The phrase “church hopper” is one we’ve heard for many years. Church hoppers move around from one church to another regularly. They don’t stay in the same place very long. Some will leave a church because they don’t feel they are being spiritually fed, some because the church is too big or too small, or because the worship is too loud. Other possible reasons are that the services are too long, or the youth or children’s ministry doesn’t meet their family’s needs. Some will leave because they’re offended or hurt by the pastor or someone else in the church.
There are legitimate reasons why some people leave a church. It is important that your family is in a place where everyone can thrive spiritually and find a place to serve. It is not “one size fits all.” We may need to try a few churches to find the one that best fits us and our family, but once we find it, it’s time to get planted.
Community is vital. We need one another and it takes time to build relationships and trust. If we’re moving constantly, we don’t have a chance to nurture the relationships God may have planned for us that are part of our destiny. Over and over in scripture, we read about “one another.” We are the body of Christ, and each member needs to be functioning in order for the body to fulfill its purpose.
The Bible talks about being “planted” in the house of the Lord. Psalm 92:12-14 (NASB) says, “The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree, He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in house of the Lord, They will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; They shall be full of sap and very green.” If you take a plant and continually uproot it and plant it over and over again, it will either not survive or its growth will be stunted. You can’t move from church to church often and expect to grow spiritually.
There is definitely something to be said for being steadfast and faithful. We need to be people who put our roots down – at least for a season. In order to build good, solid, long-lasting relationships, we must spend time with people. If we’re always on the move, this cannot happen.
Paul warns us in Ephesians 4:14, “As a result we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.” If we’re always looking for the next new “revelation,” we may find that we have been deceived. Being planted helps us be discerning when false teaching comes.
I encourage you to find a church and get planted. Put your roots down and serve. As you do, you will grow in your relationships, your knowledge, and your discernment. There are people that need what you have and there are others that have what you need.
When churches resumed in-person services after Covid, many believers did not return to their churches. There is no substitute for meeting with other believers. We are told in Hebrews 10:25 (GW), “We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.”
