I know many in the body of Christ notice this as well. The stirring happening in the church right now. It’s not loud. It’s not on stage. It’s not trending. But it’s real. It’s quiet, almost like a whisper, but it’s unmistakable. I believe with everything in me that what we are witnessing is the beginning of a new exodus.
Not from faith, not from Christ, but from the structures that were never truly His in the first place. Something happened at the end of COVID. As doors reopened and programs relaunched, a question began to rise in the hearts of so many faithful believers who had attended Sunday after Sunday, served, tithed, and gave their lives to the “church” as they knew it. The question wasn’t rebellious or angry, it was honest: “What are we doing?” Not in cynicism. Not in bitterness. But in clarity. In hunger. In a longing for something more than theater lights and movie-based sermon series.
And here’s what I believe the Lord is showing us: This is not a falling away. It’s a calling out.
When the pandemic closed the doors of many churches, it also exposed how fragile our structures had become. For centuries, the church has largely functioned within a Constantinian framework. One that began not with the apostles, but with an emperor. The early church, the one that turned the world upside down, had no buildings, no budgets, and no branding. But it had power. It had presence. It had people who knew their God. But post-Constantine, Christianity became a religion of hierarchy, not community.
From basilicas to boards, from pulpits to platforms, the ekklesia (called-out ones) slowly became a weekly event centered around a few gifted individuals, while the rest sat in rows, mostly inactivated, unequipped, and unchallenged. And yet, the Word says: “And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11–12)
That’s the blueprint. Not attendance but equipping. Not passive listening, but active participation. Not hierarchy, but team. That’s what Jesus modeled. That’s what the apostles walked in.
What we’re seeing now is a growing number of believers who are stepping out of traditional buildings, not because they’ve abandoned the faith, but because they’re being drawn into something deeper. They’re meeting in homes. They’re gathering in parks. They’re breaking bread in coffee shops, restaurants, and garages. They’re opening Bibles, praying for one another, and walking in the Spirit. And it looks a lot like Acts. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer… Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house…” (Acts 2:42, 46)
The early church gathered publicly and from house to house. It was never either/or. It was both/and, until we institutionalized it into either/or again. The remnant is not retreating. It’s reforming, and the Spirit is inviting us to return to the simplicity and power of the original model. Not to imitate it like a museum piece, but to walk in its DNA.
Make no mistake, this is not about bashing the bride. This is about preparing her. I love the Church. Deeply. I’ve given my life to serve her. But love tells the truth, and truthfully, many of our models are broken. Not because we’re bad people, but because we built what He never asked for and now, just as He did in the wilderness, I believe God is calling His people again: “Come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. (2 Corinthians 6:17a,)
This isn’t about going rogue or leaving community. It’s about rediscovering real community. It’s about rediscovering His church, not the one man built for Him, but the one He is building Himself. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church [ekklesia]; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:18) He said My church. Not your version. Not my version. Not Rome’s version. Not the Western polished version. His.
This isn’t the end of the church. It’s the rediscovery of her identity. The systems are shaking, but the Spirit is speaking, and those who have ears to hear are rising, not to leave Jesus’ bride, but to finally become her.
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