Succession by Atomic Split
Churches do, for a variety of reasons, split. 
Divisions and problems in assemblies, even those with the best teaching, are as old as the early church.
The believers at Corinth were so divided it was remarkable there was a church left for Paul to write to.
Churches split due to:-
1. Doctrinal reasons;
2. Personal reasons;
3. Both doctrinal and personal reasons;
4. Personal reasons dressed up as doctrinal reasons;
5. Any combination of the above since different members and factions can
have any variety of motivations.
So the issue is what to do after a church splits.
The truth is that God can use divisions for His glory even though some of the reasons behind a split may be sinful.
If God had to wait to do anything on this earth until His people had perfect
motives- then His kingdom would never arrive.
Let me give these suggestions:-
1. Don’t act hastily.
2. Learn from the split. Why did it happen? Can it be avoided in the future?
Are there offences that the church needs to address? Do we need to seek
forgiveness for anything said or done? Do we need to extend forgiveness? Is
restoration possible?
3. A church takes time to heal and a good deal of that healing needs to take
place before the new pastor arrives.
4. Determine to move forward with new leadership rather than looking back
bitterly or vindictively.
5. Take all the time required to know the man you are considering for the
new position. He needs to know about the issues surrounding the split so
that he takes on this new ministry ‘warts and all’ (for want of a better
term).
6. Pray for those who left. Perhaps, like Job, God will only turn your
captivity until you begin to pray for those who acted like enemies.
7. Again, avoid Messiah complexes. A new pastor isn’t going to right all
past wrongs. Only God can transform hearts and lives.
It has been my joy over the years to preach for and offer encouragement to
churches who have been through the pain of divisions and splits. Those who
fared the best were willing to wait on God’s timing despite feeling the
pressure of appointing someone hastily.
When you comment, please keep these guidelines in mind. You can find an explanation of our commenting guidelines here.
Stay connected by subscribing to our RSS or email feed! Or print this post.
No comments yet.
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>