Showing Up To Church – Why Bother?
I’ve spent a bit of time over the last couple of weeks allowing God to speak to me about gathering together as God’s people. I have had quite a few conversations with people, recently and over the last few years, who are pretty apathetic as far as ‘going to church’ is concerned.
Various well-meaning authors and writers have added fuel to this fire, hoping to encourage Christians to think about being and doing church in new ways – but it seems like quite a few of us have managed to move from re-thinking church into just doing our own thing, by ourselves, and sadly often ending up just drifting away from other Christians, from authentic Christian community, and ultimately from God…
Add to this the growing amount of ‘good’ and ‘important’ things which take up our time week in week out, and plenty of really good podcasts and other resources available online and in Christian bookstores, and we can easily end up ditching ‘going to church’, getting together regularly with God’s people and being committed to investing in relationship with one another. (By the way, I realise that it is arguably incorrect to talk about ‘going’ to church – but for this conversation, it makes the point clearly 
)
Well, I want to stand up and be counted and plead strongly in favour of getting together regularly with other Christians, and being the church, being God’s called, chosen, gathered and sent people. Just turning up occasionally to church gatherings, when we’ve nothing better to do, or we feel bad because we haven’t been for ages, seems to fall so far short of what church can be, and should be, and what Jesus had in mind when he called the first disciples to follow him, and trained them up as missionary leaders and planters of new communities of Jesus-followers.
I’ve been around churches of one kind or another pretty much my whole life. I reckon I could give anyone a run for their money in coming up with reasons to NOT go to church. But instead, I want to take some time over the next few weeks to bounce around some really good reasons FOR going to church, FOR committing to a local body of Christians, FOR making showing up at church gatherings a priority in our week, and FOR sticking with being a committed part of a local church over the long haul… Some reasons will be theological. Some will be practical. Some will be personal.
Why do you ‘go’ to church? What is the challenge for you at the moment in committing to showing up and being part of a local body of Christians?
Thought provoking piece, thanks. For me church isn’t just the Sunday service it’s that and the mums’ bible study group I attend and my time outside the service with the worship team that I serve on – they are all essential to my continued walking with God. The act of meeting with other Christians inspires me, challenges me, reminds me that I’m not alone and provides opportunities to talk about what God is doing in my life. (The act of doing the latter that actually God IS good and IS at work in my life in spite of what I think sometimes when I’m alone.) All of which are incredibly valuable. My bible study group gives me accountability too – I find it all to easy to ignore or justify away my sins but sharing helps prevent that. I can also seek prayer and study Gods word with others. Very much a case of iron sharpening iron. There’s also something special about the physical space of church – entering its doors is a physical reminder of God’s enteral nature since my church is hundreds of years old. Plus I sense God in a different physical way that I do not at home.
Bless you for your work Andy and thank you for your Monday morning challenge and inspiration.
Nice one Zoe! Nice to hear from you too!
You're spot on I think – church is way more than just a couple of hours on a Sunday…. I just finished up a second post on this stuff (no posts for months and then two in a day – breaking all the blogging rules!!!) – which touches on this a bit too!
To worship God with other people.
Because others need me to be there. Perhaps they don't know it, but I see it as my role to help them to meet God when we are together. I arrive early and try to spend my time singing along with the music team as they practice. This puts me in a good space to meet God and helps prepare the building for Him to inhabit during the time we are together.
This sounds as if I am big-noting myself, but if I went just for what I could receive, it would be a poor bargain. Our church is not very exciting, but I agree with God that it should be, so I do my bit to change the culture.
Thanks Margie – the point about coming early and preparing yourself before the gathering is really important too I think….. And thanks for reminding us that church is not just about what we get out of it!
Hi Andy,
Thanks for raising this interesting and evocative topic. I agree, we are the church, a sacred set of relationships and corporate body that transcends and surpasses buildings and meetings. What I don’t fully understand is the anti-establishment vibe of those who denigrate corporate gatherings. I understand what it is to be hurt by the church and to have seasons of frustration with church culture and/or crises, however, without wanting to be critical, it seems like those who feel this way, to use an analogy, want all of the aspects of family relationships and yet have an aversion to visiting the family home! Or are ambassadors for the Kingdom and yet don’t want people to visit the house of the King where people meet to celebrate Him. I don’t mind what form ‘church’ takes, from the big institutional church to the organic house church community or small group, but I make no apologies for enjoying and upholding a love for the house of God, centred on worship and fellowship together. Having grown up in house churches, church plants as well as big churches of diverse persuasions, plus a godly family home, I love Psalm 84 and can testify to the blessing that comes from pursuing the presence of God with the people of God. Ministry and mission aren’t binary dichotomies that sit in tension, they’re powerful sides of the same coin – after all, Jesus commissioned the church and was masterful at both! I heard a good sermon on Sunday on ‘The Church has Left the Building’ from 1 Corinthians 3; verses 16-17 especially resonate here emphasising that what WE (not just I, when I feel like it) have is sacred: ‘Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.’ Looking forward to hearing from yourself and others as these musings and ideas develop.
Hannah
Hannah – thanks for your thoughts! Great reminders especially of how important both the mission and the ministry side of church are – and how we really can\’t have one without the other. I also liked your analogy of the family relationships and the family home – good stuff.
You\’ve given me some more food for thought here – and there are certainly more musings and ideas to come!