The sad reality of life is that people do not always agree with one another–even in the church. There is a reason why the New Testament often talks about being united or functioning as one body. Divisions within churches seem to happen too often. I do not know the reasons for all of this. I personally have not been part of a church split, but I have had disgruntled people leave the churches where I have pastored. Rather than pass judgment on pastors, churches, or individuals for church splits, it might be helpful for us to step back and consider some of the issues involved so that we can part of unity and not division.
First, we must identify the causes of the split. It is too easy to point blame to a particular person, whether that be the pastor or a trouble maker within the church. There may be a case to this disunity that can be identified and dealt with. If a pastor has been the cause of division, this pastor must think deeply about his or her place in that church. The natural thing is to put up defensive walls and dig one’s heals in in order to let the blame bounce off and the pastor keep his or her job. A pastor may also take the sides of certain lay people and cast blame of those troubling people who left. There may even be a sense of relief that the troublemakers left and the church can go on in one direction, even though the numbers are small. All of these are really excuses for deeper issues that are often swept under the table, neglected, suppressed, or ignored.
We must be honest, however. If there is a split in the church, we must assess if the church is indeed healthy. Often sin lies below the surface. Christians and even pastors do not like to admit that they have sinned against one another. Has the law of love been violated in some way? The temptation is to put on a mask of holiness and think that we have done nothing wrong, that it is the fault of other people. This dishonesty with ourselves can filter out to other aspects of our relationships until it can sour the whole church. In the New Testament, there is only one valid reason for a church split: when a group of people are teaching false doctrine (1 Corinthians 11:19). We must look carefully at the beliefs of those who are causing division. Is this an issue of doctrine, of ethics, of personality, or of selfishness? All the things the Bible warns about can lie behind church splits.
Second, we must determine how to bring healing to the split. There are times when we may have to “let people go” their way. But there are other times we must do our best to keep them within the fold. We must recognize that church division is not God’s will. Sin is often involved. We white wash this idea by calling it another term like personal preference, not being fed by the sermons, personality differences, and other issues. But deep down, it is a sin problem. As a sin problem, it must be forgiven and cleansed. Healing from broken relationships comes through forgiveness. The result of forgiveness is reconciliation. Such healing may require a pastor to come to the church in humility and confess wrongs and even sins.
Third, we must covenant to avoid creating an environment where a split may happen. Preaching and modeling unconditional love and open forgiveness can create an environment of caring, giving, and encouragement. If the atmosphere of a church is positive, welcoming, warm, authentic, and genuine, it will be attractive to people. Pastors must not show any favoritism lest people form into parties. I personally do my best to be a friend to all people, to be approachable, personable, and interested in every person in the church, even the difficult ones. Everyone must feel welcome, even those who are caught in the trap of sin. Their sin does not need to be accepted, but the church can be a place where forgiveness is practiced. Pastors can seek to grow a healthy church through practicing the fundamentals of ministry: clearly preaching the full gospel of grace, love, holiness, and righteousness. Preach a clear gospel that calls people to transformation. Do not preach favorite topics or one’s own interpretation. One method I have found helpful is to preach exegetically, which forces me to cover whatever topic is in a passage. “Series preaching” is very popular today. It has its strengths, such as seeking to be relevant to a church’s needs, but it also has the potential danger of choosing favorites or neglecting important themes in the Bible.
Sometimes church division is unavoidable. I feel bad for pastors who have been in a helpless situation and have suffered through splits. It can be one of the lowest points of one’s ministry and may tempt one to give up church work altogether. If a pastor goes through this dark valley, there is still hope on the other side. Every church has good people who love the Lord and want to see the church grow and make a difference in the world. Negotiating these trials may test a pastor at the deepest parts of his or her soul. We must find our confidence in God and not in pleasing the people in the church.
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