Why go to church?

Sunday July 5, 2009

Margaret Feinberg, at The Origins Project site, has asked a question and would love for you to speak up.

"Why do you go to church?"

Comments (16)

posted by Scot McKnight @ 2:01pm Permalink email icon

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don't want to show my name

July 6, 2009 9:52 AM

I've attended or belonged to an evangelical church my whole life, except for one year (a long time ago) at an Episcopal church that had experienced a charismatic renewal. I am believing more and more that we are not saved to just get to heaven, but to be Christ's body on earth. So, I will continue to be in a local body of believers. Plus, I can think all sorts of nice things about loving others, but until I have to actually love them in a local church setting... BUT, I'm really, really tired of the typical evangelical worship service: 3 songs, the offering, 3 songs and a sermon, with grape juice and oyster crackers once a month for communion. Out of much love for my fellow believers, I don't complain.

Sue

July 6, 2009 1:25 PM

I don't GO to church. I AM the church. (Together we are the church.) I participate in weekly corporate worship (that's how I understand your question) because God has called us to worship. God has not called us out merely as individuals to have respective God-and-me relationships; God has called us into a community, to be a worshiping community as a witness to the world. Corporate worship is a spiritual discipline. In my faith tradition our pattern of corporate worship is a template that reminds us every week of how we are to live our lives in the world as participants in Christ's resurrection power.
We are called by God to worship God.
We praise God for who God is and what God has done.
We confess that we have not lived in shalom with God, creation and others.
We receive God's forgiveness.
We hear God's Word.
We respond to God's Word by interceding for others and by giving of ourselves and our resources in order to build up the Body.
We are sent out into the world to live as witnesses of the resurrection, reflecting this pattern in our day-to-day lives.
That's why I "go to church".

Brian from NZ

July 6, 2009 3:28 PM

Sue, I agree that we are "living stones" in God's temple - to use biblical metaphore, but I think the question is wrestling with why to attend a physical church, not the metaphysical aspect of it. Your list covers the experience of a Christian whether or not he/she is attending a physical church. We don't need to be part of a church congregation to worship, praise, confess, receive forgiveness, hear God's word, intercede, or to be witnesses.

I go to church to be around other Christians, and as a conscious act of putting myself into an environment that give me an opportunity to take a little time to focus on God. Even then, I don't focus very well some times.

For many years (>30 years) I went to church because it was what Christians did. It took my wife's honesty to confront her own questions about regular church attendance to start me thinking about why I attend.

Now I'm much freer about attendance, and don't have the same legalistic views that I used to have when I was younger.

margaret feinberg

July 6, 2009 4:18 PM

http://www.margaretfeinberg.com

Great insights and honesty from all. I think a lot of people are wrestling through this question--which is intriguing--because for many going to church means rejection, death threats and loss of life around the world. It's interesting that we live in a culture where the question must be asked--and we have the leisure to wrestle with it.

Sue

July 7, 2009 2:41 AM

Brian from NZ,

I'm not sure why my explanation is metaphysical. And while it may be possible to "worship, praise, confess, receive forgiveness, hear God's word, intercede, or to be witnesses" without being part of a congregation, it is impossible to be a witnessing, worshiping community by oneself. Again, God's intent was not to have merely individual God-and-me relationships with individual people, God's purpose was to call out a worshiping and witnessing community. The existence of the community itself is a kind of witness.
Jesus said that people would recognize his disciples by their love for one another. How can one love other Christians if one is not in community with them?

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