If Christian community can be so toxic, should we just leave it all behind?

Loren Richmond Jr., pastor, chaplain, and host of the Future Christian Podcast, is on Christianity Without Compromise with host Jake Doberenz to discuss why the Christian faith still calls us to show up in community—even when church institutions fail. They talk candidly about disillusionment, spiritual exhaustion, and the cultural appeal of individualism, yet also uncover what’s lost when Christians opt out of the local church. Loren brings practical insight from both sociology and theology to show why Christian identity depends on more than podcasts and personal devotion. Together, they explore how church forms us, how it’s supposed to testify to God’s way of being in the world, and how to evaluate a church community without expecting perfection.

Important Links:

• “Jake Doberenz on working for a church that doesn’t fit your theology” Future Christian Podcast — https://futurechristian.podbean.com/e/jake-doberenz-on-working-for-a-church-that-doesn-t-fit-your-theology/
• “Why Religion Went Obsolete: The Demise of Traditional Faith in America” by Christian Smith — https://amzn.to/3KgYBFG (affiliate)
• “How the Anglican Tradition Forms a Moral Ecology” by Loren Richmond Jr. — https://lorenrichmondjr.substack.com/p/how-the-anglican-tradition-forms
• “Sustaining While Disrupting: The Challenge of Congregational Innovation” by F. Douglas Powe Jr. and Levett H. Weems Jr. — https://amzn.to/4iGWRC6 (affiliate)
• Loren’s Substack The Church Nerd - https://open.substack.com/pub/lorenrichmondjr

Recommend Episodes:

• "Can Churches Do Business Without Losing Their Soul? - Loren Richmond, Jr." - https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/4
• "Cultivating a Church's Culture - Spencer Shaw" - https://christianitywithoutcompromise.transistor.fm/1

Loren Richmond Jr. is a pastor, chaplain, nonprofit leader, and the host of the Future Christian Podcast. He holds an MDiv from Phillips Theological Seminary and an MBA with a nonprofit focus from Hope International University. His wide-ranging ministry background includes roles from food pantry director to founding pastor, giving him a grounded and practical perspective on the evolving role of the church in society.

Follow this show and Jake Doberenz’s writings at jakedoberenz.substack.com.