Why I Left the UPC

[Charnock]

I recently left the UPC and a lot of people have been asking me why.

Primarily, I left because it was a coat that no longer fit.

I left the organization because I no longer want to be identified as a minister whose main purpose was to preserve and protect tradition instead of preaching the Word of God.

I left because I felt like I was lying every time I signed the affirmation statement. I did not agree with many of the holiness standards written in the AOF, and was tired of justifying my disagreement by noting that hardly any ministers agree with everything written there. The knowledge that the majority of ministers sign the oath dishonestly did nothing to assuage my hypocrisy.

I left because I believed I gave more to the org than the org gave to me. There was no reciprocity.

I left because I felt the Lord leading me to leave. Leaving allows me to follow Him, and to preach what He tells me to, without any fear of marginalization or retribution at the hands of my "brothers."

A lot of prayer, counsel, and contemplation has gone into this decision.

Tension almost always accompanies transition. Although there is a sense of sadness involved in the exit, joy and excitement for the future overwhelms it.

I'm glad this is finished.