10 Reasons Why it's So Hard to Leave the Church

Addictions are hard to break, including church. Some of us already know this. Now, the rest of us will.

Fear Of Hell

The fear of going to hell gripped me when I left. Did I leave God and God’s people? Does Satan own me? Am I going to Hell? We learn this isn’t true.

Loss of Community 

I lost not all but most friends. We must learn how to make new ones while grieving the loss of old ones. It's complicated and a journey. Read more in this blog post, When You Miss the Community of Church

Inspiration

It’s inspiring to gather, learn, and sing together. I got refueled for the next week. Learning how to do that by yourself is a new skill

Music

I love music. My worship band loved playing together. I haven’t played my guitar since I left nor listened to worship music. Too much “ick”. But time heals. You can read more about this in my blog, I Used to Make Worship Music and Now I'm Triggered by My Guitar

Support

When we struggled, people helped with food, money, babysitting, cars, prayers. Now we’re self-sufficient

Destiny

My life had purpose. I had a destiny! That’s gone but meaning is deeper.

Validation

I felt I was doing good. I had assurance I was saved, blessed, and on the right track. Now we develop self-confidence.

Boredom

At first I felt delinquent. Now I love Sunday mornings. Church is like family with 24/7 demands. I’m now self-directed and don’t depend on others to occupy myself.

Children

Our kids are now adults. We never slammed the church with them, but they knew. They also know we’re not enemies of the church. They’ve developed their own spiritualities.

Inclusion

Many think I hate the church. I was criticized for biting the hand that fed me. Now I’m criticized for challenging something I’m not part of. Can’t win!

Do you relate?