There are about a million dumb reasons to leave a church. I’ve written quite a bit about the ridiculous, unreasonable reasons to leave a church. A pile of hurt is usually heaped on an already fragile heart when people leave a church for unmerited reasons. If you’re interested, I’ve also written about not being a Karen and leaving a church well.  Either way, I’m not unrealistic in this endeavor—the church has not had its best season and there are times to look for a new church and feel OK about it.

However, this post is not about that.

I’d like to spend 250 words trying to convince you to stay at your current church. In fact, I’d like to go so far in saying you should stay longer than you think, serve more than you’d prefer, and go the extra mile to make it work. My guess is that you didn’t land at your current church without quite a bit of prayer and deliberation. So why jump the gun? You moved your family, found your spot, got connected in community, and did the hard work of finding a church home. Don’t let all that work go to waste. Don’t let an argument with your pastor or your Sunday School teacher keep you from going back. Don’t let your preferences of peripheral issues (carpet colors or worship style) keep you from leaving a family. Don’t let your doubts and discouragements about church growth and church leadership keep you from digging deeper where it matters most.

Sure, your church isn’t perfect. Ok, not even close. But look around. Or, look in the mirror. No one and no church is killing it. Just a bunch of people holding onto grace and Jesus . . . just like you.

So please, pretty please, just stick around a little longer. I don’t know if you’ve been out there lately, but the church landscape is crazytown. The church at large is rattled because of the pandemic, strained volunteers, and burned-out pastors. So many churches are just now getting their feet underneath them. Please don’t hear judgment in my tone. I believe church work is the hardest on the planet. But this may not be the most prudent time to get the clearest picture of a local church. My advice: stay put where you are. Bloom where you’re planted. Seek reconciliation. Serve the hurting. Fill a seat. Teach a 4th-grade girls discipleship group. Be present.

Leaving is easy. It’s the staying and serving and loving and forgiving that is the hardest work. But it is the work that matters most. So, stay and see that God has a place and a gospel-family right where you are.