For those who may not understand our decision, I came across a few quotes while surfing the blogworld that may help explain. See if these statements hold true in your exerience of organized religion:

One more thing. I spoke with a friend recently with whom I’d shared home group life until I moved away some years ago. They used to have lots of friends and how they’ve lost touch with everyone. We talked about how much work time he’d invested in friendships in the last few years and he admitted it was little. Work, commuting and home responsibilities crowded out the time they used to devote to building friendships. Having Jesus-centered friendship is an investment. If we don’t take time to build relationships we’ll find ourselves alone. That’s no way to live. We serve a relational God and I am convinced that almost everything Jesus does he does through relationships, not programs, models or works. Who is God putting on your heart today? Whether they be believer or unbeliever, invest some time cultivating a relationship with them and see where it goes. You’ll be amazed at what God will do. I find for every 20 or 30 relationships I give myself to, maybe 2 or 3 of those become great friends over time. If you’re not casting the net out there, the fish aren’t going to jump in it by themselves.
Wayne Jacobsen

"In my experience "mini projects" defines really well the way people in the church often interact and understand friendships. Too many people want to take a quick 5/10 minutes to "catch up" with what's going on, rather than investing something of themselves into your life. Being there when things aren't going so well. Living in the dark parts of your life. Does the church see friendship as something that needs to be strategic and pre-meditated instead of spontaneous and natural?"

"Some things I have noticed or felt are:
People make a lot less effort with you; after all they need to invest their time and energy into spending time with people already in their church community. If you're not in, you'll be left out."
Paul Fromont