Includes bibliographical references and index.

Leaving for good: looking for Jesus outside the exits -- Five dead fish: some of our reasons for leaving -- Our scandalous choice: wondering how to leave -- Our building project: the leavers' reconstruction of Church -- Interlude: Our Lucid Hope -- The People of God -- The Word of God -- The Mission of God -- The Kingdom of God -- Interlude: Empowered Staying -- How to stay and find joy -- Staying for a change -- Living change -- Interlude: Revolutionary Leaving -- Leaving well -- Re-forming Church -- Conclusion: Life after Church.

Life without church. It's getting easier to imagine. And maybe you already left. A leaver, then. Committed to Jesus, not an institution. Perhaps you've left your church in spirit, remaining in the pew. Outwardly silent. Secretly bored. In either case, Brian Sanders has a word for you. Out of his own experience as a leaver, Brian distills the complex problem into two viable options: Stay. Remain in your church with the blessing of Christ and in the power of his great vision for the church to come. Take the path of revolutionary leaving. Move purposefully, seeking the kingdom of God that is beyond institutions. Whether Sunday mornings find you alone in a one-bedroom apartment or isolated in a church of thousands, Brian reminds you to keep listening for God's call. Reform the church that is Christ's. Be it from the inside out, or the outside in. - Publisher.