Illegitimate Reasons to Leave a Church

A couple of weeks ago I posted five viable reasons someone could leave a church. I noted that I would soon post illegitimate reasons to leave a church (and there are many). I will post a few of them here:

1) A church is not perfect or it does not meet all legitimate needs. No person, no organization, and no institution is perfect. Every church has problems and shortcomings. And if you decide to leave a church because they are not perfect, you are just further proving that we live in an imperfect, sinful world.
2) The church you are at doesn't have a ministry that you need. Maybe God wants you to minister to your church instead of them ministering to you. Rather than complaining about the church and leaving, approach the leaders in a respectful way and work with them to further develop the ministry.
3) The one that gets me the most - Leaving a church to get away from problems. The Bible describes the church as a body and a family. When was the last time your legs didn't cooperate with you like you wanted so you parted ways with them? When you and your mother disagreed last, was that the end of the relationship? Or did you both try and work things out for the better? Deal with the problems like Christian adults and through the situation rely on the grace of God. Running away will derail the very process God uses to conform us into the image of Christ.
4) You are being challenged about your doctrine or pattern of life and church becomes uncomfortable. We should not run because we feel threatened by someone challenging us. Be ready to listen, examine, and act if necessary. Going through this process is the only way to grow.

To summarize: The only true valid reason for leaving a local church is a desire for more effective ministry in and for the body of Christ. Stay in your church, please. Make it better. Serve. Love like Jesus loved the Church. What would your life be like if Jesus would have left the Church when things got hard and when He faced challenges? Think about it.