Done With Church? I Get It!
Are you done with church? Are you sick and tired of organized religion? If you said yes, you’re in good company. More and more people are pulling up stakes and packing it in for good when it comes to church. This is especially true right now as more and more people distrust and question anything organized!
And I get it. I’ve heard all the excuses, like:
- Who has the time? Church isn’t always a practical addition to an already hectic schedule. Who has time to fellowship with others and listen to God’s word, not to mention participate in, and contribute to, any other extracurricular religious activities? We’ve got things to do and places to be.
- Isn’t organized religion a human-made invention?
- I’ve been hurt by people and/or church leaders. I get annoyed by all the hopelessly flawed people at church.
Let’s unpack some of these common and widespread reasons why people don’t set the alarm clock on Sunday mornings:
- “Life is too chaotic to add church to an already packed agenda.” Although this is a popular excuse, it’s riddled with many challenges and inconsistencies. We all have stressful, full-to-the-brim schedules. Yet church is meant to be a place where you can decompress, reset, and reevaluate your week. These moments of self-reflection are necessary to come to grips with who you are and who you want to be.
- “Church isn’t Biblical; it’s a man-made entity.” Actually, church IS Biblical. The majority of the New Testament is all about Christ’s followers setting up Christ’s church, in his stead, and at his very explicit request.
- People who go to church and even the leaders at church are fallible. Yep, they absolutely are and have always been (even Jesus’ disciples). That’s what makes the church so great! I read it this way once, “That God would use ordinary, broken human beings as vessels of his grace, and delight in it is awe-inspiring.” God wants to use you and me as part of His work on Earth. He wants us to fellowship with each other in His name and offer others the ability to do so, too, in the safe harbor of a church setting. This means that it will be messy at times. Leaders and people alike will be sinful, hurtful, and guilty, but Christ wants us to spread his love despite ourselves.
So, although church is not always convenient, fun, or perfect, it’s definitely relevant in today’s hectic world. It gives the world a front-row seat to God’s grace, and nothing could be more necessary than that right now.
Don’t allow an imperfect church or your busy schedule keep you from Jesus and being an effective, authentic Christian to others. To do these things, church is necessary, and Christians need each other more now than ever.
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AND LET US CONSIDER HOW WE MAY SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON TOWARD LOVE AND GOOD DEEDS, NOT GIVING 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.
