This Church Debate Decides Your Future

I recently finished a book about the Pilgrims called They Came For Freedom. It was interesting to hear more about the story of what they experienced before arriving in America.

As you are likely aware, not everyone was stoked about the Church of England in those days. As more people began to push against the church, it doubled down and tried even harder to consolidate its power and influence. It was an era when religious deviation was met with severe punishments.

In 1558, the "Act of Uniformity" standardized expectations for both laypeople and clergy. The act required all churches to follow the Book of Common Prayer, a structured regimen for the content and order of religious services. Further, worshippers could not gather without the presence of a licensed bishop. For the citizens of England, the act made attendance mandatory — or face punishment. Fines for a one-week lapse in church attendance: twelve pence. Routine absence and seditious activity could amount to imprisonment, or even death.

There were two main responses to these shifts: those who sought to reform the church from within, and those who believed it was too far gone. The first group became known as the Puritans, and the second group was referred to as the Separatists. It was a band of Separatists who eventually became the Pilgrims.

The Puritans were English Protestants who believed the Church of England could be purified, or reformed, from within. They stayed, they argued, they endured. They wanted a transformed church that was stripped of what felt too Catholic, more disciplined, and more governed by Scripture.

The Separatists believed the church was not just flawed but intrinsically corrupt. Reform wasn’t enough. So, they separated, first fleeing to Holland, then crossing the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower in 1620 to form a new, covenantal community in Plymouth.

As I read about the church during that time, it became clear that while many specifics have changed since then, these two options remain available to us today. Whenever we notice that the church is not as it should be, when we begin to lose hope, we can try to change the church from the inside or leave it and create something new. 

These two strands of Christian response—reform versus exit—still shape us today. Every person wrestling with the church steps into one of those pathways with a shared goal of something better. Neither approach is inherently superior, and they both come with unique costs. 

Reform from within can morph into endless frustration. You stay because you believe, but you may feel stuck in cycles of doctrinal rigidity, structural abuse, or cultural exhaustion. You might get to a point where you realize (as I did) that you cannot effect as much change as you think.

Separation opens space for radical freedom and newness... but also risk. You may lose community, tradition, clarity, and any sense of direction.

Both roads—bridge-building and road-walking—carry pain and promise.

Every day, there are people rebuilding something new out of the rubble of both these paths. I see communities (online and in homes, in lean gathering spaces or partnership-driven networks, and yes... even in some traditional spaces) where people are asking the deeper questions:

• “Can we keep the best of our faith traditions and remain open to change?”
• “Can we start fresh and still lean into spiritual formation that matters?”
• "Can we call out the flaws in our systems?"
• “Can we gather in real community, growth, and even uncertainty?”

Each of us must decide whether to stay or go. We must be willing to put in the work to determine which path is right for each of us at this moment. Consider what you want to preserve in church life, and what you are ready to let go of. What kinds of communities are emerging that might offer both roots and opportunities for you to grow?

A few ideas for your next steps:

• Experiment with hybrid spaces where old conversations are happening in new ways and in new forms.

• Look for churches that value history and are open to new ideas and imagination.

• Partner with people on both paths: those trying to reform coexist with those creating something new.

• Keep asking: Can we cultivate gatherings where posture matters more than perfect doctrine? Where honesty matters more than tradition? Where grace matters more than agreement?

Letting go doesn’t always mean abandoning. Sometimes, it's stepping into a new iteration of faith that's smaller, more conversational, more real, and much less polished.

We may trace threads from Jerusalem to Plymouth to the present. Reformers stayed, Pilgrims fled, and today we stand somewhere in between, asking the one question that matters most: What kind of people do we want to become?

There’s a deep invitation here for reimagination. And that, more than any polity or program or doctrine, is often where the Spirit is moving.

Photo by David Dibert on Unsplash

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