The institution side of the church also drove me away. You have a few select people who are paid for all their work in the church where most people are free unpaid labor. No body says to someone in church, “You need to slow down. Your doing too much.” or “Let me find someone to do this or that and take some weight off your shoulders.”

Another factor of church that drove me away was it was just to much of a production, the production I helped put on every week to keep people intrested and coming, so that the select few could get a paycheck and the bills could be paid… all this work I did for free.

Another factor to leaving church was the whole atmosphere is irrelevent to real life. You can’t take real life to church. The atmosphere is not condusive to one being themselves but to put on a shinney fake face. You can’t take church home or to work. For the most part, I can’t remember the songs that were sung or the pastors sermons for more than 3 steps out the door. That’s what 40 years of the same ole same ole does to a person.

Another reason for leaving is that the institution side of it is set up to corrupt those who are paid by it. It pushes pastors and leaders to preach membership as a biblical concept because it needs members for tax free status. It pushes pastors and leaders to twist scripture about giving to manipulate people to give more and even unbiblical practice of tithing and stewardship that went away after Jesus died on the cross. People don’t go to seminary because they want to grow God’s kingdom for nothing. I don’t see that Jesus wanted His church turned into a business for profit or to be profited from.

The thing is. I can no longer support the great whore who is riding tax free off the back of the internal revenue beast, and living off the blood and sweat and free labor of the saints. This is not what the church is suppose to be.

What I see the church needing to do is to shead the business and go back to Acts, home churches only, no paid positions,… organized, but no name and invisible to the government. Any giving money will only be taken at time of need for those in need so that 100% goes to those who need it.

I really liked your article, very timely for us as a church. I am not really clear on how you use the word ‘righteousness’, could you explain that a bit more.

It seems to me that what you are saying is that it is key for the SAME person to walk with that individual making sure they develo relationships and responsibiites.

Blessings,

Brian