Are you done with church? Are you sick and tired of organized religion? If you said yes, you’re in good company. When it comes to church, more and more people are pulling up stakes and packing it in, for good. 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 as to why people stop going to church and I’ve even made a few of them myself!
- 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, right?
- Isn’t organized religion a man-made invention?
- I’ve been hurt by people at church and in church leadership. I get annoyed by all of the hopelessly flawed people in church.
So, let’s unpack some of these common and popular reasons why people don’t set the alarm clock on Sunday mornings:
1. “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. You need these moments of self-reflection in order to come to grips with who you are and who you want to be.
2. “Church isn’t Biblical, it’s an entirely man-made entity.” Actually church IS Biblical. In fact, 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.
3. People who go to church and even the leaders at church are fallible. Yep, they absolutely are and always have been (even Jesus’ disciples were flawed). 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.” Got wants to use little ol’ you and me as part of his grand 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. And sure, this means that it will be messy at times. Leaders and people alike will be sinful, hurtful, and culpable, but Christ wants us to spread his love IN SPITE of ourselves.
So although church is not always convenient, fun, or perfect, it’s definitely relevant in today’s hectic world. It gives the all of us a front-row seat to God’s grace and nothing could be more necessary than that, right?
Don’t allow an imperfect church or your busy schedule keep you from Jesus and being an effective, authentic Christian to others. In order to do these things, church is necessary and Christians need it and each other more now than ever.
