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Andy Gill

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Leaving The Church

Leaving The Church

Last updated on: April 9, 2012 at 10:00 am by Andy Gill

Leaving The Church 2012-04-09T10:00:40-05:00 Andy Gill

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So it’s taken me so long to respond to my first post, because I haven’t quite figured out yet how to express in 500 words or less, why I decided to leave the church. Why I decided to no longer be a part of something that has played such an intricate roll in my life since childhood. Why I decided to walk away from something that was not only where I have found community and some of my best friends, but was my career and what I believed (at the time) to be my calling.

So I’m just gonna write and hope it makes sense…

But simply put, I left the church, because I no longer wanted to be a part of something I believed to be a lie.

“I never lost my faith in Christ, I just lost my faith in the church…” – anonymous

I mean it doesn’t take a biblical scholar, to be able to read through scripture and/or the red letters, look at the Suburban American Church and come to the realization they are not one in the same. It seemed like we were forming a country club, rather then the church described in the book of Acts. Serving ourselves and our needs rather looking outside of ourselves and serving others needs. And the craziest part is, it seemed like everyone was okay with this. It seemed like this safe, comfortable, secure lifestyle that serves us and our needs… and completely ignores the commands of Christ.

Though, the scariest part was I found myself becoming okay with this…

Mike-Yaconelli-Andy Gill

And it wasn’t about who others were, so much as it was about who I was, and who I was becoming. I simply didn’t feel that the churches I have been in and through were places conducive for someone wanting to live a life of which Christ calls us to…

And so with that, I left.

I quit.

I walked away.

So I have to say: I haven’t lost my faith, I just left the church in order to take hold of my faith.

And I don’t think I’m alone in this… I don’t think I’m the only one who has thought this, who has felt there’s something wrong.

My hope is that you not only read about my journey but through this blog, and 500 word posts, you join on with me in my journey and adventure in searching for truth, and living out our faiths, the way Christ intended. I’m not asking everyone to leave the church, I’m simply asking hoping that we rethink church and how we go about displaying our faith…

So I dunno, who knows whats going to come, and where this journey is gonna take me, but I’m hopeful, nervous, scared, broke as hell, and sometimes not as hopeful as I sound, but overall I’m content in knowing I’m headed towards the right path… hoping to one day be able to say:

“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ’s”

[Since I’ve written this, I’ve clarified that I never really left the biblical Church. I am still very much part of a Church and have community. I just don’t believe that a Sunday morning service is capital “C” Church, or rather the only version of what Church can, or is meant, to be.]

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