What kinds of things actually cause churches to split?
Churches split over secular, non-essential matters—finer furniture, more beautiful music, a bigger organ, even the color of pew upholstery—rather than the good of the local body. Such division comes from a mixed multitude of murmurers and complainers, not from weighty spiritual issues.
Les explains that churches are often broken over secular things that really don't count that much. He gives an example of a lady from a different denomination who told his wife at work that their church was about to split over the color of the upholstery on the pews—whether gold or blue or whatever. Les identifies this as the work of the mixed multitude, the murmurers and complainers, rather than concern for the good of the local body. He notes that the very good of the local body is not so much in their heart as maybe a little finer furniture, a little more beautiful music, or a bigger organ. These are the kinds of things that cause division and destruction in churches.