Vol.VI No.III Pg.2
May 1969

Church Hopping

Robert F. Turner

This is written in Iowa, where I am preaching for a small church of two men and eight or ten women. Grinnell is a beautiful little town, with a college. Some hard-working young man could come here and render a real service in the Lords cause, as he increased his own education.

Living is no problem. We went to a near-by woods-lot yesterday and gathered enough mushrooms for a delicious meal — and I am still alive. (It is NOT like eating athletes foot; this is a different kind of fungus.)

Since Feb. 24, I have preached in Highlands, Tex., Flagstaff, Ariz., Venice, and San Diego. Calif., Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Prescott, Ariz., Kansas City, Mo., and a single sermon in Tucumcari, N.M.

From Grinnell, Iowa we go to Indiana for a short break; then to meetings in Vanduser, and Blodgett, Mo., Pine Bluff, Ark., and then home to Burnet, Tex. for four weeks.

Next series of meetings takes us to Brady, and Cooper, Tex., Florence, Ala., Booneville, Miss., Holly Grove, Ark., Seligman, and other north Ariz. communities. May take time out for an elk hunt; then continue meetings in Phoenix, and Yuma, Ariz., Fresno, and Santa Clara, Calif., Marion, Md., and Gainesville, Orlando and Eau Gallie, Florida. Should be back in Burnet, Tex. by middle of December. I believe I counted 37 Sundays away from home this year. Anyhow, that is the schedule several of you have requested. I just hope I will have the strength to keep it.

Cant think of a better place to insert a short note on church hopping — the gentle art of sliding out from under obligations (when they are going to need money) or avoiding discipline (when they get fed up with ones ungodly ways), or, perhaps most often, just pick up and go to another congregation when they wont play by our rules.

If there is a scriptural issue, and all efforts to correct fail; one may be forced, for conscience sake, to worship elsewhere. But it is a strange conscience indeed that accepts an equal or more glaring error in the second church. Many times the issues are made scapegoat for some childish and personal crow.

Church Hopping often indicates one does not know how to get along with others, or with himself. It is a cover for cowardice, an unwillingness to accept responsibility. Real churchhoppers are soon known in a city; and God was not fooled, even at first.