Changing Churches: Reasons to Consider

Just over a month ago our family made a church switch.  After 14 years of membership and service at Bethel Grove Bible Church, we decided to transition over to Christ Chapel.  We deliberated and prayed a lot about the decision, and it wasn’t easy.  We talked with friends and family and fellow Christian leaders. Changing churches isn’t something that should be done hastily or without thought.  This is my second post writing about our move.

The Covid pandemic was disruptive in a million different ways, and our church experienced some serious changes over the past couple of years.  In addition to the regular complexities we lost all three of our pastors.  First our head pastor Eric resigned, followed a week later by our associate pastor Santosh and then a few months later our youth pastor Jeff and his family moved to California to take a job.  How and why each of those pastors left is significant, and maybe I’ll address some of that later, but my main point is that Bethel Grove got rocked! At the risk of being sensational, imagine a city getting hit with a Hurricane, followed by a tornado and then a forest fire.  It’s not that there was nothing left, but especially coming through Covid, everything was ravaged.  

By God’s grace, we certainly continued to have worship services, people still experienced fellowship and God continued to work in and through his people.  But the disruption provoked serious reflection and evaluation.  In the same way that the chaos of the pandemic propelled some people to change jobs, or changed the city they lived in, it seemed natural to at least ponder: should we consider switching churches?

At some level, things were in such a state of disrepair, it really felt like BG was gonna have to ‘start over.’  And that’s not a bad thing all the way -we’ve used the word ‘restart’ with our ministry on campus since we came back from the year of virtual classes and meetings etc.  But From that vantage point we spent time reconsidering some of the basic questions that everyone should ask when choosing a church to be a part of.  

• Is this church theologically right on? Of course we want to be a part of a church where the good news features prominently and where there is clear and orthodox conviction about the major tenets of the Christian faith.  But beyond some of the primary issues, is this church headed in the right direction doctrinally?  Are they informed and guided by God’s Word? 

• Do we agree with the way this church conducts its worship services and practices ordinances like baptism and communion?  Are the norms and the “liturgy” informed by a right understanding of God and the gospel.  What’s the style of preaching and musical praise? 

• Do we like the way this church is organized?  Is the style of church government helpful? How are elders and deacons chosen and what do they do? 

  

• Who are the leaders of this church?  Are these people we feel confident following after? 

• Does this church have a missionary spirit and an obvious passion to reach the world with the gospel?  Is this church set up to make an impact on the local community? 

• Is this a church where our whole family can be built up and discipled?  Is this a place for men and fathers?  Is this a place that disciples and cares for its women?  How about the children and youth? 

• What is the community like at this church?  Is there diversity within the congregation?  Is this place welcoming and invitational?  

Beyond this, when choosing a church I think it makes sense to consider relational connections.  You want a church where there is potential to make friends, share life with people and experience meaningful community. 

I think there are good reasons to evaluate a church's reputation in the community, and discern what kind of relationship a church has with the other gospel preaching churches in the area? 

While “vision statements” can be over emphasized in a church, I think it’s important for a church to have a solid sense of direction and calling.  Again, hopefully this is informed by God’s word and not simply cultural trends or popular ideas.  Beyond this you want to try and discern whether it's just talk or if the church is 'moving forward' in any recognizable way.

And for us, because we are in full time campus ministry, we want to evaluate how aligned and passionate a church is about reaching college students. 

For most of our time here Bethel Grove was the church that we felt was a “good fit.”  Of course no church is perfect and BG is no different, but on the whole it has been our place of worship and fellowship.   Over the years we considered going over to Calvary Chapel because we have such a close working relationship with Pastor Scott and his wife Joanie.  Pastor Scott is like a co-laborer with us in many ways, and over the years we have done a lot of ministry together -and we have many students who attend Calvary.  

But evaluating in this season of transition, we felt that Christ Chapel is more aligned with where we are and where we want to go.  One big thing that served to “tip the scales” is the presence of Ben Hutton as pastor.  Ben is both our friend and teammate.  He’s on the pastoral staff at Christ Chapel, but he is also part of our staff team as volunteer staff.  Ben was a student leader here when we showed up in 2008 and he and his wife Hannah have been a huge part of this ministry the whole time we’ve been here!  They were out in Philly for a few years while Ben went to Seminary, but ever since they came back they've been at Christ Chapel.   In light of our shared ministry it makes a lot of sense for us to be plugged in there.  The challenges of campus ministry and reaching the university seem to be increasing and as we navigate the changing landscape, it seems wise to work from the same base camp.

Bethel Grove Hospitality

Just over a month ago our family made a church switch. After 14 years of membership and service at Bethel Grove Bible Church, we decided to transition over to Christ Chapel. We deliberated and prayed a lot about the decision, and it wasn't easy. Changing churches isn't something that should be done hastily or without thought and counsel. 

As I reflect on our journey, I wanted to remember the gracious welcome that helped us to plant ourselves at "BG."

Bethel Grove had been our church home since we arrived in Ithaca.  We remember fondly the help and hospitality that they extended to us when we arrived on a snowy night in January 2008.  Our moving truck had been held up and so we showed up without any furniture, kitchen supplies, or bedding.  We had three kids at the time and Titus was just a few months old.  Stephanie’s parents had traveled with us to help us settle in and my sister Rachel was also with us. So the eight of us arrived at an empty house -but thankfully, the good people at Bethel Grove had shown up before us and brought camping pads, air mats, sleeping bags, blankets and towels!  It ended up being a full two weeks before our moving truck arrived and so we camped out with the donated supplies that whole time.  

Our first morning in Ithaca, Ned Lacelle showed up with a coffee maker and coffee.  Ned and Karen are now some of our dearest friends.  BG’s Pastor,  Dave Jones lived just down the road and so he popped over to greet us warmly.  Barb Westin from Intervarsity was also a neighbor as well as the Fisher family.   The church had known of our predicament because our landlady was Edith Johnson who works in International student ministry and the guy who helped us find the house to rent was Doug Webber who serves with the Navigators.  All of them were part of the Bethel Grove Congregation.   

The hospitality we received from Bethel Grove those first days was awesomely helpful and generous.  And by meeting  so many members so quickly, we felt immediately connected to the congregation.  We had anticipated checking out a few churches, and we did visit some in our first months here, but it seemed to make the most sense for us to plug in with BG.  Our team mates Nic and Christy also joined Bethel Grove. 

We had actually met pastor Dave Jones and Eric Hause back in November of 2006 when we first visited Ithaca.  Upon arrival we also got to know Pastor Ken Jung and his family.  The preaching at Bethel Grove was full of grace and BG’s passion and commitment to global missions was something we were excited about.  In our first few months we got plugged into a small group where we made many good friends, and to this day we are still in a small group with the LaCelle’s, Butcher’s and the Cuykendall’s 

Certainly the hardest part of switching churches is relational.  Ithaca can be quite transient with people coming and going in connection with Cornell and Ithaca College and yet there are many who we’ve been worshiping with for years.  There has been real grief in this transition process as we recognize there are people we simply won’t see as often. 

A Baltimore Reflection

Senior Andrew Shi wrote a fantastic reflection on our Baltimore Spring Break trip.

My spring break trip to Baltimore/DC was more than I could ask for. Our team of 18 stayed at the Village Church in Baltimore, a young church whose members reflect the diversity of its local neighborhood. Our week consisted of an assortment of activities. In Baltimore, we toured the city, handed out flyers for the church, did construction work on the church, went on a prayer walk in the surrounding neighborhood, tutored with an after-school program at an inner-city school, learned about World Relief, and participated in campus evangelism at UMBC. In DC, we toured the city, attended a prayer meeting at the headquarters of International Justice Mission, flyered for a new Hispanic Church, and met with church planters as well as a missionary inside Capitol Hill to learn about the spiritual climate in our nation’s capitol.

Andrew (center) with Michael and Dennis in DC

When I first saw the scheduled events of the week, I felt disappointed that the trip seemed to have no clear vision. I was hoping to work towards one big project--something to show at the end of the week. Now I realize how God used the little moments--from driving to YMCA at night to take showers to making food together at 10PM in the church’s tiny kitchen--to teach me big lessons. If there was one word to capture what I experienced and learned, it would be “community.”

To be sure, being around the same people for seven straight days is itself a community-building exercise. What made this community special, however, was not the fact that we were physically together. It was the goal of each member to love one another that moved me. Not once on the trip did I see anyone complain about being off schedule or feeling too tired to sign up for the next breakfast shift. One night during our team time, we did a group-bonding activity where we took turns saying positive things about one person in the group for one minute. The exercise, as one member put it, was both affirming and humbling. As someone who loves to be independent, I tend to shy away from the messiness of groups. But my experience on this team helped me to see that to live and serve together with other Christians is a joyful rather than a burdensome duty.

Andrew using the Perspective Banners to talk about Spiritual Beliefs

Beyond our team, my experience of community came from observing how members of the Village Church served us. The Village Church’s members demonstrated their hospitality to us throughout the entire week. On two separate nights, I had dinners at people’s homes nearby the church. On two separate nights, I took showers at people’s homes nearby the church. The church members welcomed us into their homes--often late into the night--without reservation. They took us in as their own and expressed a genuine desire to get to know us.

I want to recall one conversation I had with two young professionals who lived near the church. Both emphasized to me the importance of living close to a local church and being involved in the daily life of the church. While this advice may appear obvious, it was not something I’ve taken seriously as a college student. To think of it, school is arguably the only time in life where I will be around people exclusively my age, who do more or less the same things I am doing--classes, clubs, sports, etc. It has been easy--perhaps natural--for me to pick and choose my community and to be involved in as much or as little as I want, when I want. As a consequence of the four-year turnover rate in college, I’ve grown comfortable with the transient flow of friendships and responsibilities, and in turn, my conception of community. This spring break trip jerked me out of the college pond and gave me a glimpse of the ocean of the real world. The two young professionals I spoke with talked about how God worked through their life through the church. Both belonged to community groups. Both were being mentored by older women. Both found ways to serve inside and outside the church. Their advice unsettled my narrow and selfish conception of community.

I confess that throughout college, I’ve often treated Cru fellowship time or Sundays at church as just another block of time on my schedule. God convicted me of these sinful and misguided thoughts this week. I realized that my primary obstacle to a deeper engagement with the body of Christ was not some well-meaning excuse but the pride of my heart. I wanted community on my own terms. Weary of falling into a Christian bubble, I considered it weak to develop a dependency on the Christian community. As a result, my imagination of what community looks like and what it can do has been so modest.

Praise God for revealing these truths to me in this time of my life. I am one month away from graduation as I think about these things. When I begin law school in the fall, I will have the opportunity to be involved in the law school’s Christian fellowship as well as the local church. Community there will not look the same as community here, but it will still be God’s body of believers. With what I learned on this spring trip, thanks to your prayers and support, I look forward to deeper waters that lie ahead.

Sustaining Verses

I don't have much time to write, but I want to give a short update about what we are up to.

This past weekend, we were in New Jersey at Seed of Life church near Camden. I was invited to preach at their Sunday service.  It was an awesome trip -mostly because Pastor Isaias Munoz and his family were so unbelievably hospitable.  I've recently been reflecting and reading about the ways that all ministry is really a form of hospitality and the Munoz family extended an incredible Christ-centered welcome to us in every way.  Our time with them was thoroughly refreshing.  I'll certainly have to write more about them later.

Currently, we are in the midst of raising support.  Things are going o.k. and God is faithfully providing financial ministry partners as he always does.  But we don't have as much raised at this point as I would like, and so that is a bit stressful really. It's overwhelming for a variety of reasons.  Times of stress are when we must fight hardest to believe the gospel and rely on God.

the Psalmists cry out in Psalm 55 is truly a blessing right now.  In particular, we were meditation on verse 22

[22] Cast your burden on the LORD,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 143 has also been a powerful prayer guide:

[7] Answer me quickly, O LORD!
My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
[8] Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

I've also been reading a biography on Dawson Trotman.  "Daws" was the founder of the Navigators -my second favorite campus ministry.  Every time I read about Dawson I get inspired.  I love that guy!  In one of his books, he's got an incredible quote regarding prayer that I really appreciate.

“Do you know why I often ask Christians, ‘What’s the biggest thing you’ve asked God for this week?’ I remind them that they are going to God, the Father, the Maker of the Universe. The One who holds the world in His hands. What did you ask for? Did you ask for peanuts, toys, trinkets, or did you ask for continents? I want to tell you, young people, it’s tragic! The little itsy-bitsy things we ask of our Almighty God. Sure, nothing is too small—but also nothing is too big. Let’s learn to ask our big God some of those big things He talks about in Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call unto Me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things that knowest not” (The Navigator, Robert Foster, pg. 26).

Here's a link with a quick story of Dawson's conversion: http://theresurgence.com/2009/10/20/transformed-by-gods-word-the-story-of-dawson-trotmans-conversion