October 17, 2023

When Difficult People Want to Come Back to Church After Leaving

26 minutes

You’ve likely heard the phrase “blessed subtraction” referring to divisive church members who leave for another congregation. On occasion, they will return. What should you do? Thom and Sam give some tips to church leaders.

How long has it been since they left?

Do they have a specific motive for returning?

Were you part of the previous situation?

What was the degree of problematic behavior?

Has reconciliation occurred if needed?

Is this person coming back quietly or loudly?

Resources

Courage For Life Study Bible

Courage For Life Study Bible for Men

Courage For Life Study Bible for Women

Tyndale House Publishers

California Baptist University Pre-College Credit

Get your FREE eBook, 5 Generosity Megatrends

The Hope Initiative

Get your FREE tool! Attendance Growth Projector

Check out the Church Answers Christian bookstore! Shop curated, trusted resources for Christian life and ministry.

Episode Sponsors:

NLT Courage For Life Study Bible for Men, Filament-Enabled Edition

Men face frequent challenges to show courage—to take a stand, to step into danger, and to do the right thing.

The biggest challenge men face, though, is seeing our weaknesses and recognizing God’s truth over the lies our culture is telling us.

The Courage For Life Study Bible for Men is a strong and rigorous study Bible—featuring a Bible study on every page—for men seeking to demonstrate godly courage and to discover the God who transcends all limitations and transforms anyone who follows him.

This Bible will help men break old patterns and experience transformation as they study and understand God’s Word and invite God’s work in their lives.

This Bible is unlike any other on the market. Features of this men’s Bible include:

A Bible study on every page

Reflection questions

Encouraging profiles of courageous men

A topical index

Access to a suite of resources including a linked audio Bible through the Filament Bible app

A unique discipleship path through the Bible, based on the seven COURAGE steps from the Courage For Life ministry

The clear and accurate, easy-to-read New Living Translation

This is the perfect Bible for any man who is serious about growth and transformation in Christ and great for anyone looking for an innovative New Living Translation Bible for men.

Eligible high schoolers can earn college credit online, the first class is free (not including books and course materials), and they get a significant discount ($166 per credit vs. $613 per credit) for every subsequent class. They can choose from more than 30 available courses. Here are just a few additional details not included on the flier:

This program is open to third-culture kids, homeschool students, private and public school students, etc.

Students can start during any eight-week session – summer, fall, spring, each semester has two sessions as indicated on the flier

The first-class free offer is limited. I do not yet know for how long, but we should market it as temporary for now.

Many students have successfully completed courses during their normal school year. Classes are asynchronous, so they can access course materials at their convenience.

Sometimes universities have similar programs and they make classes specific for high school students – HS students sitting with other HS students. In our program, participants sit in on real college courses, with actual college student peers. They get the real deal through our experience.

The post When Difficult People Want to Come Back to Church After Leaving appeared first on Church Answers.

...more

View all episodes

By Thom Rainer

4.8

461461 ratings