Why I Still Attend Church: KevinH

Throughout the history of this blog, there have been many here who have had and may still have an unsettled, if not adversarial relationship with the church.

Yes, some have had overarching positive experiences, but many others have not.  For those who have not, they have been touched, if not even devoured by the abuse, corruption, and hypocrisy that resides in many corners of the church.  When one knows their stories, it becomes very understandable as to why they are wary, avoiding, and even hateful of the church.

However, even as one who is greatly troubled by these abuses and corruption, I did want to share a bit as to why I go to church and choose to be part of a fellowship of believers.  Keep in mind this is also coming from one who has always been an evangelical:

I love my pastor, but when I go to the church service, I am not there to hear him speak but rather to hear the Word of God preached, regardless of who the preacher is.

I am not much of a singer, nor a musician of any kind, but when I am at the church service, I am there to worship God with my voice along with all my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am there to focus on the praising of God, not to be entertained by the music nor to seek some kind of self-fulfilling good feeling.

I am not one much for formal or antiquated language, but when I am at the church service, whether it is through prepared or written words from yesterday or 2000 years ago, the spontaneous words of another, or even my own words, I am there to worship God through word and spirit in unison with God’s family, from my local church to the Church universal.

I am at the church service to repent of my sins, receive forgiveness, and receive the grace of God at His Table along with my fellow brothers and sisters.

I am at the church service and am part of the church to serve others in the love of God and to receive service from them.

Even as gratifying as it may sometimes feel, I am not at the church service to have my ears tickled and have all my preconceived beliefs, preferences, and desires stroked and affirmed, but rather to be exhorted, convicted, and maybe even condemned, when needed.

I go to the church service not to have the will of my pastor and leaders lorded over me or to be manipulated into becoming subservient to their desires for power, control, and success, but rather to be cared for by them while reciprocating such care, all the while sharing a mutual and proper respect for each other.   

I am at the church service to hear the Gospel boldly proclaimed and secondary issues dealt with humbly and honestly, and not to hear and experience smug acclamation as to how my church “does church” the best way and “believes” the best way, nor to cast aspersion and condescension upon those who do or believe differently on non-essential issues….. all the while still being warned about and protected from truly false teaching and abusive situations.

My antipathy of the engagement of politics in much of the American Church is well established here, and thus when I go to church service, I am not there for a political rally nor for partiality to be displayed for either or any side or ideology of our political divide.  However, I have no problem with and sometimes even find it healthy for political issues to be addressed in a manner that eschews any kind of political partisanship and rather addresses them solely from a context of God’s commands, principles, and values from His Word.

Ultimately, I am part of not only a local assembly but also the Church universal because of who Jesus is and what He has done for me.  The care, concern, and friendship of fellow believers can aid in my desire to be part of the group (or potential lack of these things from fellow believers can cause the opposite desire).  Nonetheless, despite my own introversion and often antisocial tendencies, in response to Jesus I choose to be part of such a family.  All the more, God tells us that it is not good for us to be alone, nor desires for us to be so.

I am far, far from perfect in consistently keeping these perspectives I have just espoused, and my local church, or any church for that matter is certainly not perfect in being everything God has called the church to do and be.  Moreover, it is all the worse when a church just not falls short of being perfect, but is also overly hypocritical and/or truly awful when it is actively abusive towards some of its own people.  It is very understandable why some Christians want to have nothing to do with the church.

Yet I believe there is value in the perspectives I have presented here and believe that the church would be significantly healthier if its people, both leaders and parishioners, were to more persistently apply them.  Surely this is not an all encompassing list and others can surely add perspectives that are personally beneficial to them and/or would be beneficial to other Christians and the church body as a whole.

Michael often speaks here of a remnant of believers who will persevere through what has become of the American church.  I agree with him when he says he’s not sure what exactly they will look like, but I do venture to say that they will carry some like-minded perspectives to those I have ascribed above.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18