The Exodus Out of the
Institutional Church
(about those who have left the I. C.,
or Organized Religion, or as I call it, the 'System')
This
exodus is not theory and not prophecy
any more. It is fact. In my understanding,
according to what the Spirit showed me and the Bible studies done
afterwards, it is the Lord Himself rejecting an old hardened wineskin
(Matt. 9:16-17) full of false prophets, pastors, and priests, as He
Himself becomes the Lord of His people again, leading them as He will
to safer ground. Is is also His statement against the carnal
religious sheep who have driven other sheep away (Ezek. 34 - the entire
chapter).
-Teri
Lee Earl
- April 2005
update on this trend:
- "ONE
MILLION LEAVING CHURCH per year" - BARNA.
"TREND: Significant increase in
out-of-church Christianity"
A
nationwide survey conducted by the USA based Barna Research Group
indicates that the number of unchurched adults in America
continues to grow by nearly a million people
annually. Interestingly, many of these unchurched people are
spiritually active...
Having
studied church attendance patterns for more than twenty years,
researcher George Barna suggests that the consistent resistance to
church life in recent years is indicative of a historic shift in the
nation's spiritual vision. "A large and growing number of Americans who
avoid congregational contact are not rejecting Christianity as much as
they are shifting how they interact with God and people in a strategic
effort to have a more fulfilling spiritual life. This suggests that we
are on the precipice of a new era of spiritual experience and
expression."
Barna
expects the percentage of adults who are unchurched to grow during the
coming decade. "However, the emergence of a national body of spiritual
leaders who are assisting unchurched people in their quest for
spiritual depth through means and relationships that are outside the
usual institutional vehicles is significant. We anticipate substantial
growth in the number of people who are not connected to a
congregational church but who are committed to God and to their faith."
Source:
BARNA website- http://www.barna.org
Book:
"Revolution" by George Barna, released Sept., 2005
From
Amazon description:
World renowned pollster George Barna has the numbers, and they indicate
a revolution is already taking place within the Church...born again
Christians are exiting the established church in massive numbers...
Barna predicts how this revolution will impact the organized church,
how Christ's body of believers should react, and how individuals who
are considering leaving (or those who have already left) can respond.
For leaders working for positive change in the church and for believers
struggling to find a spiritual community and worship experience that
resonates, Revolution is here. Are you ready?
George Barna's Revolution: A Review, (with other useful reviews and
links)
A Faith Revolution Is Redefining “Church” According to New Study (dated Oct. 2005)
Rapid Increase in Alternative Forms of The Church Are Changing the Religious Landscape (dated October 24, 2005)
More
about, or for, the "Defectors"-- the "Unchurched" :
It has been reported directly to us that especially in
the country of New Zealand, a mass exodus from the I.C.'s has occurred
at a probably faster rate than in the United States. They have suffered
accusations from I.C. pulpits that they are "listening to the devil".
It has been reported that pulpit preachers have commanded the people in
their congregation to not even speak to these 'defectors'.
Scriptural and Practical Notes For
Isolated Believers (outside link)
by Tricia Tillin of Cross and
Word "This article is written to address the thoughts, needs and
concerns of people who have already made the decision to worship
"outside the camp" for good and proper reasons." Contains alot of good
scriptural study and little or no of the soapbox material against any
particular group that Tricia's writings are famous for.
Other New Zealand Christians are gathering information
about the phenomena and quantifying it. See also  A Churchless Faith
and Ten Myths About Church
Leavers, both by Alan Jamieson of Reality
Magazine at http://www.reality.org.nz/articleindex.html
|
Keep Going! ...To Onward and Upward page
or Fellowship
page.
It's not pleasant, but our
initial travels were a bumpy road indeed. We submit a webpage
of testomony to this fact. It as a frank conversation about
what God helped us through as well as some of what we learned through
it in these early years. Go here
to read "Snakes and Critters Along The Trail" .
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