They made the right move
Elisa Beynon
Relocating? As we saw last month, it’s a complicated business for Christians on the move. While issues like closeness to family or schools loom large and programmes like Escape to the Country push the line of finding the perfect house, Christians are faced with the challenge: how to move in a way that keeps the gospel central?
Whatever the presenting reason for moving — a need for more space, a new job, the need to care for family members, Christians only thrive when they are being fed by God’s Word and are part of a church family where they can use their gifts to serve and encourage others. This means that, for those of us who are thinking of moving house, the aim should be to put finding a church like this at the top of our list of priorities. In other words, to put those glossy house brochures to one side until it is clear which church it is right to settle in: one where the Bible is preached clearly and faithfully and where there will be opportunities to serve and encourage others. This month EN talks to four people, Jennifer, Bill, Richard and Jane (not their real names) who have sought to do that. They tell us how they went about it, what issues they faced and how they feel now about their decision to put church first.
Making the right move?
Elisa Beynon
We’re moving house. And boy, is it stressful!
Not only was finding the new place a total slog, but also having to think about nurseries, schools, safety, and so on made me wonder why we really wanted to move at all. Why did we want to move? Why does anyone want to move?
Often it’s for reasons like wanting a bigger house or to be closer to work or schools or family and friends. Some-times it’s wanting to live in a safer or more relaxed environment. And all these considerations have their place. But, for the Christian, what should be the primary motivation for moving house or area? What should be the guiding force in deciding to relocate? Or, if through a change in circumstance, work or otherwise, we have no option but to move, how do we decide where to live? To begin to answer that question we need to look at some key biblical principles…