6: Can We Let The Church Die?

🎙 Episode 6 – Can We Let the Church Die?What if faithfulness doesn’t always mean staying loyal to an institution?In this episode of What I Do Believe, I talk honestly about why I haven’t been part of an institutional church for years—and why I don’t feel guilty about it. While I still experience God in silence, prayer, and small contemplative communities, I no longer feel the need to keep the larger church “on life support.”I name the common “shoulds” people use—like community, teaching, accountability, and sacraments—and share why I’ve found those things in other, more life-giving spaces. Then I wrestle with the bigger critique: that leaving the church is unfaithful. Maybe the more faithful response is to accept that the institution is dying and trust in resurrection.In this episode:Why community, teaching, accountability, and sacraments don’t only exist in church buildingsHow loyalty arguments and “faithfulness” often miss the pointWhy the institutional church feels more like life support than resurrectionWhy letting go of the institution might be the first step toward new lifeHow God shows up outside the walls of the churchIf you’ve stepped away from church—or wondered if it’s okay to—this episode might help you name your experience without shame and see faithfulness in a new way.🔗 Links & Resources🌐 Website – whatidobelieve.com👉 If this episode resonates, subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zacharybryant.substack.com