Why I Left Traditional Church

1. I read the Bible. I know it sounds sarcastic, but truly this was the origin of my discontent with my Christian experience. I was struck first with the vitality and spontaneity of the early Church. Their story flows with power and reality which demonstrates direct leadership of the Holy Spirit. Their gatherings were simple, informal, and everyone participated. Their message possessed a depth unknown by most today (more on that in #3). Later I would also come to see that there is no New Testament justification for church buildings (which are costly and distracting), for professional clergy (which restricts leadership and functioning), or for repetitive, man-centered meetings.

2. Lessons in grace contradicted our practices. Shortly after my life with the Lord began, grace became the primary lesson. I was learning that law-keeping is not central to our faith; but rather that biblical Christianity is relational, so that right behavior becomes merely a byproduct of intimacy with God. But our spiritual disciplines and our church traditions don't fit with this, because they demand a certain perfunctory performance, while grace brings freedom and authenticity to our devotion. Love means that rules are kept by internal motivation. The way we do church is formulaic and restrictive, allowing for no freedom of the Spirit (see #1).

3. I had to find people who know that they are "in Christ." The content of the teaching in most traditional churches strikes me as shallow and works-centered. No one speaks of oneness with Christ because most are unaware of it. But the teaching of the Body of Christ determines its vision, which in turn determines its vitality. Paul said he could speak for up to 18 months of only Christ and his cross, which means that there is much more depth and significance in them than is commonly communicated. I had to find a people who are actively investigating and experiencing the fuller meaning of being "in Christ."

4. I had to find people who are desperate. I feel at home among those whose hearts burn like mine and who are never content with how well they know God. A.W. Tozer said the Bible was written in tears and is understood best when read through tears. I need to be around those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, and who are consequently driven to give up anything to gain knowing Him. Peripheral things have lost their charm for these people. Unfortunately, leadership within traditional churches usually discourages the kind of discontentment which pushes people to this place.

5. I didn't like suits or pews. I realize there are some who actually enjoy them, and I will concede that informality is my nature; but I also believe they prevent intimacy during meetings and even keep away those without nice clothes to wear. Who can relax in a tie or in hose and high heels? They have a place, but not here. And who can share with people in pews? Dressing up for church may make you feel better about yourself, but it is a tradition that does not trace its roots to the New Testament (read this if you don't believe me).

6. I wanted to function. When the Lord impresses something on me I want to be in a place where I can share it. Hundreds of people gathering in a way that allows only a handful of them to actively function is like a tree with plugs stopping almost every tip. My experience has confirmed that open meetings invite God to manifest His presence in ways that others do not. I experience the greatest fulness in settings where there is no organizational agenda and no "facilitator."

7. I wanted a place to which I can eagerly invite people. Some place where people act normal. I was always way too uncomfortable sitting next to new people who were struck by the oddity of what was said and done. I never allowed myself to be desensitized to the strangeness of the atmosphere in Sunday School and worship services. Our tone and vocabulary can be forced and artificial, and our church customs do not reflect the natural informality of our culture. Many have commented on how much easier it is to invite an unbeliever to their home. Why not move the meetings there? It's amazing how much more evangelistic you feel when you know that they would feel "at home" in your meetings.

8. I read some great books. The same friends who had introduced me to Norman Grubb, Watchman Nee, and A.W. Tozer also introduced me to books by Gene Edwards. He verbalized things I sensed but couldn't put thoughts around. Release of the Spirit (by Nee) and Climb the Highest Mountain (by Edwards) convinced me that our basic methods of conducting ministry are antithetical to God's ways of building His dwelling place. These were the straws that broke the camel's back for me, and proved to be a paradigm shift in my understanding of Christian work.

9. I came to believe that outside help is important. The hardest hurdle for me to get over was that the New Testament consistently shows that churches were planted by people who did not remain in the churches that they started. Without this type of beginning, believers likely will not learn how to carry the responsibility of functioning in the Body, but will instead lean on one or more leaders who do too much. Of course this requires that the church planter know how to establish a church in such a way that they can function without his or her presence, and I have found this ingredient to be the rarest commodity.

10. I want my kids to know simplicity in Christ. I want their experience of God to be as free as possible from fluff and funny ways of talking and acting around each other. I want their spiritual education to be experiential and reality-based from the start. I want them to grow up knowing the intimate community of the Body of Christ as their frame of reference in every matter of life. I intend to learn a great deal from watching a generation growing up in church life that is based, not on denominational divisiveness, but on oneness in Christ and with Christ.

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