rogermugs:

I can’t help with reasons to leave the Church.

I am no longer altogether certain that any of us mean the same thing when we use the term the Church.

Nevertheless, I believe that there is only one Church which is the body of Christ here on earth and Jesus is its head. We are His members, His eyes, ears, hands, heart and legs. You either are a member or you are not a member.

So leaving the Church as you phrase it may mean a much more radical departure that you are envisioning. I conclude from your passion for ministry and your evident sadness that the Church is not meeting your expectations (and the expectations of many others I believe as well) that you have not lapsed into disbelief and faithlessness.

That being the case, you are sort of stuck in the Church and with the Church and, dare I say it, the Church is stuck with you. This is I think one of the most wonderful and beautiful aspects of Christ’s Church. We are pretty much stuck with each other and are forced to live together under Jesus’ authority following His example and His teachings. Once on a family vacation to the western parts of the United States, I saw a machine, a rock polisher, in action. Put in a lot of sharp, sometimes ugly rocks, a little lubricant, spin them all around, and after a while they are all smooth, gloriously beautiful and polished. Not a biblical metaphor for the Church, but one which has for me been a very good and instructive one.

I shared with my Priest (I am an Anglican by choice) that I wanted to become a charter member of the Society of Christian Misanthropes. Our motto: I don’t have to like you; I only have to love you; God says so. All kidding aside. If love is taken as the active verb it’s meant to be, then opportunities to overlook foibles and shortcomings in others (and have them overlooked in you) and ministry opportunities should abound right where you are.

So the real question is really are you willing to stay where you are isn’t it? Risky business to be sure. You, your church, the building, the people you know, the people you don’t know, those you don’t like, the pastor, the leaders, the fervent and the uncommitted occupy a tiny foothold, a beachhead on foreign territory, an outpost of eternity, Heaven’s legation here on earth.

When you all meet together to worship the Eternal God, you join in an eternal, timeless rite joined with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven singing Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Heaven and Earth are full of Your Glory! Hosanna in the Highest! Not bad company that, fellow believers and seraphim. You could do a lot worse. Make the most of where you are. That is where, I believe the greatest  growth in Christ-like virtues is most likely to develop.

 Alario