4 Bad Reasons To Give Up On The Church
There are a lot of reasons Christians may give as to why they no longer "believe in" or are a part of a local church. While some are understandable (perhaps they were deeply hurt by someone in the Church), the Church is God's plan A for reaching people with the life-changing message of Christ. This means we missing out on something when we distance ourselves from it.
Below are four common reasons I often hear from people who are no longer connected to a local church and claim they don't need the Church or a church to follow Jesus. And yet, all of them leave me unconvinced.
1. It's full of hypocrites
Notice I said these are bad reasons, not that they are inaccurate ones.
The reality is that the Church is full of hypocrites. Why? Because all of us are hypocrites. All of us, Christian or not, do things we know we shouldn't do. None of us are perfect.
The reason someone actually trusts and follows Jesus is not that they have somehow become good enough to earn it. Rather, they have acknowledged their need for God's grace and forgiveness because they can't earn it.
To be fair, if we are not careful we can criticize others without recognizing our own fallenness. This is when people can get hurt. And this is wrong.
And yet, it is a good thing that the Church is full of messed up people, otherwise, no one could be a part of it. Christians are not inherently better (or worse) than anyone else. We are simply people who admit our need for a savior.
It is because the Church is full of hypocrites and imperfect people that make it a place that all are welcome.
2. It doesn't check all of my boxes
I don't think many people would actually say this, but all of us can fall prey to this if we are not careful.
There is nothing wrong with desiring to be part of a good and healthy church. But there is no such thing as a perfect church. No single church has A+ worship, A+ preaching, A+ groups, A+ kids ministry, A+ pastoral care, A+ service length/times, etc.
In fact, the Church is the only institution in the world that exists primarily for the benefit of others. This means we don't join a church that checks all of our boxes but rather a church that we can be on mission with.
Certainly, you should be a part of a church that you theologically agree with, has safe environments for kids, has a community you can plug into, etc. But sometimes we set the bar for a church we want so high that it reveals our issue is not that we can't find a good church, but that we don't want to join a church and instead are looking for a list of excuses to affirm our decision.
3. I want to travel or relax on the weekends
Admittedly, how our culture operates today can make worshipping on Sundays harder. Whether it is work, an organization you are involved in, kids activities, etc., there is way more going on on Sundays than there used to be.
At the same time, we do the things that are a priority to us. While it is great that some churches offer services on Saturday nights or Thursday nights (which is great), many are unable to do that.
So we have to decide what is more important to us. What makes it hard is that while many people would like to make attending and serving at their church a priority, life is "busy" and you don't have many chances to sleep it. Or it just seems that there is something on the calendar every weekend. But we can't forget that spiritual growth is not accidental.
If we want to grow closer to Jesus and love others better, we have to create rhythms and disciplines in our life so that it can happen.
4. I don't need the Church to be a Christian
Finally, I have found that the only people who typically make this claim are those that rarely (if ever) go to church and are rarely (if ever) involved in a church. And while the statement is technically correct, it's also highly flawed.
Nothing you do makes you a Christian. It is all about trusting and following Jesus because of what he has done for us. And yet the New Testament consistently speaks to the need of having a local community.
We are told to keep gathering to worship together (Hebrews 10:24-25), to carry one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), that the Church is one body but has many parts that when working together make the Church stronger (Romans 12), that we all have a role to play in God's Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12), that we are to love one another (John 15:12-23), that we are to confess our sins to each other and pray for one another (James 5:16), just to name a few.
In other words, as followers of Christ, if we are not in any type of community with other Christians, Scripture tells us repeatedly that we are not following Jesus the way we are commanded to. A community helps us live out the calling and truth of those passages above (among others).
This means that we don't need to be a part of a local church to be a Christian, but it also means that we cannot follow Jesus the way he has asked us to if we are not.
The Church needs you, and you need the Church
My goal is not to condemn anyone or to make anyone feel shame. Nor do I think that you must attend your church all 52 weeks in a year. You should take vacations, there are times when your kids have something happening on the weekends. But to the best of our ability, if we truly want to make following Jesus a priority, we need to be around others that can help sharpen and encourage us toward that end.
And the Church needs you. God has given all of us different giftings, desires, and passions. We need each other to help encourage us when life is hard when we have doubts, or when we need someone to celebrate with.
The Church is messy because people are messy. We will hurt each other. We will let each other down. But there is also nothing like the Church when we step up and be who God has called us to be.
I need the Church. You need the Church. And for the Church to accomplish all God wants to do through it, he is inviting us to into his mission. Not because he needs us, but because he loves us.
The Church is better because of you. We all have baggage, but it is baggage God wants to use. Don't give up on the Church, you're faith will be stronger for it.