A Blog for the Church

How do we achieve escape velocity?

Last week I explained my version of escape velocity or How to leave a church that is causing more harm than good in your life.

Leaving a church is a very emotional and difficult decision.  You have no doubt made good friends and have a surplus of memories. It is important to examine your heart and motives. I am not suggesting that you leave disgruntled or arrogantly.

So, if you have taken my advice and done a lot of prayer concerning your “escape” and you really believe that this is a move that you should make then go for it. I know, easier said than done.

If you need some moral support, there are plenty of people who have left the traditional church to meet in homes or other “non-conventional” locations. If you would like to contact me or other leaders in the Well network, feel free. We will do our best to give you whatever support we can.

Here are some steps you may want to incorporate:

Skip a Sunday. Just make that Sunday productive. Be intentional about visiting neighbors, inviting someone to breakfast, etc. It will feel weird if you have been going to church your whole life. So, What will you do? You could:

Take this opportunity to invite some neighbors over for breakfast.

Take a prayer walk around the neighborhood and see what happens.

Or there are about 25 other things I could think of doing after leaving the building.

Pray about giving. One of the things that people often do when they leave the building is they stop giving. But the opposite should be true. Now you have an incredible opportunity to give wherever God leads you. Pray about the possibilities. They are endless.

Find or start a house church. Why leave one church just to find another one? The goal is not to isolate yourself from other believers but to be more intentional about “being” the church.

Talk to pastor and leaders. This is not to be offensive. You may even ask them for prayer and support as you begin your journey. Maybe you can creatively brainstorm about how you can be a missionary to your community. You don’t want to burn bridges. You are trying to follow the Holy Spirit.

Talk to your friends and explain to them why you are leaving. This is not to plan a coup, but an opportunity to share about the journey that you are on. Talk to people in person. Don’t write a letter or an email.

Whatever you do, don’t use this as a gripe session or a time to slander church leaders. Most church leaders are completely committed to the call of God and are doing their best teach, lead and evangelize. You can make this a time to affirm leaders and other believers. However, God is taking many people on a new path. If you are one of those people, then there is no need to apologize. Embrace what God is doing.

Leave the Building. Pick an escape date and just do it. Don’t look back. No guilt or regret.

Now comes the fun part. What will you do after you have made this epic move?

Stay tuned.