What would cause you to leave church to go to a different one?

Wow now that is both slack and informal.

?!

Last sunday, there was someone sitting at the back of me eating loud crunchy chips during the service. It was really annoying. If they do that again next time, im not sure what to do.

Maybe I ought to come chewing bubble gum and blow bubbles during the service and see if anyone says says anything?

All you can do is be honest, I don't think the direction of spite is the best way to go.
Learn to be comfortable in being honest with another, even if it may be confronting.. Preaching to myself here too lol

What do I say..can you just not eat loud crunchy chips while the preacher is preaching can you just wait till fellowship afterwards. That person isnt sharing them with anyone else either.

Hmm thats a biggy. There are some churches that tell you to sit at the back if you got children. Or they wont open the doors cos its cold out there. So you literally have to yank the heavy doors open.

When visitors who are childless sit down to hear mostly screaming babies, it's unlikely they will return, for in their minds that's what that church apparently likes to hear. Well, maybe their services are worse. Probably not.

We've found a near perfect solution. One of our ladies ministries is devoted to young mothers. When a visitor arrives with a baby they are greeted and guided through the two hour stay. It's absolutely amazing that a modern mother might be clueless as to shy their baby cries, while anyone sitting near can small a dirty diaper, or see baby desperately trying to find a drop in a bottle. There's a cry over hunger, and one for boredom, or simply missing it's nap time that time of day. So, each mommy gets invited to where free diapers can be changed, free baby food is available, even free formula milk and new free bottles, and a nursing station.

Toddlers are not allowed to run around in services disturbing people, but have a wonderland of toys, Bible story videos, lite snacks after group lessons. The fastest growing class space demand is for mothers with child. From there bonds are made, allowing some of the ladies to visit homes where they can help fix home problems like providing cooking utensils and cooking lessons. They report issues the men's ministry can go fix. Most every skill and craft is available a day a week, usually Saturdays, at no charge, offered mostly to widows who exhibit the biblical standard in Timothy.

Now, there's sometimes a mommy resisting all that, intent on everyone else suffering through the baby crying. We've learned that's a sign of rebellion of mommy and then of child, and often is linked to a broken home with daddy giving up. We've had lone Daddys left with child, desperate for help. It's easy to find out. Ask. So the preacher will stop his sermon with "Some little one needs Mommy's or Daddy's attention, please answer your child's need." She might not return, but how many others who were seeking something from God won't return?

It's expensive, yes, but any church can do something, as any mother has advice to give.

Sermons that consist of a an introduction of a couple lines of a scripture, followed by 40 minutes of 3-5 points of social science messages sends us away after attempting to voice an opinion that is ignored. At the rte actual scriptures are covered it might take 300 years for a member to be exposed to the entire Bible. That sometimes is cured for a while by replacing a preacher that should have retired decades ago with one full of the Spirit. But the time comes when he discovers a cache of thousands of sermons desiged for every occasion left behind for his convenience. "Seems we heard that very sermon before?"

Sunday School lessons consisting of the same format. Teacher asks the class to study for next week, then next week reads the whole thing aloud leaving no room for comment, saying "The clock is demanding we finish on time.".

Jealousy among the "founders" who will not tolerate anyone upstaging them with a spiritual gift is a big issue with me. Some examples...."What are your qualifications, Sir? Do you have a doctorate of theology? Oh, a layyyyyman. Well, we already have well prepared men of God ministering here, as you surely know."

Hospitality is nice when it's appropriate, but when that is followed by inhospitable responses when answering a questionaire in the bulletin seeking people to volunteer for ministries, the only ones seriously open are for hospitiality, like more coffee makers and servers, and more guards for the parking lot. Teaching is reserved for the people on the list the longest, and obviously very rarely if ever to do with spiritual calling from the Lord.

Instead of arriving early to sip coffee and dine on unhealthy donuts, we, well many churches I knew of, used to pray and anoint pews and Sunday School class chairs. I can't remember when that was dropped universally.

Preacher switching from the KJV to any other bible version. See ya later.

False doctrine coming from the pulpit and nothing being done about it would be the only reason I would leave.....everything else is a matter of teaching...........For example.......one church I was going to regularly and really enjoyed I left when the pastor and a few of the teachers started peddling that the Holy Spirit does not indwell the believer..............and the funny thing....I am not Charismatic, disagree with most Pentecostal doctrine and they began to call me PENTECOSTAL because I made a stand for the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer........imagine that.......!!

I got a book on NEW LIGHTISM and started making quotes out of it..they were like yeah....yeah....yeah.....and I said....I am reading from a book on New Lightism and what they peddle and practice....you could have heard a pin drop........and that church was doing so well until they started peddling that crap......like a lead ball in a pond.......sunk like a rock!

What would cause you to leave church to go to a different one?

when they start preaching wealth, money and prosperity.

The problem is getting me to get myself to a church every week. I used to be heavily involved. But then there was a pastor change (though I did like that pastor) followed by a big chunk of the people I knew leaving followed by another pastor change combined with me moving to the countryside for a bit. Then when I came back I guess I'd been away too much to really come back. And now I don't want to go to that church anyway because the pastor seems to be that kind of Methodist - better off not going to church at all. Though I do have another church that I go to, it's just nothing like the churches I went to when I was younger so that part, whatever it is, is still missing.

Bad doctrine?

Last sunday, there was someone sitting at the back of me eating loud crunchy chips during the service. It was really annoying. If they do that again next time, im not sure what to do.