The search for a perfect church will always be winding and at most elusive as many have realized. Is this how it should be? If the current trend in changing churches and hopping from one denomination to another is anything to go by, the search is far from over and this is not a good sign. Denominational hopping is not a good sign of spiritual health. Remember the old proverb, ‘a rolling stone gathers no moss.’ There was a reason why Jesus and his disciples identified themselves with Jerusalem as their spiritual home. Any person who does not settle in one church has very little chance to grow spiritually and risks stagnation.
People in search of Perfect Church
Some people are justified in their reasons for hopping from one church the other, while others have no justifiable reason at all. Some of the reasons for changing churches may be:
Leadership issues. If the leadership of the church is shaky and in crisis, people lose their trust and confidence and opt to move some have gone to the extent of splitting up churches. Mark you, leadership issues are the greatest pro-factors for changing churches.- Doctrinal issues. Some doctrines are too complicated and difficult to follow, so tough that congregations feel like prisoners. In such a case, changing churches become the best solution. Also, sometimes a conflict of views pertaining to various doctrines and beliefs result in the splitting of churches.
- Discipline issues. Sometimes people lack the discipline to stick to one church. They are constantly shifting with no apparent reason, maybe adventure? Such people if observed, are the type that does not easily commit to any course whatsoever. This may be common among the youths.
- Lack of knowledge. Sometimes people do not what they are looking for in a church, this leads to a chronic habit of hopping from one church to the other with no hope of making a find. As it is said, if don’t know what you are looking for, anything looks like it. This results in endless circles of searching and searching.
- Fear of responsibility. Some people don’t like committing themselves to a certain denomination or a church because they fear being assigned tasks in the church or they don’t like being followed up by the pastor. Especially when it has something to do with money-projects, tithes, etc.
All in all, there is always a way of finding the church of choice. First is to realize there is nothing like a perfect church, just like there is no perfect human being. You may try to write a long list of the kind of church you like, but you may be frustrated to realize that none will fit that description. Your choice is always a matter of taste and preference and your spiritual need. There is that one church-one certain spiritual family that will satisfy your quest, but you cannot belong to all churches at the same time.
The Bible records in 1 Corinthian 4:15 that you may have many advisers, but only one Father, suffice it to say there is a specific spiritual Father for each person. It’s our task to find them through prayer, the Bible offers in Psalm 37:23 and Isaiah 48:17 that, God guides the righteous in the paths they ought to go. Prayer is your best shot.
