After finally making the decision TO LEAVE, I can clearly remember quickly facing the twin emotional and mental road blocks of -"When to leave?" and "How to leave?" I recall speaking with a friend and expecting some really "deep" wisdom and revelation on the matter. He simply said, "You want to know the right way to leave? PUT ONE FOOT INFRONT OF THE OTHER and WALK OUT the door." At the time, I thought that was the most insensitive thing I had ever heard..of course now after several years, I look back and realize that WAS the sober reality and the most liberating advice to give on the situation.
The most difficult phase of a spiritually abusive experience is usually the exit process. The question then becomes: Should I leave my church? That question can only be answered by you. I hope that you find the resources on this website helpful in your journey through the process of recovery from spiritual abuse.
HOW TO LEAVE A PARTICULAR FELLOWSHIP OF BELIEVERS:
The TRUTH of the matter is...There is NO "right way" to leave a church. BUT there is a way (by departing from your relationship with Christ) you can leave THE Church. Simply because you choose to depart from a specific church group, does not mean you are no longer part of the Body of Christ -which is THE CHURCH. New Testament scripture clearly outlines for us on how we are to properly maintain relationships within the entire Body of Christ..not merely to a select body or building. That is why you will not find any “protocol anointing” taught in the NT. Church structure is NOT set up by man’s standards of “protocol”…this would be an unstable foundation. (Actually most of our familiar “church protocols” are rooted in culture, “folk theology”, and other various denominational traditions…)
The New Testament is also loaded with examples of Christians who came and went at their pleasure, on their own initiative and choosing. There is no evidence of "permission" necessary from any other person. For example, Aquila moved from Rome to Corinth (Acts 18:1-2), then went to Ephesus
