Separate churches?

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Temple

Guest
#1
I have heard time and time again that a husband and wife should worship together in the same church. Is this implied somewhere in scripture or is this just popular opinion? When my husband and I moved to a new area we began to search for a church home together, but gravitated toward different churches. Now, he is actively involved in the church he belongs to. I don't feel a connection to the members or ministries in this church and quite frankly I feel as though the pastor's messages lack substance. I however, have been a Christian for far longer than my husband and our spiritual needs may differ. Even though I love it, I can't fully commit myself to the church I attend because I'd prefer to be where my husband is. He is unwilling to compromise, meanwhile I feel my spiritual growth is being stunted. I also believe it isn't good for my children to see us going separate ways on Sundays, but his church does not offer any Bible groups for kids and I believe that an early foundation is important. I'm so torn.
 
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Elijah3

Guest
#2
With the little wisdom that God has given me, I say that you and your husband should worship at the same church. Better for family unity. Most certainly not good for your family to be separate not just on Sundays but on any other day. Somebody has to compromise. Peace be unto you.
 
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Dragoon9

Guest
#3
Hello Temple,

I'm not familiar with any scripture that says a man and woman should worship at the same church.

My mother and father actually worship at different churches as well. My father came to faith first, and it was largely the witness of the Holy Spirit changing his life and mine that convicted my mother and brought her to Christ.

She was very resistant at first though, especially since their marriage had been rocky for some time. When she began to attend church, she went with her friends versus my my father. Both have therefore build bonds with their respective churches. They meet after services though, and pick up/drop off each other, and sometimes discuss and compare what they have learned in their services.

Both churches are theologically sound, and for this I am thankful.

I do think there is an issue though in your situation, not because of going to separate churches, but because of the division that seems to be building in regard to how you have split worship. Your feeling that longer exposure to Christianity makes you more spiritually mature should also be addressed, as duration often has little do do with spiritual maturity.

Scripturally as well, husbands should lead their families, and I think this is especially true in regards to faith. While there is absolutely to be mutual submission, the nature of the submission to one another is different.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--for we are members of his body.

"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:21-33)

Both sections talk about submission, and I think it's noteworthy that while the instructions to women are short and direct, the injunctions to men are longer and more detailed, as well as being more indirect. I think men have greater difficulty submitting.

The decisions you make should reflect mutual submission and love... not mutual pride and ego. Mutual submission often has to begin with one partner however.

Other passages that have bearing on the role of husbands and wives include Gen. 2:15-25; Prov. 19:13; 21:9, 19; 27:15-16; 31:10-31; 1 Cor. 11:3; 13:1-8; Col. 3:18-19; 1 Tim. 3:4-5; Tit. 2:3-5; 1 Pet. 3:1-7.
 
K

KingdomGeneration

Guest
#4
I have heard time and time again that a husband and wife should worship together in the same church. Is this implied somewhere in scripture or is this just popular opinion? When my husband and I moved to a new area we began to search for a church home together, but gravitated toward different churches. Now, he is actively involved in the church he belongs to. I don't feel a connection to the members or ministries in this church and quite frankly I feel as though the pastor's messages lack substance. I however, have been a Christian for far longer than my husband and our spiritual needs may differ. Even though I love it, I can't fully commit myself to the church I attend because I'd prefer to be where my husband is. He is unwilling to compromise, meanwhile I feel my spiritual growth is being stunted. I also believe it isn't good for my children to see us going separate ways on Sundays, but his church does not offer any Bible groups for kids and I believe that an early foundation is important. I'm so torn.
I think the issue isn't so much about worshiping at seperate churches seeing as true believers are the church thus you can have "church" anywhere you like just so long as the focus is on God and assisting the needs of others. However, I believe where many people draw this conclussion that a husband and wife should attend the same church has more to do with the concept of being "equally yoked". In other words, it best that a husband and wife agree on the majority of issues that they will face concerning faith, marriage and family. In doing so, life for the two of them should be seemingly smoother than if they do not agree.

Personally, I would never marry someone who did not share the same basic beliefs in faith, family, and marrage.
 
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Temple

Guest
#5
Everyone's comments are appreciated. I guess some things won't be so cut and dry and you just have to let God direct you. I did want to clarify however, that my comment about being in church longer than my husband was not intended to come across proud. I understand that no matter how long you go to church you can still lack spiritual maturity so I guess my point was that I have more of a spiritual foundation in the Word than my husband and this is why I may not feel "full" from the teachings at his church.

Luke 47Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.


I Corinthians 1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
 
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christepidemic

Guest
#6
Assuming that this is still an issue for you...I would offer the following advice...

Perhaps a more gentle way of solving the problem would be to implement a short time of family devotions? You could gather once a week as a family, order pizza (or some other family favorite), and have your husband lead the discussion. He could lead with whatever he extracted from the service he attended, and then you could expand upon it with whatever you know of the subject. This way, the word becomes the central issue and you would have the opportunity to engage yourself at the depth you need to without having to feel that you are missing something at a "lesser" service. This way, you also maintain family unity by all of you attending the same service.;)

Just a thought...

Blessings,
Brother Dennis (Christepidemic)
 
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pinkstix56

Guest
#7
Listen it takes patience. I believe that you and your husband need to go to the same church. As far as the word that is something that should be regarded as important. And if his church lacks substance in the word then you don't need to be there, bottm line. Of course your husband doesn't want to compromise because he might be thinking " hey why doesn't she just come to my church and try to make it work". I love sermons that i can relate to and if i had a husband who's church lacked in that, then i wouldn't go to his church.

It sounds cut throat lol but you have to think about it. Pray about this , it might be a breakthrough for both of you guys. And trust me this type of situation will reveal things about both of you. So stay steadfast , hey don't be too shy to ask God for a church that can give a word you can feed off of, while having activities and ministries your husband would be interested in. Ask God to weed out those churches that both of you can feel comfortable about going to , together.