I used to believe that the church was the most powerful source of hope on the planet. That is, until I got old enough to notice its defects.
Once in adult land, I quickly stumbled upon a list of religious flaws and a side of the church that was far from hopeful.
Unfortunately, I am not the only one who lost some admiration for the church along the way. Many of my fellow twenty-somethings ended up less than impressed with the church as well. And sadly, as my peers dropped out of local congregations, they were promptly welcomed into a multigenerational group of ex-church attenders.
Apparently, disillusionment has been sidetracking the church attenders of our world for some time. Granted, the disillusioned don’t always ditch the church scene altogether. Some of the people in the pews are just as disgruntled as those playing hooky. Almost everyone seems to have a story to tell about some painful encounter with the church.
So whether you are disgruntled with the church right this minute or whether you’re just concerned about a friend who is jaded by organizational Christianity, I invite you to correspond with me and my generation about your experiences.
Do I think a simple exchange of letters can eliminate our frustrations altogether? No. I suspect that as long as we have ideals, we will have disillusionment.
I hope, though, that as long as we have disillusionment, we will fight it together.
Headed toward fullness, Sarah”
These words lead into the actual contents of a book titled: Dear Church, letters from a disillusioned generation. It was authored by Sarah Cunningham, a PK, writer, teacher at high school, speaker while pursuing her seminary degree and continue to learn to live as church via a home gathering in Jackson, Michigan.
This book is helpful to understand the minds of the ex-churched. It offers a voice for those who are disillusioned of the church as an institution yet have already exited her premises without a word. The tone of the voice is neither judgmental nor condemning to the church but rather points to a very hopeful direction.
It is an easy to read book because the style is in the form of letters. It touches one or two nerves of those of us who are church goers. It echoes with the majority of the ex-churched. Therefore, it can be used as a Life Group discussion guide for groups that have both the in-churched and ex-churched.
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