The Ex-Christian Scientist

Information, resources & support for those leaving or questioning Christian Science

How to leave the Mother Church & CS Association

Liz Heywood in front of The Mother Church Boston
Photo courtesy of Liz Heywood lizheywoodwriter.com

Two of our most commonly asked questions are how do I leave the Mother Church, and how do I leave my CS Association?


Unless you have formally withdrawn your membership, you are likely still counted as a member of the Mother Church, aka The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston.

With a quick e-mail to the Office of the Clerk you can formally withdraw your membership, or you can write a letter.

If you do it via e-mail, it takes around 36-48 hours for them to reply.  A sample letter is provided below.

The Church may ask why you are choosing to leave, however this should not impede your ability to do so.


E-mail

[email protected]

Postal Mail

Clerk
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Membership, P06-10
210 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115-3195

Feel free to use the following letters as a template to write your own letter to the Clerk (or copy and paste it into your e-mail). If you do not receive a reply within 30 days, you may want to follow up with an e-mail.

Your Address

Clerk
  The First Church of Christ, Scientist
  Membership, P06-10
  210 Massachusetts Avenue
  Boston, MA 02115-3195

Date

Dear Church Clerk,

I hereby voluntarily withdraw my membership from The First Church of Christ, Scientist, effective immediately, and request that you remove my name permanently from your membership records.

I wish no further contact from the Church except to confirm that my name has been removed from your records. I expect to receive that confirmation within a reasonably short time.

Thank you for taking care of this in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Your Name

How to Write a Goodbye Letter to CS Teacher

Keep it short & to the point, no need to engage further or explain! This could also work for a Branch Church or TMC membership as well. 

Dear [Teacher’s Name],

I find I am no longer walking the path of Christian Science. As such, I formally withdraw my name from your Association. Please remove me promptly from your roll. I appreciate this being done in a timely manner. 

I wish you the best going forward. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]