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Does anyone have any advice how to leave your church or synagogue? I would like to check out other places of service, but feel an obligation to let my current place of prayer know that I am leaving. Any suggestions? Thank you!
You write them a letter, letting them know your intentions and why. It's tantamount to 'resigning'. This is the way my bible studies inform their current churches that they are leaving and it has quite a positive effect.
Does anyone have any advice how to leave your church or synagogue? I would like to check out other places of service, but feel an obligation to let my current place of prayer know that I am leaving. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Walk out the door. Enter another door. You are obligated to no one, if you feel as though you need to tell someone, tell them. If you don't, don't. If they ask, you can answer, or not.
Go into your closet and pray in secret. Churches are not for praying to God.
I think figs would feel better if there were some type of closure made. Many people don't want their former churchgoers checking up on them as if they need 'saving'. Writing a letter lets the preacher etc. know that you are making an educated and purposeful decision instead of just neglecting worship altogether.
Anyway, I might be wrong but that is the impression I got from the OP.
I agree with Freedom..If you want to leave...leave..You owe no explanation, imo. It is between you and God..If someone later asks why you left, just tell them why you left..
When I tried to leave my church years ago,I wrote a resignation.
Later, I received a letter from the saints stating they discussed my resignation at their board meeting, prayed, and my resignation was declined!
Use your feet, and start walking! Seriously, just do what you need to do. There is certainly no reason that you have tell everyone in your church/synagogue what you are doing, and why, unless you wanted to share with a close friend.
Now, if you hold an office, or teach a class, something of that sort, (where someone is relying on you), then it would be proper to tell your pastor, bishop, priest, rabbi, or whoever, that you are leaving. Even then, it's up to you, as to how much information you choose to give as to your reason for leaving. Personally, I wouldn't get too in-depth about it.
I don't know, I'm not really much of a people person, so I guess I don't feel that it's necessary to give other people all the information that they think they're entitled to. Unless, of course, your reasoning has to do with illegal or unethical goings-on that you have discovered, in which case, people do need to know. But, if it's just because you're ready to move on, or things have gotten stale, or you're beginning to have problems with certain teachings, sermons, etc., then just move on down the road, and find someplace else where you can be happy. Life's too short to be worried about what everyone else thinks!
You may tell people not to worry what people think all you want but its easier said than done.
My experience is that people like to make severing ties w/ their former church 'formal' for two main reasons:
1. They don't want to be continually bothered by concerned church members that feel they should be attending when they arent
or.
2. They don't wan't to have any ties with teaching they no longer agree with or support. Most people who come to a realization that their church or preacher is condoning or preaching things that are not from the bible, do not want there to be any doubt as to their feelings.
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Seriously, just do what you need to do. There is certainly no reason that you have tell everyone in your church/synagogue what you are doing, and why, unless you wanted to share with a close friend. 
Unless, of course, your reasoning has to do with illegal or unethical goings-on that you have discovered, in which case, people do need to know. But, if it's just because you're ready to move on, or things have gotten stale, or you're beginning to have problems with certain teachings, sermons, etc., then just move on down the road, and find someplace else where you can be happy.
Life's too short to be worried about what everyone else thinks!
