Three years ago I wrote a blog post titled Why I Left Church. At the time it was my way of turning over to a new chapter in my life. I wrote it and moved on. Recently, that post has made a comeback and through some wise counsel, I have decided to provide an update and further context.
First of all, let me be clear, in leaving a local church, I did not leave behind my faith or Christian community. In the three years since that post was written, I have only grown in my faith and the communities I am and have been a part of. What I left behind was the need to always be doing the things that appeared to be “Christian” in nature. I left behind the need to fulfill expectations that had been placed on me with no true biblical foundation. And in leaving those things behind, I was better able to continue in my journey discover who I really am in Christ.
As God revealed Himself to me through my study in scripture (which is still a daily habit of mine), I found myself craving more and more closer community with other believers. It wasn’t that the groups I had been a part of were not sufficient, but I craved local community, other believers who could be like family to me. That felt need was made more apparent when my parents announced that they would be moving to another province. I would lose that tangible connection. And so I tried to find my fit, first in a denominational church where I knew several families. Great people, great pastor, but not where I felt I belonged. And in a seemingly impossible turn of events, I ended up back at the church I’d left so many years ago. There I found the healing I needed, but not my fit.
In my original post, I mentioned a local denominational congregation that I’d attended pre-pandemic. Last fall, doors opened for me to return to that community and what a community it is! My first Sunday upon my return I was greeted by name and I haven’t looked back. Since my return God has placed people in my life knowing just how desperately I’d need them. With the sudden passing of my mom early this year, I found myself surrounded by the love and care of near strangers. When my world went dark, I had people who have held me up in prayer, held me as I’ve wept, and have committed to continue to hold me as I step into a new chapter. These strangers have just voted to hire me as their Worship Arts Pastor.
All of that is to say this: I’m not the same person I was three years ago. Just like everyone, life circumstances change. Needs change. Hearts change. Do I believe that the western model of church is the be all and end all for what church should and could be? No. I believe we could be so much more if we would only be brave enough to imagine something more. But it’s what we have right now. I believe that every person needs other people. No one was made to walk through life alone. God knew just how much I would need a loving community around me and brought me to a place where I have felt overwhelming acceptance and love. That is what I believe the true Church is all about. It’s about how we come together to express our love for God and one another. It’s about being able to set aside our differences and worship as one body. It’s about being able to encourage one another in spiritual growth and maturity.
And so three years after I said that I had no future plans to join another local congregation, I have discovered that God had different plans. God’s plans are always better than my plans anyway. And I thank Him for that fact every day.
The life and fellowship of the church is to be a foretaste of life in the Kingdom of God.
George Eldon Ladd
Verse-by-Verse 