As a Christian, have you been through a "Church Split"? How did it affect you? What was it split over?

Question

I myself have been through two church splits. One as a child, which crushed the youth of the church, because the Pastor at the time was very excited about the growing youth ministry, but the old guard at the church did not like the children growing in numbers.

And the second one was 5 years ago, when the associate pastor plotted with the chief money contributors to rid the church of the Pastor because he refused to allow the church to be lorded over by those that gave high amounts of money...

Answer 1

i have been through two church splits.

both were really nasty and over serious things. the first was over a pastor who sexually assaulted a minor. the second, in the same church, was over the conduct of the interim pastor.

it was hell on earth, brotha!

Answer 2

The church I attended when I was around 9 or 10 split because the pastor was accused of taping personal information people told him during private sessions and his family members were into "questionable" activities. I still attended until I was in high school under several different pastors (none seemed to stay long), then quit. It has always been something that I remember and has kept me away from many churches due to that sense that there was too much focus on trivial things and not enough focus on worship. That is how I stand now. It does not effect my beliefs, just my attitude about church and going to church.

Answer 3

I would like to be involved with a church split, and since the building is owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, at least it would be likely that a more decent priest was installed as Vicar, and the old one put to pasture.

This is a lady "priest" no longer deserving of the title Priest. She repeats many of the things she hears in confidence. I was Jr. and Sr Warden at this church, I was a representative for five years as a delegate to the convention, so I have some knowledge of the workings of the church and inside information as to some of the problems. These problems are recognized by many in the church but the Bishop of Los Angeles Diocese chooses to do nothing about it and rather wait for her retirement. Additionally, this priest treats unmarried and elderly women disgracefully! She is a bully, but afraid to treat us men, or married women in the same way. I have finally left the church, but not resigned.
Anyway, sometimes a split it deserved and good, to answer your question. By our church not "splitting" MANY people have felt disenfranchised and have not only left this particular Episcopal church, but was fallen away from organized religion altogether. New people come in all the time, because this priest give great teaching sermons, but most of the new comers leave within a year. The turn over is constant and the founders of the church are gone.

Thanks for letting me vent, and since many letters from many people to the Rt.Rev. Jon Bruno, Bishop of the Los Angeles Episcopal Diocese have done no good, perhaps someone reading this can offer suggestions.

Answer 4

Yes, my parents church spilt up. it was over money and authority. Usually the people voted for a pastor. Then one day a group of people proclaimed themselves the leaders of the church because they were contributing the most money to it and they had checks to prove it. The funniest part of it is that severall hundred people went with them. As a kid I was upset about loosing some friends, but it did not matter too much. Now I am a very happy Muslim!

Answer 5

No. Never. If you cannot or will not leave a monetary tip, then go to a fast food place where you aren't expected to tip. Food servers who depend on tips are actually taxed on tips, whether they receive tips or not. If you don't tip your servers with money, then you are actually costing them money. Those pamplets are completely worthless, except to someone who likes bible verses. Even then, they have no monetary value. How is the server going to pay the rent, the utilities, the babysitter? In pamplets? No, nobody will take pamplets instead of money. Quit trying to cheap out. Do you want YOUR boss to pay you in pamplets only? Leave a decent tip for decent service (about 15 to 20%), and if you feel you must, you may ADD a pamplet. However, you must leave an adequate tip, and you must realize that the pamplet is most likely going straight into the trash without being read. Usually, all you're doing by leaving a pamplet is aggravating the server.

Answer 6

Yes, and it was a devastating thing to have happen. The split was because our pastor at the time wanted to become our full-time pastor and wanted us to pay his salary of $48,000 per year. He said that he could no longer be a pastor of our church if he couldn't spend quality time at the church and at home w/ his family. He was sadly mistaken to do so...since it was just a very small church, only 13 families attended, and there was just no way that it was possible for us to pay that much in tithing and offerings to pay his salary. It was greed that took ahold of him, and he wanted to quit working his desk job so he could be home w/ his family. The thing that I got upset about was this pastor whom we all adored brought so many... including my husband to the foot of the cross, and then went ahead and pulled the rug out from under them...made it quite difficult for them to have trust in someone else as their pastor. For a very long time after that incident, my husband did NOT attend church and he told me it was because the pastors were nothing but money hungry hipocrates. Thank the Lord he has come back to church, and most importantly, back to Christ!!!

Answer 7

Yes, it happened when I was very young. The founder of our chruch died from cancer back in the 80's. At the time, our chruch was a worldwide organization. It was fashioned similarly to when Christianity was first started with the original disciples of Christ. The organization was a nondenominational Christian group that was based on Biblical research.

Anyway, shortly after his death, the newly appointed leader of this group put himself before GOD. He was later fired by the board of directors because he apparently had alot of affairs outside his marriage, and those other woman sued the organization. Eventually after ten years, the board of directors took him back.

Before the founder died, the group had a membership of millions from all over the world. Now, they have a membership of maybe ten thousand...I'm guessing.

I was only a little kid back then so I'm not entirely certain of all of the facts and details. However, that is what I know from some research I have done on my own.

It is truly a shame about what happened to the organization. From what I've heard, they did alot of great things for many people worldwide.

Asides from researching on my own, I've only found one chruch that even remotely comes close to what I know to be the truth and they believe in the trinity (no one's perfect right?).

Thanks.

Answer 8

when the last pastor left my church, some of the members went with him, but I wouldn't call it a split since it was very few people who left and it wasn't under hostile circumstances. Other than that, there hasn't been a split in my church that I can remember, and I've been going there 17 years.

Answer 9

A new pastor just came in and changed the name of the church which had been around for over 40 years.He replaced the deacons, praise and worship leaders,most of the musicians then left.
As the sound man , I also left.
It was a mess.

Answer 10

As a matter of fact YES...It was over politics...the changing of the guard...the old verses the new...and the Church split into two. But it was for the better...and my Church is wonderful now, it grows every month...infact we are putting on a NEW addition because of the growth...
Its wonderful