"… in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons …" (1 Tim. 4:1).
A commonly asked question of leaders in ministry is “When is it time to leave a church?” or “When is the church no longer the church?” Does there ever come a time when a whole group of “professing Christians” becomes so corrupt that it ceases to be a church?
We must first realize that we live in a day when people are apt to separate from their local church over many inappropriate reasons: the style of music, the color of the carpet, the lack of artistic fixtures, the personality of the preacher, the insufficient number of youth or children’s programs, personality conflicts with other members, etc., etc. This is a modern day phenomenon. There was once a time when church members bent over backwards to remain part of the local community. But, just as church members in the past came to the realization that there are times to leave a church, we should be aware of those times today.
To know when a church is not a “church,” but a “synagogue of Satan,” we must know the marks of a true church: first, where the true Gospel is preached; second, where the sacraments are duly observed; third, where church discipline is practiced. Anytime a church fails to manifest any one of these marks, it is time to consider seriously whether you should remain. Usually if there is a breakdown in one area, there are other breakdowns. But careful, patient examination must be given before you do anything rash.
One of the first things you must consider is how purely the Gospel is preached in order to justify a break. Some think any deviation warrants division. The Reformers maintained that the Gospel must be pure—the ingredients without which it would not be the Gospel. However, not every error denies essentials and is heresy. But when essentials are denied (justification by faith alone, the deity of Christ, the atonement, the sufficiency of His grace), the church ceases to be a church. Still, we must be cautious in making this judgment. The church, like individuals, may sin and, then, be brought to repentance. We should not err in either direction: either by being too hasty to separate or by tolerating the intolerable and thereby identifying with the denial of Christ and the sufficiency of His grace to save.
Are you, or is anyone you know, thinking about leaving your church? If so, prayerfully consider today’s study. Examine the reasons for your desire to leave. Do they have to do with serious issues of the function of the church and its faithfulness to the Gospel? Begin by prayer, then search the Scriptures.