Your “Out of Church Christians” article really “grabbed” me. I also read the other testimonies of people who were tired of the church “game.” I wonder how many testimonies you will hear from Pastors like myself who also got tired of the church game, didn’t know what to do about it, and when I prayed, there was great silence in Heaven (as well as on my part of the earth) so I quit!! I pastored Foursquare churches fifteen years and an Assembly of God for eight. I finally got tired of pouring my heart out to people who just didn’t seem to “get It.” Oh, there were some with a good degree of zeal, but they went right off to Bible school and became ministers in their own right. This is not bad, but it left me with no one to help me. We had “glorious song services”, exiting prophecies, messages in tongues, testimonies, special singers and all the rest—but it didn’t seem to have any lasting effect on anybody. If we should have a rather dull service following one of the “glorious” ones, people were ready to leave. I just got tired! Tired of trying to get people “fired-up” for Jesus. Tired of trying to help them get out of sinful and self-destructive practices. Tired of crying my eyes out when people, in spite of my efforts would go off into fornication, adultery, drugs or whatever. I even got tired of not having my prayers answered regarding these people. I also got tired of taking care of old church buildings in need of repairs. Air-conditioning and/or furnaces breaking down. Tired of my wife having to spend hours doing the janitor work. I was also tired of her having to drive all the church “poor” folk all over town to get their chores done. I got tired of paying the bills and keeping the Tax-man happy by obeying all the IRS rules for churches that in reality “hamstring” a church. I got tired of a denomination that charges its ordained clergy $180.00 (US funds) per month to retain their credentials. That money is used to keep the hierarchy in luxury and not to spread the Gospel. I really didn’t know this until I visited the headquarters of the Southern California District in Irvine California, home of the richest highest-priced real estate in the USA, and found such opulence that would put Saddam Hussein’s palaces to shame. I got so tired I quit my church and my denomination. I was frusted angry and hurt – and a little disappointed in God Himself for not doing something to keep his churches from being so lax spiritually, and so materially-minded. I didn’t go to church anywhere for over a year. Finally at my wife’s persistant urging we started “checking-out” churches in the area. I don’t need to go into details to talk about what was going on there. Other writers have elequently described the endless preocupation with the various “activities” to keep everyone busy and/or happy. Recently The Lord has been nudging my heart to get ready to minister again… I don’t think that the Lord wants me to be a “pastor of a church” as we know it now. It may be a home Bible study – I just don’t know. I love the Lord and want to do His will. I pray that He makes His will known – and soon! I was beginning to have somewhat of an “Elijah complex” – you know, that’s where you “boo-hoo” and tell the Lord “I’m the only one!” “It’s just me and You and mostly you.” I am so glad to find out that there are not only 5000 prophets left in Israel, but many many more thousands and thousands. I wonder if there are any former pastors or other former clergy out there with the same point of view. Sincerely, in Christ,