churches can be a messy time in the life of the Christian and his or her family and church body.

So how do you know if it's time to say "adiós"? The Babylon Bee is here to help, with five meticulously researched and peer-reviewed signs that you should leave your church behind.

1.) The full-service cafe discontinues your favorite seasonal drink. If winter rolls around and the coffee shop in the foyer decides not to run its usual peppermint mocha promotional, it's time to start Googling "good churches in my area." It's a sure sign that the church has abandoned the faith once delivered to the saints. (This should go without saying, but if your church doesn't have a full-service coffee shop, its lampstand has been removed long ago).

2.) The church fails to immediately respond to your weekly helpful comment card feedback. When you say "jump," your church should say "how high?" You pay their salaries after all - meaning they work for you. Pastors that don't immediately make major changes to the worship experience, their preaching style, the decor of the building, or the genres of music on offer based on the fifteen helpful comment cards you turn in each week are not expressing love for the brethren, which may indicate they're not saved at all.

3.) Someone expresses concern that you missed the last eighteen services. A church that shows interest in regular church membership is like a creepy ex-girlfriend that can't let go. Can you say "red flag?" Run, don't walk, away from this aberrant and apostate congregation.

4.) The men's retreat features fewer than twenty fully automatic rifles. There's nothing more disappointing than gearing up for your church's annual men's retreat only to discover it's nothing more than a couple days of Bible teaching, prayer, and fellowship. In fact, Jesus Himself rebuked the church at Laodicea for being lukewarm, which scholars believe indicates their men's ministry never once went on a week-long hunting expedition in the Yukon. (Women, substitute "fully automatic rifles" with "crafting tables.")

5.) The pastor faithfully preaches the Bible on a weekly basis. Pastors who keep sticking to the same faithful presentation of the Word of God each week lack imagination, honestly. How can your church be a fun, exciting place with engaging programs and appealing special events if the pastor guy keeps rambling on about sin, repentance, and new life in Christ, while systematically preaching and teaching the Scriptures? Think about it.

Remember, this isn't an exhaustive list - there are hundreds of thousands of legitimate reasons for leaving a church, especially if the pastor isn't making a concerted effort to appease your every whim and earn your business. But if your church lines up with any of the above points, there's a really good chance it is time for you to move on.


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