Why do you feel you have to have a middle man group to stand between or translate between yourself and God? No one has to abandon god because they leave organized religion. My faith grew immeasurably when I left the RC.
When a group starts pushing things 100% contrary to their founding doctrine, that group no longer represents that doctrine.
HarleyLady can certainly answer this question directed specifically to her, but let me add my own 2 cents' worth as well.
If there is any "middle man" "standing between" myself and God, it is the Man Jesus Christ.
The Church was founded by Christ. It is the Body of Christ. It has lived on in Him in all the continents and and myriads of cultures, through all the vicissitudes of history for 20+ centuries, on her pilgrim way with Christ (since Christ said "I am the Way.") He could no more be separated from the Church than He could be separated from His Body, His beloved, His bride.