I don’t need to go to church
Recently I said this on Twitter:
Can a person REALLY be growing in their faith & NOT be involved in a faith community? I think not.
As you might imagine, it stirred some people up.
As you can also imagine, the ones it stirred up were the ones not involved in a faith community (a general term that I used to point to church, small group, Sunday School, etc.)
I would love to hear from you, but before that, I’ll throw my thoughts into the ring.
Can a person grow in their faith and not be involved in a faith community?
1. No.
2. 9 times out of 10, in my opinion, the statement, “I don’t need to go to church” is used as an excuse. The people who say this aren’t growing, and don’t have much intention to grow. Church would bring conviction and accountability…two things that they don’t have, and don’t truly desire.
3. For those who fall into the 1 out of 10 who aren‘t using, “I don’t need to go to church” as an excuse, I would say that the Church needs you as much as you need the church. We need your encouragement, love, accountability (doctrinal as well as moral/practical), wisdom, love, care, support, admonition, rebuke, teaching, and leadership. And you need us for the same reasons.
4. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) Going to church brings us into close contact with the Church. Hearing others worship, praying with others, hearing Scripture preached, and building relationships with others in the Church all help to grow our faith, and are, in my opinion, vital to your relationship with Christ.
5. We are prone to forget. We need others to remind us, and spur us on in this walk of faith. We get wrapped up in the trivialities of life, and get bogged down with details. Others help remind us of the power of the resurrection. The brevity of life. The life-transforming power of grace. The healing nature of forgiveness. Without the Church, we quickly lose sight of all of that. I can read about these things in a book…but seeing them lived out in the guy sitting two pews over is different altogether.
6. UPADATE – After a comment I received via Facebook, I’ve decided to make an addition to this post. I’d like to make concessions for folks who are not able to travel, due to health or other reasons. Those people should not feel an ounce of guilt for not traveling to gather with other believers. That said, though, I truly believe that they need to gather with others, so the Church’s responsibility would be to go to them.
What do you think? Do you believe that it’s possible to grow in your faith without “meeting together?”
Absolutely NOT! You cannot grow apart from the connections created through the faith community – period. I don't care what anyone say's…..We were created for that connection. I've seen this first hand. I have someone very near and dear to me be the poster child for your #2 statement. And I've seen God move BIG TIME in their life, wooing them, and bringing them to their knees – hence, allowing them the opportunity to realize that "that" community is what they were created for. I now look at my near and dear and just gawk at how Awesome and mighty our God is.
Thanks for blogging this….thanks for shaking things up and most of all…..thanks for Swimming UP stream and not with the flow!!!
Sorry, but I think… Yes! I believe that a relationship with God, and a growing spiritual faith, can be attained, any where, any place. You don't need a building, you don't need a fancy choir, you don't need someone telling you what to think, You don't need others…..as in church goers, you don't need to "do" anything… All you need is to be open to grow and learn in Christ. Period.
Without "others," how can we learn to "love one another?" Or "serve one another?" Or "encourage one another?" Or "forgive each other?" I see our relationships with the Church (by that, I mean "the people," not the building) as helping me to grow in these areas. It is true that we grow in our "alone" times with God, but there are many aspects of the Christian life that can't be done alone.
What are your thoughts on why God established the Church? Just curious.
Thanks for your honest dialog, Sandra! I love it!
Well, now, being among others is important to growth. However, I am thinking of all those who do not have the pleasure on finding a "local" church that suits their needs. Some people in our world cannot even afford a Bible. But my mighty God would still allow spiritual growth to them, just as he would to those who find a church and go faithfully. The question was, can you grow spritually, without going to church….I certainly hope so, for the sake of so many. But goodness, I didn't mean to turn over the apple cart!!!!
There is an saying that goes…..Going to church doesn't make you a Christian just like going to McDonald's doesn't make you a hamburger.
However, I do think that being part of a church keeps you accountable and helps keep you strong in your faith.
Good point, Shelly. It's very true that a person's going to a church building doesn't save them. But what about the idea that, without the Church, a person's faith will shrivel up in no time? I'm just convinced that a person will be neglecting many aspects of their Christian life that they cannot grow in when they are not coming into close, regular contact with others.
Love the dialog…keep it coming!
I agree with Shelly! That is a great way of looking at it. Being held accountable truly is an amazing thing! Not only do you become more like Christ through sharing with others and staying in the Word, but you also seem to be more likely to not falter away from the sayings of Jesus and keep yourself focused. Being a Christian is difficult, but … See MoreI think it is more difficult when you are not surrounded by people that live with the SAME goal in mind!!! Believe, the last few years for me have truly shown that and I really can see the difference….Life changes, but God NEVER changes…
You're onto something there, Dara. It's so important to build relationships with those who are of like mind. Not people who are mere clones of us…or people who simply agree with us on a certain football team…but those people who are headed the same direction in terms of faith. Those who want what's best for us, and have our good in mind.
you do need church to help grow your faith. Yes we need to do our own alone time with God everyday, but going to church and being around the "food" helps you recharge. kinda like a car needs a gas station to refuel, we need church to refuel our spirits back up to help us to stand through the week.
Amen, Jason! This life is too tough to be lived on our own. Without the help of others, I'd be toast!
was struck by the frequency of the word 'altogether' to describe the first few thousand disciples in Acts. Attending today's 'weekend performance' is far from meeting together to do Acts 2:42-type things, though. If you are following the Jesus of the Bible (and not your own invention), you will submit yourself to a local church that self-consciously adheres to the New Testament pattern.
Great point, John Mark. Instead of trying to incorporate everything from Acts 2:42-47 into our weekly worship gatherings (Sunday morning services), we make those things part of what our small groups are all about. Which goes along with Acts 2:46, "They broke bread together in their homes…" Glancing back over that passage, I'm again struck by this, "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts…" Every day!
Just for the sake of the readers here, what kinds of things are you guys doing at Little Mount to fulfill what the Church should be doing (according to Acts 2:42-47)?
Our church is practicing fellowship-by-conversation. At your advise, we have devoted some Sunday evenings to small group 'labs' on some important themes from Acts: fellowship, praying together, the identity and ministry of the Holy Spirit, and the role of miracles. More will be coming in the future.
We are studying the Bible together to retrain our minds to see all of life in the context of Jesus' audacious plan to take over the world (=Great Commission, Davidic & Abrahamic promises) and the movement of disciples he commanded to do it (=Church as true Israel). This worldview will change everything.
I used to think you didn't . But I know better now. We can have great faith in our Father. We can have a great relationship with God in our heart. But God doesnt there. God said "faith without works is dead". he says go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. If we truly have faith and relationship with God, then we must go to church to learn more and more about our Father! so we can tell others.
TL;DR: My comment is here: http://wp.me/pfeqc-P6
I really wanted to leave you a comment. I started typing, and, after a while, realized that the little scroll bar in the post window kept getting smaller and smaller and further and further away from the top of the scrolling column thingie (yes, that's the technical term).
When I finally finished and submitted my comment, your blog kindly informed me that it was too long. Big surprise. (-.-)
So, I have copied and pasted it on my blog for the reading convenience of whomever has a few minutes to spare. I think it will be worth your time and consideration. So, follow the link above for my comment. Thanks!
I think your hypothesis draws too stark of a line to be universally true. I can agree that a person should be a part of the church and that in general a person's faith will grow more as a part of community of believers. However, it seems plausible that a person could grow apart from a community of believers.
Consider this scenario – A person is deliberately not a part of the church. Then, the person decides that being a part of the community is important and acts on that. Isn't the act of joining the community a fruit of the person's increasing faith in the word of God which has occurred apart from being with the church?
James,
Thanks for the reply!
I don't completely disagree with you. There definitely is growth that happens apart from a local church. And yes, it's true that there is a step of faith (growth) that happens when a person decides to invest in a local church.
I think that the person who decides to act on their conviction that being a part of the community is important will find much richer growth, and growth that will sustain in the long-term.
The question to ask, though, is, "Why would a person voluntarily remove themselves from a faith community (church)?" That's the bigger (or at least, more pointed), question. The difficulties of living life in community with others is part of the refining work that God does in our hearts as believers. Our approach to relationships with others is so often self-serving that, when things get tough, we bail. When there are problems in the church, instead of sticking with it, we run.
"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." (Ephesians 2:19-22)
Here, we see that God intends for us to move toward each other in redemptive community ("fellow citizens with God's people…joined together…being built together…"). Christianity was never meant to be lived alone. And the phrase, "…we become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit" implies that growth happens together (it doesn't exclude individual growth, but the overarching idea is that we are called to grow together…and that growing together happens…together.)
Nice post, Ben! I think taking from the example the Apostle's gave us (for those needing better clarification – men set apart to walk with & learn from Christ) we can do "church" because we are the Church. Acts 2 gives us a beautiful picture of this and note, it leaves out service requirements and just lists what they did. My favorite part, "Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts…praising God and enjoying the favor of all people…" (Acts 2:42-47). I think for too long America has marketed Christianity as something that is attained personally, practiced personally and to be kept personally, but in so doing has given the Church an image of a building and not a body.
To answer your question, I suppose a person can grow in their faith w/o being involved in a Christian community (for example a man on Patmos) but my question is why would a Christian want to?
Keep up the critical thinking, Ben. God bless!
Almost every comment here has eluded to the church being the regularly scheduled Sunday Wednesday activities thingy. What that does is pass judgment on anyone who doesn't meet and greet on Sunday or Wednesday night.
The "Church" is the body of Christ. It is an organism, not an organization.
Also, the comments are talking about keeping each other accountable. But what the comments are lacking, and thus what they portray is that God doesn't have an active role in our lives. That He is so distant that we can only rely on each other. I hope that is not where everyone here is, because that is a sad place to live.
If God is not capable of sustaining someone who is not involved in a regularly scheduled Sunday/Wednesday meeting place, then what's the point, really?
@rosacola,
"Almost every comment here has eluded to the church being…Sunday/Wednesday…"
That's why I used the phrase, "faith community." I know folks in home churches, and I intended them to read this post and process things through regular meetings with others in their home church. I didn't want to limit the discussion from them. Yes, the Church is the body…not a building. Couldn't agree with you more!
"What the comments are lacking, and thus what they portray is that God doesn't have an active role in our lives."
Do you mean that those who aren't involved in a "faith community" don't have God actively involved in their lives?
"If God is not capable of sustaining someone who is not involved in a regularly scheduled Sunday/Wednesday…, then what's the point…?"
It's not that God's not capable. He's capable of growing somebody through any means He sees fit. But the question isn't whether God is able to do something or not. The point that I made in response to James (above) is the same I'd make here. Ephesians 2:19-22 seems to say that God intends for us to grow in our faith…together. Christianity was never meant to be lived alone. We grow best in the context of redemptive communities.
"What the comments are lacking, and thus what they portray is that God doesn't have an active role in our lives."
Do you mean that those who aren't involved in a "faith community" don't have God actively involved in their lives?
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Ha ha, no. I am saying that is what the comments are eluding to. God does have an active role in our lives! Unfortunately, so many Christians depend on each other instead of God.
Yes we do need each other. But if I were to ever be stranded on an island, I know my faith would grow without “meeting together”, cause God will be there.