It is not uncommon to hear Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Christians say, “I need a good church home. Any suggestions?” This question is typically used by people who are either disgruntled members or people who are moving to a new community and need a church to attend.
Due to their emphasis on doctrine and social practices, it is not uncommon for IFB congregants to get upset over something their pastors said or did. Church splits are common, with offended members moving on to other IFB congregations. I pastored an IFB church in southeast Ohio for eleven years. The church grew rapidly, exceeding 200 in attendance in the mid-80s. During this time, two nearby IFB churches had splits. Overnight, our attendance increased by 50 people. These folks were committed followers of Jesus. I knew a bit about the splits at their churches, but decided to accept them as members, even though I knew that this was risky for me to do. Why? People coming from church splits typically don’t stay for the long term. And sure enough, two years later, every one of our new members had returned to their previous churches. The very problems they had at their previous churches cropped up at their new church. Disagreements over my preaching and how the church operated arose, leading these people to move on. I did not attempt to keep them, knowing that their previous churches were “home.”
Often, IFB Christians move to a new community. The first thing they do is to look for a church home. It may be a community with 10 churches, but if they aren’t “like-minded” congregations, IFB Christians will not visit them. From their perspective, non-IFB churches are liberal or worldly. When no IFB church is available, it is not uncommon for people to start new churches. In their minds, every community needs a sin-hating-Bible-preaching IFB church. Of course, as sure as the sun comes up in the morning, people who start new churches can/do leave for friendlier confines.
I learned as a pastor that people come and go. I also learned that I couldn’t make everybody happy. And, finally, I learned not to burn the bridges I had built with leaving members. Over the years, numerous congregants left to find a new church home, only to return a few years later. Without exception, I welcomed them back into our church — no strings attached. Sometimes, these folks stayed, but others would, in time, become disgruntled again. Two families came and went three times in eleven years. Something in my preaching would upset them, and off they would go to “friendlier” churches.
Are you a current/former IFB church member? Did your churches have a lot of turnover? Please share your experiences in the comment section.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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