Hey wow, thats us. We like about 4 churches. The coolest churches are the youngest with great music. But they don't welcome older (40s) age people. Hard to build relationships there so we don't try anymore, we just worship there. The most giving churches are where my heart is, but at this point, those don't match our beliefs or the worship is slow and sermons less personal. We don't want to drive too far to be members of another communities' church. We felt alienated at our last church. Feeling rejected at a church is very hard. It feels like God rejects you or it is a failure like a divorce. We have not tried to commit to a new church yet, although we miss the relationships and opportunities to serve and love other people since we don't want to be rejected again. However, long term we plan to be regular members at a church and wish we were...

Interesting article. I just participated in a book study at my church, an ELCA church by the way, based on the book "The Present Future" that has a lot to say on this topic. The author doesn't say it's good or bad, rather addresses it from the perspective of, "how does the mainline church accommodate this new behavior."

How about getting involved with an organization that does some good for someone? When you work alongside others who share the same vision to make the community and world a better place, you will indeed build those relationships.

I've been a member of several churches over the years because of moves around the country for work. I've observed these people in every church I've attended. What they don't seem to get is that a church isn't just another organization offering them something - it's a congregation, a community of believers - and worshiping is more than a style - it's a way of life. The community of believers volunteer their time to teach Sunday School, lead Bible studies, take part in choir or praise bands, prepare food for funerals or the soup kitchen, and take care of the more mundane like fixing the furnace and paying the bills. The members' offerings pay for all of this. I've observed that often those who drift from one congregation to another because they say they like or dislike this are constantly "taking" (expecting programs to be available)- but never giving of their time or talents to build up the community. Those same people often like the idea that a congregation helps the homeless or the food pantry, but you don't see them helping out. Many people seem to view the church as just another service available for them - and it's a sad indictment of where our society is heading

"Church-hopping" appeals to the gods of this age--consumerism and radical individualism. However, the church is only to blame. Through segregating worship services ("traditional" and "contemporary") and splitting generations of worshipers; preaching becoming "self-help" stories instead of exegetical proclamation; lack of strong theological discipling (such as catechizing); abandoning the practices of church discipline (notice the word discipling in there) and church membership (where one actually makes a covenantal commitment)...These are only a few examples of how the secular culture has infected the church, producing immature Christians at best and leading many to unbelief. Is the church a mother or personal trainer? ... Good books on subject includes "A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered Worship" and "Recovering Mother Kirk"

I think church-hopping is great. I hopped away from all churches 45 years ago and never looked back.

I welcome hoppers at my church anytime. I hope they find they are warmly received and included in all we do on Sunday morning and throughout the week!

My experience is that no matter which church, or churches, you attend, the one thing that matters most is how much MONEY you give. Is it any wonder that many people just don't feel like they belong to a church when their pocket book, or purse, is what matters most? The result is a lot of people searching for churches that value them as PEOPLE, not as just another MONEY source. Pastors, and their Churches, would be wise to study WHY people are leaving their churches for other churches.

Maybe church hopping would work for me since gave up Catholicism for Lent and never looked back.

Interesting article and very timely for us as we are considering changing churches. Thanks to ST and thanks to wellie for suggesting some books on the subject.