Are There Any Good Reasons to Go to Church Anymore?

Church is messy. It takes time out of your day. Frankly, it might even feel boring. Or maybe you’ve had a bad experience at church. You wouldn’t be the first.

Why, then, should people go to church? Sure, we are told in Hebrews not to neglect meeting together (Heb. 10:25), but why? I can learn the Bible elsewhere, worship God elsewhere, experience God in nature, and even find a good Christian community outside the local church. Many people do, especially if they live with other Christians, work with other Christians, or go to school with other Christians.

The fact is, most of the reasons people give for why we should go to church can be reproduced in other ways outside the messiness of church. You may even hear Christians gleefully express leaving the church, like they have outgrown the “institution” of organized religion. They may view it as a sign of spiritual maturity. Those who remain committed to the Sunday gatherings are left wondering why they leave. Maybe a better question we need to ask is this: why should they stay?

The Church as God’s Program (Not a Human Invention)

Maybe you’ve heard it said, “The church is not a building.” I never say this. It’s not that I disagree, but the statement is often used as an excuse for avoiding church completely. The church is not simply hanging out with Christian friends, or staying at home to focus on private Christian activities, either (as beneficial as they may be). Church is a local gathering of believers that is communal, true to the apostolic teachings, structured, unified, and made holy by God.

For many, we must make the crucial shift in our thinking and realize that the church is not a human invention. The local church was and continues to be God’s idea. It’s his program. So, to understand why church matters today, we must spend less time talking about what church can do for us and start considering what God is doing through it. Whether we like it or not, God is establishing his kingdom through churches. Consider:

Biblical Evidence for the Centrality of Church

• When Jesus gave the great commission, the apostles responded by starting churches.
• Most of the New Testament writings were written to churches.
• The ordinances/sacraments instituted by God are performed in the setting of church.
• Some of the strongest rebukes in the Bible are against those causing division in churches or leading churches astray.
• Paul spent much of his time visiting churches, encouraging them, and building them up in the faith.
• The biblical model of Christian discipline takes place in the church (Mt. 18:15–17)
• Instructions for Christian life frequently involve actions we are to take with “one another.” (60 times, by my count.)
• God’s glory is expressed “in the church” (Eph. 3:21)
• When Christ returns, we will gather together as a church—every nation, tribe, peoples, and language—to worship the Lamb before the throne (Rev. 7:9–10).

In the individualistic culture that we experience in the West, we often overlook how prominent and central church life is in the Bible. In reality, a good theological understanding of the church reveals that it’s unthinkable to do the Christian life any other way. This isn’t an extracurricular Christian activity. The community aspect is so strong in Scripture that when Paul refers to Jesus as Lord, he calls him “my Lord” once. He says “our Lord” 53 times.

All of this, because the church is God’s program. He is establishing his kingdom and glory, and he is doing it through churches that gather together for the sake of his name.

Related Content: I don’t like when people say “the church is not a building”.

The Church And Spiritual Maturity

Perhaps a reason Christians often fail to grasp the importance of the church is that we are taught that our ongoing spiritual life is strictly between “you and God.” But this is not true. Scripture is full of verses that tie spiritual growth with church life. For example:

Romans 1:11–12: “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”

Romans 14:19: “So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”

Ephesians 4:11–12: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

1 Corinthians 14:16: “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”

I am not saying that there is no experience of God’s presence or growth in him that happens outside the local church context. However, the church is one of the primary means by which God has chosen to bring his people to maturity. It hardly matters to me how many books on apologetics one reads; if you are not a part of the local gathering of believers, actively participating in that community as God intended, your faith will suffer.

Being a Part of God’s Story

In a world riddled with loneliness and isolation, we need the church more than ever. Not just because it gives us community, but because God has chosen to work through the community of churches, transforming lives to his glory. It’s his story, and we get to be a part of it. If you are not engaged in a local church, I urge you not to let another Sunday pass without participating. If you are part of a local church, review the verses mentioned above and consider your next step to live up to the church’s standard as God envisions it.

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