It was a regular members’ meeting. We were removing a member who refused to share the name of the new church he was attending. We knew of no issues this member had with any elder or member, so we were confused. We wanted the congregation to understand he was not leaving well, and we said as much. That’s when another member spoke up on his behalf, asserting that the member being removed—and others who had recently left our church—was flourishing in their new churches.
In response, I rejoiced publicly over such good news.
I could have become defensive. I could have responded sinfully—perhaps I would have a week earlier.
Thankfully, though, before the meeting, a pastor friend encouraged me, “Juan, sometimes you have to give members permission to leave your church.”
For many pastors, this is counterintuitive. Aren’t we supposed to work hard to keep our members? Isn’t it wrong to lose them? The outspoken member seemed to imply it was an indictment on us if they were flourishing elsewhere.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Our members are not my sheep. They are God’s. The church is not my flock. It is God’s. And nowhere does the Bible
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