Life Together: Do I Really Have to Go to Church?

Life Together:  Do I Really Have to go to Church?

A common question that I hear as a pastor goes something like this:  “is it really necessary that I go to church, can’t I experience God anywhere?”   Sometimes it comes out more as a statement, “God is just as present at the beach or the golf course than at church…it’s really about me and God and that’s the most important thing?”  How are we to respond? 

To begin, it is strange for me to hear questions and statements like this because I know what a blessing and a gift a church family can be.  There are so many people that I have met along the way experiencing the darkest places in life (cancer, death, job loss, divorce, etc…) and have said, “I don’t know how people go through something like this without the support and love of a church family.”  I know that in some of the most difficult times in my life, it has been the love and strength of church that has been the visible sign of God’s care. 

It is true that God is just as present at the beach and golf course as church, so maybe the question is more than where we encounter God, but how we encounter God.    There is something unique about meeting God in a community of people trying to grow together in love of God and neighbor?  Our spiritual lives are deeper when we share the journey with others.  We have people that can pray for us when we don’t feel like praying, challenge us when we need to be challenged and can cry with us when there are no words.   We do the same for others.  We become the hands, the heart, the eyes, the feet and the tears of Christ for one another and the world.  Maybe this is why Jesus insisted on having a family of disciples close to his side.

I don’t mean to be overly optimistic.  I know that through history, certain churches have done and are doing great harm to people.  Even church communities are susceptible to sin, failure, and unhealthy behavior.  Yet, I don’t want to define the church by her worst, but rather look for her best and call us to live out that ideal!

I don’t think it is by accident that Jesus once said, “where two or three are gathered together, there I am among them.”  There is something about community that reveals Jesus in a special way.  Jesus also surrounded himself with a community of disciples and friends; he did not want to carry out even his ministry alone.   So, while it’s true that we can experience God outside of a church family, we get a deeper and fuller expression of God when we share the journey with others.  As singer/songwriter Jack Johnson says, “…so much better when we’re together!” 

You are the hands and feet of Christ!

Brett