When Do You Leave a Church?

coverbd said:
I do not parade my acts of  tzedakah in front of people to be seen.
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No, you just do it online instead. Jesus didn't mean it was OK if you didn't do it on an actual street corner.

Look at me, I'm so Messianic Jewish, I can't talk about the Greek New Testament without showing off my Hebrew. I don't go to church because no one is as holy as me. I have the right to talk down to abuse survivors. I have more patents than all of you.

In actual fact, you are an arrogant clown, and I am using you for the purpose clowns were intended, which is laughing at them.
 
AverageJoe said:
It would make it sort of hard if a church practices church discipline. If there is no membership, then there's no authority to correct a person or groups of people when error/sin enters....just a thought, not necessariy so...input?
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To be fair, I wasn't a member of my church for about the first ten years of my attendance, because of a theological difference--that turned out not to be significant, and so I stopped letting it get in the way.

That said, I've always been involved in the church in some way, and so I was well acquainted with many of the pastors and lay elders. Had I ever been in a situation where discipline was needed, I don't think that I would have been exempt on the technicality--neither I nor they would have let my lack of formal membership be an impediment to what needed to be done.
 
abcaines said:
That's why I love Calvary Chapel. No membership rolls. I remember when I got baptized at Bellevue Baptist, I "had" to join. I just wanted to be baptized. I reluctantly joined. I was going to stay with them whether I was a "member" or not because of the fellowship and the Word. I acclimated to the membership idea for the better part of 20 years before I started attending a CC. I was shocked when they told me they had no membership rolls. It was exactly what I was looking for when I was first baptized! Been with CC now for well over 20 years.
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I have only been a member of a few churches, in my lifetime, but moving my membership has never been dramatic. I quietly left and attended other churches until I found one that was a fit. When I decided to join a new church, they sent a letter to the old church notifying them I had moved my membership and that they could kindly remove me from their roles.

I have visited each and every church to which I am a former member; for weddings, funerals and in some cases special meetings. In every case I have maintained a causal friendship with the former pastors and staff and in many cases remained close friends with members of the church I left. Membership just identifies that you plan to be a long term part of that church and plan to support it. If someone told me they never planned on joining our church I would not look at them differently than any other attender.
 
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Ransom said:
No, you just do it online instead. Jesus didn't mean it was OK if you didn't do it on an actual street corner.

Look at me, I'm so Messianic Jewish, I can't talk about the Greek New Testament without showing off my Hebrew. I don't go to church because no one is as holy as me. I have the right to talk down to abuse survivors. I have more patents than all of you.

In actual fact, you are an arrogant clown, and I am using you for the purpose clowns were intended, which is laughing at them.
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People like you are the reason we will never attend church. My wife and I had that conversation this morning. I will call a spade a spade. Unlike you who tries to sugar coat it with some false narrative. I don't care what people like you think. The fact of the matter is people like you are filled with so much jealousy and contempt for people doing well. I see that when we visit a church for the first time, especially a medium size church. People keep their distance and nobody shakes your hand or welcomes you back. I don't know what makes them feel cold and prickly. Is it my new Lincoln Aviator parked in their church lot? Or my wife's 30k bling she wears to church.
Or maybe its my tailor made Armani suit? Maybe where I live? Gosh who knows? I have been truly blessed and I don't apologize for being prosperous. Money to a Baptist is an evil thing. Money to me is a tool I use to better my life and bless others. If that is the definition of arrogance then count me in!!
 
coverbd said:
People like you are the reason we will never attend church. My wife and I had that conversation this morning. I will call a spade a spade. Unlike you who tries to sugar coat it with some false narrative. I don't care what people like you think. The fact of the matter is people like you are filled with so much jealousy and contempt for people doing well. I see that when we visit a church for the first time, especially a medium size church. People keep their distance and nobody shakes your hand or welcomes you back. I don't know what makes them feel cold and prickly. Is it my new Lincoln Aviator parked in their church lot? Or my wife's 30k bling she wears to church.
Or maybe its my tailor made Armani suit? Maybe where I live? Gosh who knows? I have been truly blessed and I don't apologize for being prosperous. Money to a Baptist is an evil thing. Money to me is a tool I use to better my life and bless others. If that is the definition of arrogance then count me in!!
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I don't if anyone else here will say it or not, but I think you're blowing farts in the wind and trying to justify an indefensible position. The Word of God is clear on what we should be doing, and your opinion conflicts with that. It's not therefore opinion on our part, but rather on yours.
 
abcaines said:
Y'all are being far more gracious to him than I ever could be. Whether it be this forum or a church, I would have offered him the left foot of (dis) fellowship.
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I am trying to be a toned down version of myself. He's a bloviating fool IMHO.
 
AverageJoe said:
Anyone can post pictures like that these days. Nice try though. And if it's really a picture of your jewelry then you're a fool to be advertising. It's probably cubic zirconia anyway.
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No these are the real diamonds and they are insured20240307_140805.jpg.
 
coverbd said:
People like you are the reason we will never attend church.
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People like you are the reason you never attend church.

The fact of the matter is people like you are filled with so much jealousy and contempt for people doing well.
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I'm not the one boasting about his wealth with every post, Richie Rich. If you were poor, you'd still be a jerk.
 
coverbd said:
Did you ever see a poor Jew in America?
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"But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21)
 
Ransom said:
People like you are the reason you never attend church.



I'm not the one boasting about his wealth with every post, Richie Rich. If you were poor, you'd still be a jerk.
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I'm not boasting about my wealth only to show you how I have been blessed. Besides I don't own anything. Adonai owns it and I manage it for Him.
 
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