Church splits are a sad reality that many congregations face at some point. While there are a variety of potential causes, most church splits boil down to conflicts and disagreements among the members and leadership. At their core, these conflicts reveal problems with our human nature and tendencies toward sin and divisiveness. By exploring some of the common causes of church splits, we can gain insight into how to promote unity and prevent dividing God’s people.
Doctrinal Differences
One of the most common triggers for church splits is disagreement over doctrine. When some members adopt theological beliefs or biblical interpretations that contradict the church’s historical position, it can lead to contention. If the disagreement is strong enough, one faction may decide to break away and form their own church aligned with their beliefs. This occurred in many denominations during the fundamentalist-modernist controversies of the 1920s. Some examples of doctrinal divides include:
- Interpretations of Genesis – Young Earth Creation vs Theistic Evolution vs Old Earth Creationism (Acts 17:11)
- Women in leadership – egalitarian vs complementarian views of gender roles (1 Timothy 2:12)
- Worship style – traditional vs contemporary music and liturgy (Psalm 150:3-5)
- Spiritual gifts – cessationism vs continuationism (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
- End times views – premillennialism vs amillennialism vs postmillennialism (Revelation 20:1-6)
When doctrinal differences arise, church leaders should promote careful study of Scripture, open discussion, and unity in love. Examining the reasons and history behind each position can help both sides understand each other and find common ground (Acts 15:1-21).
Sin and Church Discipline
Sinful behavior by church members or leaders can also spark controversy and splits. When serious sin is discovered, biblical church discipline is sometimes needed to protect the congregation – often following the steps in Matthew 18:15-20 or 1 Corinthians 5:1-5. However, without wisdom and grace, discipline can divide rather than restore. One group may push for harsh condemnation while others argue for tolerance, causing relationships to fracture. Or in some cases, the majority of members refuse to discipline a popular but erring leader, prompting the minority to leave and start a new church.
To prevent these splits, church discipline should be carried out only in cases of clear, serious, unrepentant sin. The goals should be repentance, reconciliation, and restoration – not punishment (2 Corinthians 2:5-8). Even when separation is unavoidable, it should be done with mourning, care, and hopes to one day reunite (1 Corinthians 5:5).
Power Struggles and Leadership Conflicts
Like all human organizations, churches are vulnerable to power struggles and conflicts between leaders with clashing visions or priorities. A domineering pastor might drive away members who want more congregational involvement. Or controversy over selecting a new pastor can pit members against each other. Conflicts over finances, policies, staffing decisions, and other administrative issues can also divide loyalties. Personality clashes and ego can turn molehills into mountains.
To reduce power struggles, leaders should exemplify humility, selflessness and servant leadership (Mark 10:42-45, Philippians 2:1-11). Seeking first to understand rather than be understood can improve dialogue and problem-solving. And focusing continually on the church’s eternal mission helps keep temporal conflicts in perspective (Matthew 16:18).
Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Differences
In diverse congregations, tensions may arise due to language barriers, differences in worship style preferences, and cultural misunderstandings. Some members may prefer more ethnic traditions while others push for assimilation or multi-ethnicity. Without intentional efforts to foster communication and empathy across cultures, subgroups can form and eventually split over their clashing expectations of church. Leaders should take care to make all members feel welcomed, valued, and heard.
Sometimes cultural divisions are more deep-seated, such as in historically white churches grappling with racism. Structural inequalities or microaggressions may cause minority groups to leave and plant their own churches. White church members need to humbly examine blind spots and work to truly integrate.
Changes in the Church or Community Demographics
Shifts in who makes up a congregation or neighborhood can alter a church’s culture and priorities. An influx of young believers may desire contemporary music and casual atmosphere. Increasing ethnic diversity can raise questions about how to integrate multi-cultural styles. As the community grows wealthier or older, ministries may drift from lower-income or youth focused needs. Long-term members who resist new directions may eventually split off.
To manage these transitions, church leaders need balanced vision: welcoming new demographics while also caring for longtime members. Fostering cross-generational relationships and open dialogues helps unite despite diverging preferences. Change should be introduced gradually in the spirit of unity.
Growth Pains and Facility Limitations
Booming church attendance stresses facilities designed for smaller numbers, sparking complaints about overcrowding. Parking, seating, classrooms, and volunteer recruitment struggles to keep up. Frustrations with cramped conditions, scaled-back programs, and constant construction projects can motivate some members to leave and plant a new church.
Similarly, plateaued or declining attendance can also spur splits. As giving drops, cuts to staffing, programs, and maintenance may alienate members clinging to earlier traditions and expectations. Some may depart to start afresh rather than face ongoing attrition and scaling back.
In both situations, patient, servant-hearted leadership is essential – making the most of available resources, laying foundation for the future, and reminding all generations that the church’s mission remains unchanged (Matthew 28:18-20). Temporary discomforts should not distract from eternal priorities.
Modeling Divisiveness
When church leaders or prominent members perpetuate disunity, it poorly influences the rest of the congregation. Factions may form around dueling leaders. Gossiping, backbiting, politicking, and favoritism infect the culture. Petty arguments over adiaphorous matters blow up needlessly. The body forgets its calling to harmony and service (1 Corinthians 1:10, Philippians 2:1-4).
Leaders set the tone – for good or ill – by how they handle conflict and treat one another in public and private. All members should be reminded of their duty to protect the church’s witness by speak truthfully but with edifying speech (Ephesians 4:29), avoiding slander, gossip, or triangulation.
Lack of Spiritual Vitality and Relationship
At the heart, most church conflicts reveal spiritual deficiencies – in our walk with God individually and corporately. When both leaders and members prioritize growing in grace, holiness, prayer, fellowship, and service, it promotes unity and crowds out dissension. But malaise and complacency open the door to self-interest and fruitless disputes (2 Timothy 2:14-16, James 4:1-3).
Leaders can encourage spiritual vitality through vibrant preaching, discipleship, missions, and prayer together. But each individual must also take responsibility to pursue right relationship with God and better know the power of Christ’s love (Philippians 3:10). This provides perspective on what truly matters versus surface-level differences.
Inability to Manage Conflict
No church will ever escape all disagreement – we remain fallen humans. But our approach to handling conflict determines whether it strengthens or destroys unity. Immature responses like avoidance, imposed solutions, gossip, or shrugging it off allow tensions to fester and deepen. Leaders may lack training in conflict resolution skills.
Biblical peacemaking requires proactive communication, listening, understanding, forgiveness, repentance, compromise and focus on reconciliation. Conflict coaching helps equip leaders and can provide mediation when relationships become strained (Matthew 5:23-24). When managed well, conflict can ultimately benefit the Body of Christ.
Selfish Personal Ambitions
Sadly, in some cases, churches are divided because leaders or members allow selfish ambition rather than selfless service to steer their actions (James 3:14-16). Personal desire for power, influence, recognition or control overshadows the mission. Minor issues become hills to die on when protecting status. When this spirit infects a church, division is almost inevitable – human pride and egodemanding their way.
This is why leaders must continually exemplify servant leadership, sounding every decision before the Lord. Humility and willingness to sacrifice personal interests prevents selfishness from taking root and guides a church down the path of unity (Philippians 2:1-4).
Unbiblical Reasons for Staying Together
Occasionally the truly loving, mature, and wise choice is for a grievously divided church to separate formally and amicably. In cases of irreconcilable differences, a clean break can allow healing and forward progress that prolonged fighting makes impossible. Of course, these situations are exceedingly rare – most divisions can be overcome with prayer, love and time (1 Corinthians 13:7). But refusing to split under any circumstances can trap members in unbiblical rationalizations:
- “We must preserve unity at all costs.” True unity flows from truth. Forcing outward uniformity when there is no true oneness is hollow.
- “Separation is always wrong.” Jesus and Paul acknowledged necessary separation in extreme circumstances (Matthew 18:17, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
- “We just need to agree to disagree.” Some disagreements significantly impact a church’s purpose and integrity.
- “We have to keep it together for the sake of our witness.” A house divided is no witness at all.
Seeking the Lord earnestly together is the best path to discern if separation is truly warranted versus impatient or improper.
In Summary…
Church splits arise from our human fallenness and tendency to exalt secondary preferences and opinions over loving one another and glorifying God in unity. By growing in spiritual maturity and grace, resolving to address conflict biblically, focusing on eternal priorities, and refusing to model divisiveness, church leaders and members can marginalize the risk of splits over normal disagreements. But in the rarest of cases, division may be the necessary outcome to preserve the integrity and health of a congregation following deep fractures of fellowship. Even then, humility, care, and hopes for future reconciliation should temper the separation. If the church keeps its mission forefront and each member prioritizes living out Christlike love – the cause of unity and harmony will prevail over the seeds of division.