About Us

Our Mission and Purpose

Why Go to Church

Can a person be a Christian and not attend church?

This is a valid question, since going to church does not save people. They are saved (and get to go to heaven) by getting right with God. Still, getting right with God is only the start of being a Christian, as a birth is only the start of having a life.

We understand that some people may find themselves in a position where they do not attend church for a short time. (Perhaps they just moved to a new city and have not found a church, or are in the hospital and can not physically go to church.) That is not what we are referring to in this section. This section is about people who can not be bothered with going to church and purposefully and consistently stay away from church. We believe that such people can not remain Christians for at least three reasons:

1. The Bible has no examples of anyone who was right with God but also stood alone and did not spend time with other believers. Hebrews 10:23-25 tells us clearly that we should gather together and encourage and spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
2. In Ephesians 5:21-33, Paul tells us how husbands and wives ought to relate to one another. There, he teaches that Christ relates to the church as if it were His “bride.” He always wants the best for her and loves the church so much that He gave himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25). If you told someone, “I love you and I want to have a close relationship with you, but I can’t stand being around your spouse at all,” you might get a punch in the nose! In the same way, people who say “I love Jesus, but I do not want to have anything to do with the church,” are putting up a wall between themselves and Jesus.
3. Using figures of speech, Ephesians 5:23 and Colossians 1:18 refer to Christ as the “head” and the church as the “body.” 1 Corinthians chapter 12 further explains how the church (the body) is made up of individuals who work together, pooling their talents, skills, and strengths—all for the purpose of helping as many people as possible get right with God and grow closer to Him. To refuse to be a part of the body is to say that we do not want to follow God’s plan. In a sense, such people believe that by acting on their own that they have a better plan than God does. There is a lot of arrogance in such thinking.

A Special Comment

Church can be a gathering of thousands in a “mega-church.” It could also be a few people getting together for breakfast at a restaurant and helping each other “grow in Christ,” since Jesus says, “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).

“Growth in Christ” happens when we meet to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24) or “sharpen” each other (Proverbs 27:17). It does not have to be in a church building on Sunday morning. It is possible that some of us may live where there are no churches close by, or those that are available do not follow the Bible. We still have a responsibility to do all we can to locate other believers and get together with them. We may need to start something on our own and do our best to help people around us get right with God, so we can grow from there.