People leave churches for many reasons. Some leave frustrated and hurt. Some leave simply because they have moved out of the area. Some people even leave church because they see church involvement as a hindrance to their faith and spiritual growth. Whatever your reasons, we want to hear from you.
The creators of this website love the church, but we are also aware of its flaws. In fact, the church has disappointed us too (and truth be told, we’ve failed the church and people like you at times). It is our desire to create an open venue for those that have left the church to tell us their story.
Tim Bower and Jason Loftis attend Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. This website was initially launched in February 2007 as part of a research project for Dr. John Drane’s course, Theology & Culture.
- To learn more about Tim and Jason, check out the Bios page.
- During our research, we’ve come across some relevant links that we’ve compiled on the Resources page.
GUIDLEINES FOR LETTER WRITERS:
- Do Not Name Names. Please do not name any specific people or specific church names as this will go against the spirit of the website as a place to create constructive dialogue.
- Be Articulate. By no means do we want to censor your thoughts or feelings, but we also ask that you refrain from using excessive profanity to express them.
- Use the Comments to Clarify Your Thoughts. As reflected in our guidelines for comment writers, it is the intention of the site administrators that the comments remain respectful and constructive. Despite our best intentions, there will be commenters that may attempt to debate you, proselytize, or otherwise offend you. Please be patient and extend forebearance, and use the comment function to constructively clarify your letter in reply to your entry’s responses.
GUIDELINES FOR COMMENT WRITERS:
- Receive, Read, and Learn. The purpose of this site is to receive, read, and learn from others without any other agenda. Please maintain that spirit.
- Question But Do Not Invalidate. In most cases, letter writers will welcome your questions or even challenges to their statements if you do so with sensitivity and tact, but never comment using language that attempts to invalidate the writer’s intelligence or character.
- Don’t Unfairly Label Others. Allow the letter writers to identify and describe themselves. Do not interpret their words and attach your own labels to their person or ideas. It is best to cite their own words when raising a point for further discussion. Pursue clarification and avoid name calling.
- Practice Humility & Mutual Respect. Creating an environment for honest, yet respectful, dialogue is difficult; it is the shared responsibility of all of this site’s participants. Be vigilant in your pursuit of humility and mutual respect as you prepare your comments.
A NOTE TO CHURCH MEMBERS:
- Do Not Proselytize. Keep in mind that the letter writers are agreeing to post their stories to the LFL blog because they believe this a credible place to do so. If you remain a church member, we ask that you read these letters with a mindset to learn from the insights and experiences shared. We understand that from your perspective these stories may be heartbreaking, distressing, or even threatening on some level. Expressing your compassion and empathy is welcome to some extent, but our writers do not want your pity as most are certain and proud of the decisions they’ve made. Furthermore, the letter contributors are not coming here to receive proselytizing from the church; presumably, they’ve received enough of that (or too much, as the case may be). The purpose of this site is not to lure those that have left the church here under the pretense that we want to truly listen (read) and then talk at them (comment) with intent to dissuade them from their viewpoint. Our purpose is to Receive, Read, and Learn — period.
- It might benefit you to read the letter entitled “I wish for you ears to hear.” It challenges the church to truly listen to others.
NEXT STEPS:
- If you’re ready to register an account with the site and submit a letter or comment to the blog, check out the Contribute page.
- Obviously, this website collects information from you if you register an account, contribute a letter, and/or add comments. If you have any questions regarding your personal interaction with this site, please read our Privacy Statement.
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