procedure for members who want to leave church?

We do not have any specific procedures. However, I have taught our people that they have a responsibility to the body of Christ to let us know that they are leaving our fellowship for that of another. They can do this by letter or by notifying me as Pastor. This allows us to to be able to pray for them as they find another church.

 

3 ways to leave a New Testament church:
Letter
Exclusion
Death

Thank you, Dr. Weeks.

 

If your church is incorporated under the laws of the state you live in better check the law and see what it says about leaving by member request.

It's the law in many states that you have to remove members who request it.

 

Yet another reason to not be incorporated.

 

I don't think I'd want to force anyone to stay who doesn't desire to be a responsible and faithful member of the body. If you don't simply remove them from the role, do you seek to reconcile and failing that, to exclude them? You shouldn't just "leave them on the role forever."

 

Our constitution puts them in an inactive status for 6 months and then they are removed from the role automatically.

 

That would do the trick. We have wording in our by-laws that say the focus of such discipline tends toward reconciliation rather than exclusion, but in some cases exclusion is the only thing left to do.

 

The law states that an incorperated op must grant leave to members who request a leave of membership. However, if it is stated that membership can only be resigned by letter, death or exclusion according to a covenant or by-law then that is the only contractional way to exclude a member. But it seems pretty foolish to keep a member that does not want to stay eiterh way

 

Depends on how badly we want them gone!

If they want to leave, we generally pray for them, maybe with them, and wish them well.

Many times the ones wanting to leave are either pains in the uttbay, or they really feel God moving them.

Sometimes they have valid concerns that maybe we have failed to address. Those are the ones that hurt.