I think your responsibility is to your children first. You could argue that by staying with this church, you'd be setting an example for your children. But I guess what you need to decide is what would be worse for them: staying with this church through the power struggles or going to a new church. I can imagine pros and cons to both.
From my own experience growing up in a military family, I'd been to at least four or five different churches before I was confirmed. The church I'd been to the longest (up to about age 8) was on a military base and the pastors changed frequently. Even though we'd been to a few different churches, there was still constancy: (1) It was always a church of the same denomination. (2) I was always involved in the CCD program. (3) My parents always took an active interest in my involvement with the church (i.e., CCD wasn't just a place they dumped me off to get rid of me for an hour on Sunday). I did eventually leave the church I was baptised in, but I'm still thankful for the strong foundation I had in that church. The only thing that I wish had been different was that I wish both my parents had prayed with me, and I wish they never stopped (my dad prayed with me until I was about 8 or 10 years old, then it stopped).
So personally, I don't think that the building you go to worship in is as significant as the family environment you're raised in. I do think it's important to support your church, but if the power struggle could weaken the foundation for your girls, I would "shop around" for another church. My parents even did that with me -- we went to a church that was outside of our parish lines because they didn't like the one we were supposed to go to, but it was the same denomination.
Whatever you decide, you don't have to decide today, so pray on it until you come to a decision that you're comfrotable with spiritually and as a parent.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-12 01:07 pm (UTC)From my own experience growing up in a military family, I'd been to at least four or five different churches before I was confirmed. The church I'd been to the longest (up to about age 8) was on a military base and the pastors changed frequently. Even though we'd been to a few different churches, there was still constancy: (1) It was always a church of the same denomination. (2) I was always involved in the CCD program. (3) My parents always took an active interest in my involvement with the church (i.e., CCD wasn't just a place they dumped me off to get rid of me for an hour on Sunday). I did eventually leave the church I was baptised in, but I'm still thankful for the strong foundation I had in that church. The only thing that I wish had been different was that I wish both my parents had prayed with me, and I wish they never stopped (my dad prayed with me until I was about 8 or 10 years old, then it stopped).
So personally, I don't think that the building you go to worship in is as significant as the family environment you're raised in. I do think it's important to support your church, but if the power struggle could weaken the foundation for your girls, I would "shop around" for another church. My parents even did that with me -- we went to a church that was outside of our parish lines because they didn't like the one we were supposed to go to, but it was the same denomination.
Whatever you decide, you don't have to decide today, so pray on it until you come to a decision that you're comfrotable with spiritually and as a parent.