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A few words of advice 
Which church? (True Light)
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Hi TL,
Some may not agree with me, but I strongly encourage visits to other churches. In fact, I've done a bit of church visit myself. Based on my own (limited but not uneventful) experience, I would like to give you a few words of advice: 1. BE DISCRETE ABOUT YOUR OWN VISITS Visiting other churches is not something to be ashamed of. But keep in mind that not everyone thinks the same way. Some of your church leaders/friends may not understand your motives and may perceive your visits negatively. If you want to inform your church leaders of your visits out of your respect for them, do so. But avoid publicising/annoucing your visits to other members of your church. Be aware that some church members (or even leaders) may perceive your visits as an act of disloyalty/betrayal, or even as attempt to cause disunity in/"exodus" from the church. 2. BE EXTRA CAREFUL WHEN INVITING OTHER MEMBERS FROM YOUR OWN CHURCH TO VISIT OTHER CHURCHES Even if you think that a particular church is good and worth visiting, be EXTRA sensitive and cautious when you invite people from your own church to visit that other church. Your church leaders/other church members may not view this act favourably. Even though your intention may be innocent and good, you may end up having your loyalty to your church questioned, and having to defend yourself against accusations after accustions. Only invite close and trusted friends who have been helped by what you've learnt from the other church (see point 3 on suggestions on how to share what you've learnt from/ observed in other churches), are keen to learn more, and are open to the idea of visiting other churches. Be sure to advise such people to be discrete and careful about their visits, and about inviting other church members to visit other churches. Things can turn out to be extremely unpleasant if your visits/invitations are not handled propely. I've learnt through the hard and painful way, and it is my sincere hope that you don't have to follow my footsteps. 3. AVOID NAMES WHEN SHARING ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT FROM/ OBSERVED IN OTHER CHURCHES You can share with your church friends about the things you have learnt from/ observed in the churches you visited, especially if you believe and have checked for yourself that those things are in line with the Word of God and are edifying to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. If your objective is to help and encourage your church friends, try to stick to the teachings/observations alone. Avoid mentioning the name of the church/pastor during the sharing. If possible, don't even mention that you are sharing something you have learnt from another church. This will help to avoid creating the impression that you are exalting another church/pastor above your own. This will also prevent prejudice and stereotyping on the part of the listener. Just ask the listener to check to the Bible if they insist on knowing the "source" of what you are sharing. I realise from experience that some church members may feel hurt by the "implied" message that I am viewing another church in a better light than my own church in certain aspects. They don't see it as me trying to help the church improve. They see it as me "criticising" the church. Also, many will simply disregard/discredit the content of what I shared if I link what I'm sharing to a particular denomination, church, or pastor. (e.g. when I mention that I'm sharing something that is "charismatics", many of my presbyterian church mates will automatically switch to ultra-skeptical mode, and it becomes almost impossible to get them to agree to anything I say). 4. BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR CHURCH COMMITMENTS Visits to other churches should never take precedence over your commitments in your own church. Personally, I believe that visits to other churchs should be "educational" tours that would help me serve my church better. There is a possibility after all your visits to the different churches, you may feel like changing to another church which you feel more at home with than your current church. But remember that there is no "perfect" church. Believe that by God's grace, you can help make your church a better church by becoming a better member yourself. Serve faithfully in your own church and try to be a positive change agent that brings about the improvements you desire to see. Personally, I believe that only and until I am sure that I am walking in God's will by changing my membership to another church, my commitment should always be with my own church first. Hope you will find the above pointers useful :-) But most important of all, no matter which church we are in, we should always remember to focus on our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Head of the church. He is the One who loves us. He is the One whom we worhip and serve. He is our wonderful Lord. His, Keith
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Hi Keith, thank you for your advice. will keep in mind. EOM by True Light, 2001, Nov 19
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