For some reason the audio is very low? Anyone else struggling to hear it?

I start every New Year with this video, because it's critically important to my sanity. 😀

"The church is leaving the building". Yes!

Wish I´ve found this video earlier. Thanks for putting this TRUTH out. After going to several institutional churches for many years, I understood this concept and started living under it. Thank God He now placed me in a church that understand this and does not have the humanly overloaded structures that have the Church of Christ without a real spiritual influence over society. Thanks once again. I will share it with some friends.

And every pastor: “that’s a lot of churches but not MY church...” Jesus: “ahem.... your church?”

this has been my understanding for a year now. I ve church hoped 20+ churches in a year. They are all the same.

That was so good! Yes we are the church, the body of Christ. It's not about a building at all!

This is a very nice video. It took me years to get out of the false belief that one has to be "in the church" to be saved. This video is spot on with the fact that there was no such thing as a religious organization with the NT Christians as Jesus never established a religious organization but His spiritual body of believers in Him.

It’s been 10 years since I “left the building.” I’d been there almost 40 years. I didn’t leave my faith. I wasn’t disgruntled. I just wanted more of the real deal. What was this walk of faith supposed to look like? It’s not supposed to look like high school or a country club. It’s supposed to look like family & a support system of relationships. I spent about 6 years foraging for fellowship which looked like lunch with friends. I tried no less than a dozen times to try to go back to the building, but to no avail. We retired. Moved. Built a new home in a new town. Met new friends. I dug into the Word as never before and read the History of Christianity in order to understand where all the denominations come from. The Holy Spirit had told me that His “people were i need of sound doctrine.” I saw in Jeremiah that His people had “inherited lies.” I saw how much paganism / mystery Babylon had been incorporated into “churchianity” and how Scripture (according to Yeshua, John, Peter, James, Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke) was the TaNaKah / Old Testament (not to throw out the Gospel accounts and letters which were later called scripture). Eventually (end of 2015) I found a home group (we are about 20) and have been there since. They know me. We have a relationship. They are there for me and I for them, and I still interact with other believers (who are not in that particular group). This walk is a walk of faith in Yeshua HaMesshiach / Jesus the Savior. It is a walk of truth and relationship with Him and fellow believers in His Spirit. It’s not about a corporation of big I’s and little yous. We are the Body of Yeshua. Many are content with their churchianity. Many are seeking a genuine walk. I’m still on my journey but more content than I was 10 years ago.

I think many believers have gone through this. The early church was a family and were all close and all depended on one another, it wasnt about a place,a building and one man running the show with you just sitting there watching the show. The local church looks like nothing the early local church.

This is a concept of the Church that needs to be spread like wild fire....🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥⛪

So intresting, to go back to the basics of spirituality and love instead of the business model of mass control, discrimination, fanatism and stereotipes, I love it

I left the institutional church about 10 years ago. However, in my past, I was a full time pastor for over 25 years. But I just couldn't square up that model and the New Testament one. So now meet in a small home fellowship where everyone can share and be led more by the Holy Spirit.

Excellent!!! I’ve been out of the institutional church for almost 20 Years and YOU NAILED IT!

As it was in the beginning, so it will be in the end. We're going back to the book of Acts

I stepped out of church over 20 years ago, not because I lost my faith, but because I wanted to preserve my faith. My vision was to start a home church in the PNW. I found that so many people could not grasp the concept of church that didn’t have a time, a building, a pastor, children’s church, nursery….it’s been an extremely frustrating experience. So, 20+ years down the road, I find myself still unchurched, but growing in ways that I doubt I could have otherwise. Fellowship is wherever I can get it.

After Corona...we're now finding this talk to be very true for many. Pastors went online to still try and keep their flocks together and keep their Tithes coming in. Sad.

i live in omaha nebraska...seems they are all institutionalized. i cant even bear the thought of going to another church, its more like a prison, where you sit, be bored, get up, leave. theres barely any time at for actual fellowship.

If we only had the commands of Jesus, (less than 50 in the Gospels) we would not have religion, temples, sabbaths, reverends, titles, divisional names and doctrines, manmade rules, tithes, popes, grand buildings. We would love our neighbor, each other and love sharing the good news of Grace. Widows would be cared for, orphans adopted, abortions stopped, homeless sheltered, the hungry fed, heartbreaks healed. Be salt, shine light, wash feet! Hebrews 12:15

It's the financial stuff for me. I could not believe it when it was announced that only 5% of our church budget went to outreach in our area. FIVE percent?! I am currently praying for clarity on the direction of moving towards having church in our home.

Going back to our roots, the church as a living organism is truly spreading her roots, excellent presentation Richard, thank you.

So good! Love everything about this.

Late to the party. Been going since 2010, but left in 2017. I started in a small, intimate school church that was more communal, but later joined in megachurches which indeed felt more corporate and impersonal. This video pretty much summed up a huge aspect of my faith journey in leaving the institutional "church" for good.

"Breaking out of the box", it's being called out of Mystery Babylon!! "Come out of her my people!!"

Awesome, thank you for sharing!❤

I read the book, spent 7 years in the assembly and met you once when you were a little girl. There is life, truth and true relationship with God waiting on the other side. We must be brave.

Bingo this nailed it perfectly, on why I left an institutionalized Church and the stresses of Church Politics (my opinion) that went with to seek God’s Word in a more constructive and more welcoming setting, you are not alone, God Bless You and again THANK YOU 🙏

Great! GREAT!Great!

I want to thank you bro you speak loud and clear I tee totally get it

I am excited!! Saw the presentation... can only be the work of God's Spirit... I also share in the amazement that what Richard said to the audience was well received... it's far out from the usual... so I have to conclude that God spoke ... I am distributing the links to all my contacts... Last Days... the people = church ... back to Acts ...

Hey bro you are soooo tee totally right this is not about about being famous or even being disliked in a big way it’s about the truth

Thank you for sharing. I have no been part of and institutional church for years now and my spiritual growth has advanced greatly. I do still meet with other believers on a regular basis and we all participate in interacting with one another.

That was great!

great job Richard, "the church is leaving the building", love this

I am exactly where you were, where I feel lonely with my evolving faith and frustrations. I have all these realizations that no one else around me shares. It is so validating and feels so good to hear my own sentiments and thoughts being expressed by someone else. Thank you for stepping out and influencing the movement. I have known that I want to write and share since before I lost my religion. I had even considered doing my own version of this Ted talk. But yours is better!

I feel like a lot of churches and colleges likes to run their "operations" like a business but get the non profit benefits.

Thank you so much for your talk. My own present feelings - succinctly put. So relieved that I am not alone.

A great talk for these times. I think God is shaking the box trying to get the church out.

I'm one of those people who considers myself to be spiritual but not religious. I had a NDE over 40 years ago, and my life's outlook has changed dramatically over the past 40 years. But in a sense, this is an improvement of my outlook.

WE are "homestyle, the kind Jesus loves to visit" We challenge you to come out of Babylon and her divided denominated daughters, flee the dead altars of old covenants and worship with your family, neighbors and loved ones of the real family of God. 1 John 3:23-24

Excellently explained! My eyes were opened while training to be a pastor and when I was asked to take it over I declined and the institution closed the church because they could not pay for a full time pastor! the church for many other reasons.

I very much appreciated this. I consider myself between deist and atheist. Because I want to let go of what I was indoctrinated into from the momebt I was born. But because of that indoctrination of the institution, I also can't let go. The thoughts are always in my head. I still cant fully explain my stance or feelings. But this really helped with my deep inner hatred for institutional gathering. I may look into finding community gathering instead of just being at an institution and not learning or growing a single thing. But instead to exercise what I do know and believe. I'd rather find what I believe myself than to rely on what I grew up with. But this helped me realize its okay to have some kind of faith while still being reasonably well, standing. Thank you

Agree fully and this is really like opening a cage or box

Thank you so much for this video! The next someone asks me why I don’t go to church, I’ll just send them this video. You nailed it!

Great presentation! Great message!

wow, great point

Unless, someone has mentioned it already, the book Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola is an excellent starting place to understand how the church become this way. I to have been on this journey and did not attend church for much the same reasons, although I guess I didn't realise it at the time.

This was awesome. I grew up in an institutional church, bordering on a cult. Many of the reasons I left are the reasons you touch on here. A great talk that makes a lot of sense. Thank you.

Wow, sounds a lot like Wayne Jacobsen “So you don’t want to go to Church anymore” and “Finding Church.” This is a great and simple presentation of a complex issue. A lot of people have come to similar conclusions; some of us were drawn to the house church model, but a model is not the answer. Although a church that meets in a home is prone to be more relational, it has the potential to operate under similar conformity based structures and pressures.

I can so relate to this. I came to Christ OUTSIDE of the institutional church and the Spirit plunged me into ministry right away. All my growth has been outside the institution. Then, I decided to visit the buildings. I had fun doing some church hopping and meeting the diverse body of believers, it's not bad but I've never felt the need to "join" or become a "member" as I know I already AM the church. The concept of the institutional church has always confused me because whenever I think of "going to church" it feels like it's taking me away from an active ministry and life in the Spirit. I don't want to become a complacent body in the pew nor be dependent on what someone on stage got out of their journey with God that week. Small groups of course make up for this since more interaction is encouraged, but I get waaaay more interaction and discussion through on line groups than I can at a physical church gathering because half the night there is usually spent talking about the food lol. I don't know, maybe it's a matter of different strokes for different folks. I know I am not the type that will ever join an institution but will likely remain a visitor with things to share.

Many years ago, I read a book titled, "The Open Church". It opened my eyes!!! Should be a must read on this subject.

I think it's really important to discuss church.

Great video! Well done summarizing so many important concepts in such a short time. I hope many see this and are liberated to better follow Jesus into the world!

AWESOME!!!! He told my story!

Well done Richard! May God keep opening doors for you, and also for all to whom God is bringing fresh revelation about where the body of Christ is heading to next

Generally, right on in your analogies. Eph.4:11-12 directs "church leaders" to equip the SAINTS for ministry. The meeting of the church in Acts 20:7-11, was a meal, shared by family, with spiritual emphasis. It was also not Paul "preaching" to them, but "discussing" with them (Greek word is the origin of "Dialogue."). We have meet this way for a decade, our ministry to the lost is not supported by denominations, but people committed to seeking and saving the lost. We spend 3 days in two different prison and work with a half-way house, too. Everyone has opportunity to participate. This IS God's pattern in the Bible, the institutional model is human wisdom, and dangerous to relationship with God (Mt.15:1-9).

Dear Richard; what a great talk, what a great work! Thank you very much for the opportunity to know you and work with you. You're one of the most intense and rewarding speakers I've ever coached!

just re-watched; amen, brother

Love this!! Great job!

Thanks for sharing this. Well done.

Excellent! Thanks for sharing this story.

Wonderful! Well spoken!

Thanks! ❤

I wish there were ways for like minded believers both in and outside the institutional church to connect and fellowship. The road is just as lonely for those who see the church building as described here, but remain for various reasons.

Great job!

Right on time!!

Some people in churches remind me of that movie, The Stepford Wives. Churches have tried to become country clubs. The only thing missing is a big screen TV showing the football game of the week. Probably soon to come.

Excellent presentation. The best I have seen on this subject. Well done.

Very good job Richard! I love it! "Change a few peoples minds about those of us who don't"

As a Torah observant Christian, I believe you basically nailed it on the head. Most of us have either left churchianity or are trying to currently.

EXCELLENT! Thank you for your WORK! God bless you. Sharing this r/n!

Thank u very much

Well done Richard! I'm so grateful for your work and will be sharing this video with a lot of people who will be glad to find their own questions, experiences and longings so well represented.

Love the comparison of how we define church vs. how we actually use the term church in our vernacular

He's right ↑↑

A book that really changed my life about 18 years ago was "The Harlot Church System" by Charles E. Newbold. God used that book (as well as other things) to show me what the institutional "church" system really was.

I feel the same way as all of you commented below. I live near Olympia, wa. Does anyone live by me? I would like to connect with a community of believers close by.

I left the institutional church in 1997… been house churching with various groups over the years. Totally agree with your take on things. But not sure where you are getting your statistics on people who would house church…. 30 million?? Where are they?? When I talk to my fellow institutional church Christian friend about this, they give me the “oh that’s nice” and then continue on their way “going” to church. Even most of the folks I house church with are also part of an institutional church, and say to me, “we can do both”. Sure, but where are the folks that see the Biblical prescription for open meetings in the home, and see in Scripture what I see????

I have the same perception of church- especially my 37 years as Roman Catholic. Methodist have a tradition of small group study for support learning and accountability. Its better but not perfect

I am a Done too!!

Brilliant idea for a background.

That was a good talk. I really enjoyed that bro^^ God was certainly with you:)

Richard. I’m just now seeing this somehow. Well done! It would be great to connect sometime. I think I trip to Nashville may be in order.

Love how you ended the talk. 🙂

The church’s problem is that there so comfy in it’s self that they forgotten about the loss in 2 Peter 3:9 He’s patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance

Not sure what he meant by having more "diversity" and "gender equality" at 8:34. Anyone?

Wow! I'm surprised that Richard Jacobson spoke in TEDx 😮👌🏻

Denominations have it all backwards. We should be spreading the gospel. We will have an eternity to worship and praise God.

This is a Great Message IMHO!

I came to this conclusion myself.

Whilst I agree with the heart of what Richard is saying, he actually misses alI the benefits that the church and building has on the lost, the poor, the neglected, the widow and the orphan. The church I am at (building) we use the building as a place where everyone can meet, otherwise theres' no room in my house to fit in a 100 people....you've also got to be practical...I believe that there is a place for the Temple, Jesus visited the temple daily, the bible tells us to meet regularly and not to forsake the assembling of one another as some are in the habit of doing, and that isn't always practical to meet at someones house. I acknowledge that some of the mega churches go a bit far, and are way too much like a business etc, but they're reaching people, I guess in my view, it's what they do with the people who do give their lives over to God, do they get followed up etc, etc.... I know the community of people I belong to yes it's in a building, and we call it a church as it's where we meet, to listen and participate, and encourage one another, and we share a meal after. I know that my conscience is clear in what we as a church are doing in our community & the world beyond just our 4 walls. I think what Richard is doing is great, but there are benefits to both sides. AS long as he doesn't think he is better than anyone else. People should question leadership etc... and that's a great thing, but I believe in the global church and making a differen e in peoples lives. Praise be to GOD.

My little church constantly needs money for something.

I’m glad you’re doing something to hopefully make churches and hopefully eventually most of the Christians change for the better and hopefully things can finally be at peace for everyone one day

I live in Chilliwack, BC. PM if you have similar convictions and would like to talk.

If church is a family, then the financial activities also like to be same like our families... So the church watchman have the role of the father, others like children , so father work for family and at the same time children also work for family, each day they meet and share their income on that day including father's income and then father will distribute to the children's families, they will bear the loss also, no one can not claim the properties of the families because it's for everyone..they will have one heart, everything will be shared with love, so They live by church family and live for church family, they never mix with is world but they will bring poor sinners into their family and give salvation by the word of god, they will share revalations daily, testimony daily, pray daily, break the bread daily, there will not sorrow but peace, all the tears wil be wipe out of church family... Etc so this is called true 'church'. Church is the big family for save the poor and those who want to become a poor for poor..

if you feel similarly to this, you might want to look up your local quaker meeting. they've been "unchurching" for centuries.

Richards, shouldn't your description sentence read "Richard Jacobson quit his full-time job as a pastor in 2003 NOT because he was having a crisis of faith"? That would correspond to what you said on stage. Thx for sharing anyway, I fully agree.

leaving out the rest of 1 cor 12, 5 fold ministry. and what about the Holy Spirit and Worship?

The church I just started going to just got a 24 million dollar shopping mall with a 5 million dollar downpayment. It definitely got me thinking - which lead me to search this video I guess haha

Therefore we are still in the early Church age. All believers now have access to the Holy Bible, and what it means and teaches is still a debate. I expect the Kingdom of God to continue to grow like the mustard seed, and things to improve over hundreds, if not thousands of years until 1 Corinthians 15:24 takes place.