Is Church Optional?

by Jared Hardin

January 26, 2023


 

Almost everyone in Orange County, Indiana professes to be a Christian. There are a few outliers, but if the data is correct, if you were to survey 10 random people from Leipsic to French Lick, probably 9 of them would say they are, in fact, followers of Jesus. This makes sense, of course, because Orange County has always been a place with a rich Christian history and lots of churches.

 

But according to the 2020 data from the U.S. Religion Census, only 37% of Orange County residents consider themselves adherents at a specific congregation or denomination.1 And if you surveyed weekly church attendance, the numbers would be even lower. Most likely, only 20-25% are actually in church on any given Sunday, and that’s being generous.

 

So what’s the disconnect? Almost everyone is a Christian and yet few actually attend church? Something has gone wrong. And it starts with what people believe about the Christian life.

 

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone say something like, “Going to church isn’t what makes me a Christian.”

 

Is that true? And if it is, does that mean church is optional?

 

Here is the problem. People have misunderstood the very basics of what it means to follow Jesus. There is a stark difference between the basis of our salvation and the necessary responsibilities of a Christian.

 

Let me be very blunt:

 

Does going to church make you a Christian?

            Answer: No. Not at all.

 

Do Christians have to go to church?

            Answer: Yes. The Bible says so.

 

These aren’t contradictory. The Bible says we must do lots of things. We must love our neighbor. We must be truthful. We must care for the poor. We must be faithful to our spouse. But none of these things is the basis of our right standing before God. Only the blood of Christ is the basis of our salvation. Nothing else. Jesus paid it all.

 

But to be obedient to God and to bear fruit as Christians, there are still must’s! Don’t take my word for it. Listen to what the Bible says.

 

  • “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 encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

 

This is the most straightforward passage on this matter. The Bible commands us to meet together regularly. The Bible also has a number of “one another” passages:

 

  •       Live in harmony with one another (Rom. 12:16)
  •       Build one another up (Rom. 14:19)
  •       Admonish one another (Col. 3:16)
  •       Teach one another (Col. 3:16)
  •       Use your spiritual gifts for one another (1 Pet. 4:10)
  •       Pray for one another (James 5:16)
  •       Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

 

Every one of these biblical commands is given in the context of a church body. No Christian is commanded to confess their sins to their neighbor down the street or the lady at the post office. That doesn't make any sense. You need a relationship with a like-minded gathering of Christians. You can’t keep these commands unless you are an active part of a local church body.

 

To put it as simply and soberly as I can, if you are not actively involved in the life of a congregation of believers, then you are living in active disobedience to the clear commands of Scripture. Church is not optional.

 

I’m not talking about those with ongoing medical problems that prevent them from attending. I’m not talking about taking vacations and out-of-town trips here and there. I’m not talking about an unavoidable scheduling problem with your job.

 

I’m talking about the thousands of people in our very own community who claim the name of Christ and yet reject his very own Bride, the church.

 

  • 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

 

— Jesus in John 15:5-8

 

 

 

NOTE

1.  2020 U.S. Religion Census from the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB)