Does anyone need the church?

I had a couple of interesting conversations this week with people who have been in church all their lives and are thinking of leaving it.  They both tell me they love God, but they are tired of the shallowness and mean-spiritedness of the people who make up their churches.  One is a Baby Boomer who serves on the leadership board of her church, and the other is a 30-something who appreciates the depth of his pastor's sermons but is very disappointed in many of the people who attend their church.  Right now, the only thing keeping this person from leaving is his concern for the spiritual well-being of his children.  Unfortunately, these two people are not alone in their feelings about the church.  Read They Like Jesus But Not the Church, Jim and Casper Go to Church,  Revolution, or Death of the Church and you'll find similar stories. 

People are not leaving the church because they are turning their backs on God.  In fact, they often claim they are leaving the church in order to protect their faith.  They would probably say that the Surgeon General should require a notice on the side of the church saying "Caution!  Attending church can be hazardous to your spiritual health."  After serving as an ordained minister for the past 28 years with the last 9 in judicatory work I would have to agree that some churches can be hazardous to one's spiritual health.  But, are these people right?  Is a believer better off not going to church?  The answer is no.

I do need to qualify that answer a little.  I know some churches that no person should attend if they are serious about wanting to grow as a Christian.  The best thing that could happen for the Kingdom of God is that these churches would close their doors.  They have been spiritually dead for decades and would attack anyone who tried to revive them.  The few people who still attend there are often mean-spirited people with very poor theology who run the church like their own little fiefdom.

But, if you are in one of these churches, the attitudes and actions of the people should not cause you to turn away from the church...just that one.  Shake the dust from your feet and run away as fast as possible.  The good news is that there are thousands of churches you can choose from, and some of them are quite healthy and are committed to seeing people grow in their relationship with God and to ministering to the communities in which God has placed them.  Such churches need people who are committed to growing and serving.

Even these churches won't be perfect.  You will find problems in these churches as well.  You see, churches are made up of people, none of whom are perfect people.  By the way, that includes you as well.  As the old saying goes, if you find a perfect church don't join it.  As soon as you do it won't be perfect any more.  Even people who love God and are committed to spiritual growth sometimes creates problems and hurts people.  Even if we try to live totally and completely sold out to God there will be times when we will fall short.  The godliest people will disappoint others at some point.  That is when we need to extend the same grace towards them that has been given to us so many times over the years.

If we focus our attention on other people we will always be disappointed.  If our focus is on God we will never be disappointed.  We need the church in spite of its flaws.  Remove a stick from a fire and it will soon cool down and lose its heat and its ability to warm others.  Replace that stick back into the fire and it will quickly reignite and begin to burn brightly.  When Christians remove themselves from the church they soon begin to lose their spiritual fire.  We need to be with other believers, including those who are flawed, to maintain our own spiritual fire.

It should be noted that this does not mean that everyone must attend a building with a high, tall steeple and pipe organ.  There are wonderful churches meeting in storefronts, office buildings, homes, and virtually any place where a group of people can gather.  There are also great churches meeting in traditional church buildings .  What is important is that you find a church where you can grow and serve and commit yourself to serving God with that group of people.

As Christian leaders we have to be studying our church to see if it is a safe place for Christians to attend.  Are there opportunities for spiritual growth in your church?  If so, are people actually growing spiritually in your church?  Can people experience true community with others in your church, or is your church very closed off to outsiders (and possibly some insiders)?  Are there opportunities for people to minister to others in your church?  If Jesus Christ was to return this Sunday would you be excited for Him to visit your church?  If you can answer yes to each of these questions, there are a lot of people looking for your church.  Find ways to help them find you.