Why Salvage?

The metaphor of salvage frees us to acknowledge the broken state of what we are leaving, or have left. It declares that a church or tradition is recognized as unsafe, uninhabitable, wrecked. But salvage also recognizes that wreckage can be sifted through, and treasures can be found, claimed, and reclaimed. The reclamation can be a repurposing that is shaped by the purpose and values of the one who salvages.

Salvage fits with gleaning in it's emphasis on recovering something good. The act of gleaning sees value in what can be gathered from what has been left behind. Even when a field has been picked over, and the best taken away, there is sustenance to be found.

Leaving a harmful evangelical church doesn’t result in instant freedom. Sometimes the influence of what you are leaving feels impossible to escape, and at the same time you may feel completely alone. Leaving can feel like fleeing a burning building, surviving with only the clothes on your back. You don’t have to know the source of the smoke that is choking you to know that you have to leave to survive.

Salvage missions are for those who are done with trying to survive the spiritual and cognitive dissonance. For those who are ready to define something new, rather than attempting to effect about change from within. It is for those who have been pushed out, walked away, or spent too much time struggling to bring incremental change within a dishonest system. As you sort out your life post evangelicalism, make sure to take up space and don’t allow yourself to be spiritually bullied. Take the time to think about what you truly value. What is yours to keep, what do you gladly leave behind, and what do you grieve? Is there anything worth saving? With a little distance you may find that there is something to be found in the wreckage that is worth sifting through to reclaim and repurpose in a meaningful way.