How We Knew It Was Time to Leave Our Church

Now that we had the what, we began praying about the when. My husband and I were both excited—and a little anxious—about what we were supposed to do with this word “roots.” We knew God had spoken, but what exactly were we to do, and when were we supposed to move?

Not long after, my husband recalled that a few years earlier, a friend had invited us to visit a Messianic congregation. At the time, it seemed random, but now it felt like God was connecting the dots. My husband believed that was the direction we were being led. I felt peace, too—but we still didn’t know the timing.

We decided to talk to our church leadership. They sat with us, prayed over us, and lovingly asked questions to make sure this truly was from the Lord. Their care and discernment came from a place of deep love, and we were so grateful for it.

As we continued to pray for timing and direction, something unexpected happened. Among the many ministries we were serving in, one was a small group called Starting Point—a study led in rotation by a few couples, every few months. We hadn’t led a session in a while, so it wasn’t on our radar.

While praying, my husband said, “I got a word—Starting Point.”

I blinked. “What?”

He said, “I think God wants us to leave after the next Starting Point class we lead.”

And just like that, we had our “when.”

The next day—literally—the leader over the Starting Point group called and asked if we were ready to lead the next round. My husband said yes, hung up the phone, looked at me, and we both just smiled.

God had answered—clearly, kindly, and right on time.