As a progressive Christian minister, Gretta Vosper has always tried to lead her congregation with reverence for how people live, rather than what they believe.

She's written two best-sellers on relegating belief in a traditional or supernatural God and prioritising the importance of living justly with compassion.

It's a progressive position, and could be considered edgy in the context of religious orthodoxy.

But even more controversially, Ms Vosper has come out as an atheist.

And rather than turn away from religion, she said she wanted to continue leading her congregation at West Hill United Church in Toronto, Canada.

She said her declaration was partly about building awareness of the need for reform within the church, and that working in the same way as an outsider would get much less recognition.

Church authorities have recommended that Ms Vosper be defrocked. She said the last thing she wanted to do is interrupt anyone's experience of God.

But she said her beliefs had nothing to do with a theistic, omnipresent, supernatural being that can intervene at any moment to make sure all is happening as it should be.

The road less travelled ... by a church minister

Ms Vosper said most of her flock supported her efforts to move beyond a traditional definition of God, and behind closed doors some of her clerical colleagues were also backing her.

One retired United Church minister, Beverley Burlock, has even asked to be defrocked in solidarity.

Ms Vosper's journey of losing faith in a traditional, constructed God did not see her arrive at atheism quickly.

Instead she started by identifying as a theological non-realist, or somebody that denied much of what she had learned about Christian theology.

It was coming to terms with punishment doled out to atheists, and others accused of heresy, that spurred Ms Vosper to embrace the commonly understood and popular description.

"My beliefs did not change and the manner in which I led the congregation I serve in Toronto did not change," she told RN's Spirit of Things.

"What changed was my understanding and awareness of what was happening in the world.

"In 2013 in Turkey a world renowned pianist was sentenced to 10 months in prison for identifying as an atheist on social media.

"In Bangladesh, four authors were arrested and threatened with execution because they had been identified as atheists."

Ms Vosper felt it was her duty to stand beside these atheists around the world, who held beliefs that were fundamentally similar to hers.

Why not leave God's house?

Ms Vosper said it was important for her to work within the United Church, the Canadian denomination that has a similar background as Australia's Uniting Church.

She said it was known around the world for being progressive, one "constantly holding its beliefs and its doctrine accountable to the great mandate: to love".

Some of Ms Vosper's flock have been vocal supporters of her efforts to reform the church. ( Getty Images: Rick Madonik/Toronto Star )

"That denomination had made great strides and often set examples," she said.

Seeing a world where people had moved away from religion led her to despair, as she believed religion had "many positive gifts to give to the community".

Ms Vosper said her services at West Hill look like most other church services, but with more diverse readings.

"It's not that we don't read from the Bible; we just don't read from it every week," she said.

"We use a lot of secular material as well. I've used Charles Dickens and I've used the scripts for Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

The approach is not about demoting the word of God, Ms Vosper said — rather it is about lifting up what humanity has created.