My mother won’t let me change churches
Question:
I am 16 years old and I don't want to attend the same church as my family does. For a long time, I've wanted to change churches for my own personal reasons, but after going to this camp, I feel like God wants me to go to this certain church. Honestly, I would like to give it a try myself.
My mother always fusses at me for not wanting to stay at the church and says to wait until I'm 18. I just can't wait though! There's this strong urge to go, and I know it won't go away until I do.
I honestly don't see a problem in why I couldn't or shouldn't go. I would have a ride every Sunday, it's the same denomination, she knows some people that go there, and unlike my church, there's stuff for teenagers and there are even teenagers there.
I don't feel like I belong to the church I'm forced to go to but they just won't hear me out. I just want to go where I feel like God wants me to go. I don't see what's so wrong with that no matter how old I am. At least I'm wanting to attend church and not stay home. She says that since she lets me go to another church for youth group on Wednesday that I should stay at the church I don't like, but I don't even agree with the church they force me to go to, so why force me to continue going? The church I'm wanting to go to goes directly from the Bible and everything so I see nothing wrong with it.
Just please help me find something to tell my mom to convince her or anything. Because I really want to turn my life around for the better and do what God wants me to do.
Thank you.
Answer:
I am not opposed to someone changing churches because they realize that the church they are attending is not teaching the truth and they found another church that is teaching the truth. You mention this toward the end of your note, yet you don't say what is wrong with your current church beyond that you don't like it because there aren't teenagers there.
God doesn't direct people by feelings, He teaches us what to do through His Word. That you "feel" that God wants you to go to another church only tells me that you want to go and you are attributing your personal feelings to God to give them more credibility.
If you want to make a reasoned argument, you need to start with information that everyone can consider and examine. Your feelings are not other people's feelings and that is why others don't accept them. But if you are willing to go that route, then you need to realize that it is possible that you are wrong in your conclusions and are not looking at all the facts.
