A Blog for the Church

We know a family who is trapped in church. They want to escape but they can’t. They are so “involved” in ministries and programs that to leave would be letting the pastor, their friends and the “church” down. So they stay.

Every time I see them they complain about the church. They want to leave. I suspect that there are many people like this out there.

I was reading a blog by social media guru Chris Brogan about escape velocity. His definition of “escape velocity” is “the ability to leave a situation that isn’t helpful or desired.”

Wow. That sounds like my friend’s situation. Chris was referring more to a job or career change. But I, of course, immediately thought of conventional “church.” If your “church” is not helpful or desired then why not leave the building?

Yes, I said, “Leave the building” not the church,” there’s a difference. Church is the body of Christ and we need the body for a number of reasons. (Heb. 10:23-25), but the body can meet anywhere.

Second, I am not saying that “helpful” means getting all of your needs met and having an enjoyable “experience.” What I mean by helpful is being involved with other believers who “help” you to be a better disciple of Jesus. Not more guilty or busy or overwhelmed.

So, what would a church escape plan look like? And once you escape, then what do you do?

Let’s explore that in the next blog post.

For now, if you are in a situation that you need to escape, I would encourage you to pray. It would be best if you made this move because of God’s prompting not mine.

Pray a lot. Pray with your spouse and your family. You might want to spend a time of prayer and fasting. Seriously. Achieving escape velocity will not be easy and re-entry is almost impossible. So make sure you are committed before trying it.