Ed Jones
In a nation where Christianity is on the wane (Pew Research, 2019/10/17) and attendance is decreasing, why should I go to church? Good question? Well, according to statistics, many believers are asking this question, and the answer they are getting is disturbing.
There is the mindset that states that there is no good alternative to attending church. If you don’t like your church, figure out why. Is it you, or is it them? Be ready to compromise. There is an old saying: “If you find the perfect church, don’t join it, because then it will no longer be perfect.”
That notwithstanding, this isn’t a new problem for a new age. Since the beginning of Christianity, the early leaders had to challenge this mindset, saying, “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
A popular Christian catch-phrase is, “You don’t go to church. You are the church.” This is not a healthy view, because it puts “being the church” against “going to church.”
Craig Groeschel, founder and senior pastor of Life Church, Houston, Texas, writes, “There is something better. To worship God together and be committed to worship Him together, to hear His Word together. Do not reduce Church to listening to a podcast. It’s so much more than that. It’s community. It’s worshiping with others, praying for others, hurting with others, serving others, being involved in the lives of others.”
So, why go to church? Simply, all of us long for community and connection with others. That’s why so many play golf, pickleball, etc. God has given us a gift in gathering together. At Fellowship At The Ranch, we express that gift by gathering for church and in smaller groups in each other’s homes. It fulfills something inside of us to do life with others, encourage each other, and be authentically involved in each other’s lives.
Christian TV, podcasts, books, and conferences are wonderful additions to our spiritual lives, but nothing can take the place of consistent Christian community through the local church.
Matt Brown, evangelist, author, and host of Think Eternity, puts it this way: “We are all human, and no one is perfect. It requires effort and grace from God to do life together, even as believers.”
Gathering regularly becomes a refining process whereby we help each other, pray for each other, and encourage each other to want to follow Christ more wholeheartedly.
Don’t let excuses stand in the way of what you know God is calling you to do. God will strengthen you and empower you to do what He has called you to do.
We call ourselves “The Friendliest Church in Your Own Backyard.” We invite you to put that motto to the test.
Ed Jones pastors Fellowship At The Ranch at Robson Ranch. This nondenominational church meets at the Robson Clubhouse on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Visit Fellowship’s website www.fellowshipattheranchchurch.org for information.