Why do We Need to Attend Church?

“Why do we need to attend church,” a man asked. “I can worship God in nature just as well. Church is just a building.”

That’s true, a church is a building, but inside the building lives the body of Christ. People who worship Christ can collectively be known as “the church.”

It’s for the sake of that body, that fellowship, those others, that God wants us to be part of a “church.”

Can we only attend church in a building?

Of course not.

You could meet in a home, like the folks did in the first century and many continue today. (It’s called a “house church.”)

In Acts 16, we read businesswoman Lydia met on the Sabbath with friends near a river outside of Philippi. They may have worshipped God there to avoid causing problems with authorities.

Throughout the world, people find places where they can peacefully worship God–which is a challenge in countries that actively persecute Christians.

The point is not where you choose to worship God, the point is the focus of your worship, and joining with other believers for encouragement.

It’s the encouragement part that’s important.

As we’re advised in the New Testament:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:23-25 ESV

Why attend church if it just means to be part of a (demanding) body?

One of my relatives was not a church-going man. An agnostic and cynic, nonetheless, he welcomed visitors from his mother’s church denomination when they came to call.

He gave them five minutes of his time, one dollar, and a cheery good-bye. He’d smile as they drove away before muttering, “Now my mother will be happy. If anything happens to us, they’ll help.”

Even as a child, I thought it curious he didn’t attend church but gave them a little money. Why bother if you didn’t want to be part of their church body?

But when I became a Christian, I discovered the value of a church body and saw the reason to attend church.

When my heart ached, people prayed for me. Mrs. Hahn shared the Bible with me and for the first time I discovered a book that could tell me how to live.

I sang, prayed, played volleyball, studied the Bible, shared my sorrows and always reached for the consolation given by so many in the Body of Christ when my heart ached.

I couldn’t imagine a reason not to attend church when my heart expanded and found solace there three times a week.

Often we minister to each other out of our brokenness, not out of our strengths.

It’s within the community of believers that we are sustained in times of trouble.

What difference does it make if I worship God outside of a building?

It depends, in part, on the nature of your worship.

But it also indicates you don’t care about the people in the church (whether in a building, home, or along a river), who might need your particular gifts.

The body of Christ is made up of many parts. Some prophesy, some preach, some heal, some teach, some clean the bathrooms. Everyone is needed for the church to grow and flourish.

Let’s say you attend a church that needs a bookkeeper, and you have that financial-savvy. How can you help the body of Christ if you choose to not attend church?

Okay, maybe this isn’t the right church for you.

So, attend another one. No one says you have to stay in one church forever if your gifting or mission changes. (Or the church’s does).

But if your church needs your particular gifts–because no one else has them–you’re short-changing the body of Christ and its mission by choosing not to attend church.

As 1 Corinthians 12 says, “the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.” 

The real question is, “what is the church missing if I’m not there?”

Why not attend a different church?

Maybe your personal needs have changed or you’ve moved away spiritually from your church.

Perhaps you’ve fallen in love with liturgy and want a different worship experience.

Ask God what to do.

I outgrew a church we attended years ago. I told my husband we needed a new church so I could grow spiritually.

He shook his head. “This body needs us. If we were missionaries in some lonely part of the world, you wouldn’t grow spiritually through a fledgling church body. Go ahead and find another place during the week to grow, but we’ve been called here to serve.”

That’s what I did. I attended a Bible study at a different church, a more robust study than what my “home” church provided. I listened to Elisabeth Elliot harrangue me everyday at 11:15 on Gateway to Joy.

On Sundays, I helped in the nursery or worshipped with everyone else at our home church.

God wants us to grow in our relationship with Him. Sometimes we need irritating fellow worshippers to challenge our faith and help us grow.

The point, always, is to worship God with a church body that loves Him.

And to help the saints who attend with us.

Thanks be to God.

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