Skillet frontman John Cooper recently spoke about his split with his former church and his fractured relationship with the congregation he and his family had helped build and attended for years, in comments shared with Billboard.
The statement addressed the personal toll of the separation and the wider problem of church leaders who impose their own requirements on members. Cooper described the experience as a difficult period for his faith.
“It was just a really tough couple of years seeing, I think, just some of the worst of Christianity,” Cooper said. “Of course I’m still a Christian. I have my faith and am not doubting my faith or shaken in that way, but I’m like, ‘Man, how can people hurt each other this bad?’ . . . I just don’t understand it.”
He went on to explain how he processed the anger and hurt he felt.
“But it’s not like God doesn’t know. It’s not like it’s a surprise to Him that you are angry and you’re not doing good, so tell Him and ask Him to help you,” he said. “It was a real exercise of faith to me. God is my refuge and He is my strength and He’s not going to let me down.”
Cooper then turned his criticism toward church leadership that adds requirements beyond Scripture.
“There are church leaders who think they know what’s best for everybody else and if you don’t do what they say that you’re going to be in spiritual danger. Or to disagree with the church leader that you’re coming against God himself. . . . There are a lot of churches who want to create rules on top of the Bible’s rules and then say, basically, ‘You’ve got to do our rules to be a Christian — and if you don’t, you’re not welcome,'” he said.
He added that he believes the problem is widespread and called for greater grace toward others.
“It’s just stuff like that and it’s happening everywhere,” he continued. “I just think that we’ve got to do a better job at being gracious toward people and allow people to live their lives.”
Reflecting on his recovery, Cooper said the episode still affects him daily.
“I feel like I’ve come through the other side, but every day [the schism] still enters my mind at least once because it has been such a life-altering thing,” he said. “It put me into a state of chaos and depression for quite a long time, and I battled it every day. I’m back.”
He closed by describing the changes he believes came from the suffering.
“I still have a little bit of a limp, but I can see the places where God wanted to change me, and I believe that the changes are really good and that I would not have made these changes had I not went through it,” Cooper said. “God never changes us during times of prosperity. It’s always during times of suffering. . . . Suffering is good in the end, but when you are going through it, it ain’t fun.”
Those remarks come from a man whose break with the church was far from a minor disagreement. The details behind the split help explain why the experience affected him so deeply.
The rift centered on what Cooper saw as authoritarian leadership and disputes over spiritual authority, as he later shared with Christian Post. He questioned teachings that appeared to place pastors beyond meaningful scrutiny, and his relationship with the church deteriorated as a result. He had served the congregation for nearly 30 years.
The fallout brought depression, anger, deep hurt and a crisis of trust. Cooper has also said that forgiveness does not necessarily require reconciliation. He still does not trust the former leadership.
Cooper has said the experience gave him greater empathy for people wounded by churches and pastors. He still opposes walking away from the faith.
“I do not want you to deconstruct. I do not want you to leave the faith,” Cooper said.
That period of conflict shaped the band’s latest music. Skillet released the six-track EP “After the Storm” on October 9, 2026. The tracklist includes “Scream,” “Lift Me Up,” “Grave Stomper,” “After the Storm,” “Heaven Help Us” and “Come and Find Me.” The release has been described as some of the heaviest, most vulnerable and hopeful music of the band’s career. It explores resilience, betrayal, grief and hope.
