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Disloyalty to my church?

Discussion in '2004 Archive' started by LarryN, Oct 22, 2004.

  1. LarryN

    LarryN New Member

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    Occasionally I will attend the Saturday evening service of another church (not my church) a few miles from my home. This church offers this Saturday service in addition to their Sunday services. The church is doctrinally sound; I like the church & the people; and I'm challenged & fed by the pastor's messages.

    Recently a friend of mine (not from either my church ot the other church, BTW) suggested that it's somewhat "disloyal" for me to occasionally attend another church. I disagree, since it's not as if I'm skipping our own services to be present at this other church's Saturday services. Unless we have something special scheduled for Saturday evenings, there's usually nothing going on at my church.

    Is there anything wrong with occasionally (or even regularly) attending another church's services? Opinions please (with Biblical references, if you can think of some that apply).
     
  2. pastorjeff

    pastorjeff New Member

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    I can't think of a reason it would be wrong. You are only attending occasionally to worship with others. If your church does nothing on Sat. night then you wouldn't be forsaking the assembling together.

    Let me tell you about a different situaution. There is a gentleman in thiss church who not only attends a Sat. evening service at another church, but his son goes to there youth group and he is thinking about studying under their Pastor. I am to conservative, dispensational and Calvinistic for his taste. He is not a member of either church, and I feel he's doing a disservice to both congregations by not commiting himself to either one. This is wwrong. You aren't doing this.
     
  3. av1611jim

    av1611jim New Member

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    This, of course, raises a couple questions for me.
    Do you tithe to the 'other' church? If not, then no problem.
    Are you still faithful to your 'first' church? If so, then no problem.
    And finally, have you talked with your Pastor? What does he think about it?
    In His service;
    Jim
     
  4. LarryN

    LarryN New Member

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    In order: No / Yes: Loyal member, heavily involved in ministries / Yes: My pastor thinks it's great for everyone to hear God's Word taught and preached whenever & wherever.

    When I say "occasionally", we're talking maybe 4-5 times in the past year. It "takes away nothing" from my church; it's simply "in addition to".

    Many people will listen to numerous other preachers via their radios, cassette tapes, etc.- in this case, I'm simply hearing another preacher in person once in a while.

    [BTW- my pastor and the other pastor are good friends.]
     
  5. intojesus

    intojesus New Member

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    Okay this kind of thing drives me crazy...We that are in Christ are ALL brothers and sisters in Christ. IN NO WAY are you being disloyal to your church....my goodness..whew....I wonder what people are going to do when they get to heaven? "Oh don't hang out with them they went to that pentecostal church down the road". I use to belong to a church that if and when you did anything and it was not GARBC associated it was a BIG NO NO....Drove me nuts. Okay I vented enough..go get fed on Saturday nights Praise the Lord!!!!!!

    INTOJESUS
     
  6. PJ

    PJ Active Member
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    I see no disloyalty at all, LarryN. It's no different from those of us who visit other churches for gospel singings. I don't miss a service at my home church to do that; just attend the singings when nothing's going on that evening at my own church. Go, and enjoy! [​IMG]

    PJ
     
  7. Gina B

    Gina B Active Member

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    YEah, I was told that too. Not my current church, but a different one.
    After I left the church that told me that I found great joy in familiarizing myself with other believers in town. I babysat at a presby church, my kids went to VBS at a Lutheran church, we attended a Baptist church, and the person I admire most in this town is pentecostal. Went to a meeting for pro lifers (actually our whole church did) at an e free church and liked it.
    Right now the only place I attend is my Baptist church, time constraints and such.
    I'm sure you haven't gone as far as I did, but if anyone in your church has a problem with it point out my post to them and tell them there's someone they should worry about more than you. ;)
    Gina
     
  8. LorrieGrace

    LorrieGrace Member

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    They should be happy that you are in a Saturday service instead of at a local bar.
     
  9. SaggyWoman

    SaggyWoman Active Member

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    It ain't disloyal. Tell your friend to get over it.
     
  10. BillyMac

    BillyMac New Member

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    I generally agree with the other responses you have gotten here. I don't think you have done anything wrong per se, but one thing has occurred to me. Why would you be drawn to another church's services where you are being fed unless you are not being fed where you are on Sundays???

    It might be a wrongful act if you are led away from the church where you are an active (emphasis on active) member.

    I have tried to place myself in your position and I might be tempted to enjoy sitting under a pastor's teaching if I hungered for a different menu than I was currently getting and want to make it a permanent part of my life.

    Then too, the question could be raised: Is it in opposition to scripture to be fed by another shepherd who is still a part of the over-all body of Christ??? That is, from one Baptist shepherd to another Baptist shepherd. Sometimes a pastor's ministry can become stale and a fresh word from God is needed. Or is it???
     
  11. Johnv

    Johnv New Member

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    I can't find any scriptural command to attend one church and one church only. I myself attend several churches (my mom's, my cousin's my fiance's) from time to time, in addition to my own home church. Now, I'm a member of only one church, and tithe only to one church (though I do give offerings when I visit other churches).

    A church is not a "club", hence, I wouldn't worry about any "disloyalty" issue, as it appears that there is none.

    God bless!!

    PS - regarding the tithe, we're called to give our tithe to God, not a specific church. If you feel called to drop all your ththe in one church, then do so. If you feel called to thithe between more than one church, or maybe even a Godly non-church charity, then feel free. You're the steward.
     
  12. JGrubbs

    JGrubbs New Member

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    "Hear, Hear!"

    I agree with Johnv! The Body of Christ is the Church. Church is not something you can join or quit, it's something you become a part of when you become a Christian.

    Where you choose to gather for corporate worship is up to you. I don't think it is healthy to only fellowship within your own "church" and have no fellowship with the rest of the Body of Christ.
     
  13. Mark S

    Mark S New Member

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    I agree with most of the posts here, you are NOT being disloyal, I have found in my travels as a christian that SOMETIMES we don't get enough from our own church, or we feel like that we are getting the shaft for lack of a better way to put it. here is an example, I for years went to the christian church, started near where I live now by Chicago then I moved to southern Illinois when my father passed I moved to his farm to take care of it while the estate was settled. I met someone and ended up getting married and went to the Christian church near her in Southern Illinois, She began having problems with her family and our border was moving back to his hometown in Oklahoma and said that we could go with him, so we talked it iver and made the decision to go. once we got there we found out the town had drastically changed since he was last there 5 years before, So there came a point where I was in the Hospital due to a heart condition that I have and My Wife went to the Christian church there in that town and explained the situation that I was in the hospital in Tulsa an hour and a half away and they needed help to find a way to get me home, they very rudely showed her the door and said we only help "OUR MEMBERS" the fact that we were both members of a christian church somewhere else meant nothing to them, they went to the southern baptist church and explained the situation, (By now I had been discharged and sent to a homeless Shelter) and the Pastor filled up the car, paid to have the cooling system fixed, and I began attending church there and was baptisted within a few weeks. My wife and I ended up getting divorced because she had several mini-strokes which changed her personality totally which I was willing to get to know her all over but, she just said Nope I don't love you I barely even know who you are. we had been married for about 3 years, So I was shocked at her decision but, I respected her decision. I was rasied with the saying you can't make someone love you. Well I digress, Anyway just wanted to give you the way church should act and should not act.
     
  14. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    If you are faithful to the body to which you are joined, then what would you care what ANYONE thought of you opted to go to xyz to hear a concert, or abc to hear a preacher.

    What a joy to have friends in other churches and to fellowship with them. I do it regularly. (And my pastor doesn't mind as long as my check is there on the first of the month) :rolleyes:
     
  15. gb93433

    gb93433 Active Member
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    In the town where I live the pastors and churches support one another and God is blessing it. It is one of the few places where the churches seem to be doing well. The Navigators have about 800 total in their meetings each week at a university of about 14,000.

    In fact last Sunday the pastor announced about an event at another church in town. That's healthy for everyone. The pastors want people to come to Christ not just not for the world to watch the church goers be pew sitters.
     
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