Confessions of a Church-Hopper...?

For the first two years after I came to love Jesus, I was a dedicated church-hopper. Eventually, though, I learned that I couldn't really serve the Body of Christ that way, because no one could count on me being there at any given time. For the next seventeen years, I was stuck in the other extreme. I was in a church that frequently warned against leaving "The Fellowship". "The religious world", as the rest of Christendom is called by this group, would surely make me "lukewarm". "You have to bloom where you're planted--Psalm 1!" was the mantra. So when I sensed that the Lord was leading me to leave that fellowship, I prayed about it for two years before finally leaving. I was concerned that it would take me months to find a good church, but thank God, the first one I checked out became "home"...for three years. I've been serving in yet another church for the last three and a half. Am I a church hopper now? Call me what you will, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am a better man for having had these transitions at these specific times. I can point to areas in my character, in my knowledge of good doctrine, as well as in my ministry abilities that have been strengthened as a result of changing churches. I understand that a move to the wrong church could have been disastrous, so being sensitive to the Lord's leading is always crucial.

Paul, who was a Christian for at least fourteen years before his first missionary journey, was a part of at least four churches during that time. Nevertheless, I hear slight hints of contempt from brothers and sisters occasionally when they refer to departed saints.

Yes, remaining in one church for decades can be God's will for some. But others are called to these times of transition.