Written by Nathan White of Kelowna, BC
I remember as a teenager, I would lay in bed on Sunday morning thinking to myself, “Why do I have to travel two hours into downtown Calgary and back again, just for church? Everyone is always saying to me that the church is not the four walls that we gather in. if that’s true, then why do we gather within these four walls every weekend when we could be sleeping?!”
It seems to me that, since my teenage days, there is now even a greater push back from young believers as to whether regular church attendance actually has any value in your Christian walk. I hear arguments like, “I love God and I don’t have to go to some church to worship Him,” or even, “Church is just full of judgmental hypocrites.”
It’s difficult when churchgoers — and even many pastors — tend to portray themselves as better than they actually are. Personally, I understand the temptation to do that. When one works in ministry, there is always some amount of pressure to hide the ugly part of your life from the people who you are called to lead. But the truth remains that church isn’t a place for people who have everything together — it’s a place for broken souls to find healing and restoration by becoming part of the body of Christ.
Jesus did not come and die for us so that we’d feel obligated to attend a weekly service. He came, simply yet profoundly, dying for us to be free to have relationship with Him, and to become part of His body, the global church. As a gathering of believers we work together to support, uplift, and serve one another. We are all on our own journey, in our own time.
“He came, simply yet profoundly, dying for us to be free to have relationship with him, and to become part of His body, the global church.”
So, is church even important? YES! Don’t mistake a church full of broken people and pastors as God Himself. But realize that church is somewhere that other fallen people at various stages of their spiritual journey with Jesus come to encourage, support, and walk alongside each other as we worship God, hear from his word, and build relationship with one another.
Churches are not perfect, pastors are definitely not, but Jesus is. It’s not your pastor’s church and it’s not your board of elders’ church. Rather, it’s a group of people who are loved by God, uniting in order to change the world for the sake of the Kingdom of God.
Be part of something amazing, invest in the community that you feel called to be part of — be real, be genuine, go to church with the intention of worshiping God with your words, songs, actions and your fellowship. Church is important.