Let’s get straight to the point. Yes, you can be a Christian without going to church. But it’s not a great idea. I should know. I tried.
But before we dive in, let’s acknowledge a few reasons why someone might be asking this question. Maybe you’re new to faith, and wonder if church attendance really matters to following Jesus. Or maybe you’ve been going to church for a while, but experiences at your local church have caused you to wonder if it’s still worth going. Or perhaps you want to go to church, but your financial, geographical, physical, or mental situation makes it difficult.
I’ll start with this. No matter your reason for asking this question, let’s be clear: God isn’t sitting in heaven on Sunday morning with a clipboard, putting gold stars next to the names of people who show up to church.
My hope isn’t to use this article to guilt you into going to church. Instead, I want to offer one perspective on why I believe going to church is so vital to growing relationships with Jesus.
Why Should I Go to Church?
I grew up going to church, but in college, I stopped attending regularly. I’d occasionally visit churches with friends, but none made me want to come back. Why? Well, I didn’t really see the point. I had Christian friends, served through a local non-profit, and regularly listened to Christian podcasts. So, to me, church attendance seemed redundant.
But I had a problem. I didn’t truly understand the point of going to church. So why do we go to church?
What the Bible Says About Going to Church
The early church didn’t meet every Sunday, but they did gather regularly. When they met, they often ate meals together, sang together, listened to stories of Jesus together, and encouraged each other.
For them, church was a communal experience where everyone could be wanted, known, and needed. It’s no wonder, then, that one biblical author had this to say about gathering:
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 NIV
3 Reasons for Church Attendance
I viewed church as a service to me. I wanted it to provide interesting teaching, compelling worship, opportunities to meet other Christians, and inspiring ways to serve my community.
All of these are great reasons for going to church. But can you spot where I needed to adjust my attitude? I didn’t think of church as a communal experience where everyone could be wanted, known, and needed. I thought of church as a place that would meet my spiritual wants and needs.
The second my experience at church asked me to change my perspective or show grace, I tended to run away.
But one day, my college roommate invited me to a new church. It was one I’d heard about but never wanted to try. They were a small church and met in an old building. It took a while for him to convince me, but eventually, I gave in.
At this church, I experienced three things that changed how I viewed going to church:
1. Church Won’t Be Perfect (And That’s Good!)
This church wasn’t perfect. It met in an old, rundown building, and there were people who occasionally got on my nerves. A few times, I felt like the pastor’s message went a little too long. But in the imperfection, I could see the work and power of God.
Why? At this church, people felt free to bring their flaws and failures not just to God but to each other. There, I saw countless simple acts of forgiveness, grace, and service. Over time, this helped me begin to trust people I barely knew because I knew it was a safe space to be imperfect.
The church is for imperfect people seeking to become a little more like Jesus each week.
I wanted a church to meet all my needs, but that’s not what the local church is for. The church is for imperfect people seeking to become a little more like Jesus each week. It’s about progress, not perfection.
To be clear, we should not use “no one is perfect” to excuse unrepentant sin. No church will be perfect, but no church should cause you to feel afraid for your well-being. If you’ve experienced consistent patterns of harmful behavior at church, you’re wise to set boundaries. And if a pastor or church leader doesn’t address the problem, you’re wise to seek a different local church.
2. We Gain Different Perspectives
In the past, if I heard a sermon I disagreed with, I left. But on the first week at this new church, I remember hearing a pastor mention that it’s okay to not agree with everything you hear. Even if two people know a lot about what it means to follow Jesus, they might still disagree on non-essential beliefs.
This freed me to listen and learn with an open mind. I certainly did not uncritically agree with everything my pastor said just because he said it. But often, after exploring the topic in Scripture, I changed my perspective, or at least understood how my pastor came to his view.
When I stopped going to church, I simply listened to Christian podcasts I agreed with. While this wasn’t wrong, it did put me in an echo chamber where I never had to examine what I believed critically—and that led me to some unhealthy blind spots. I needed other perspectives to help me grow. Not just the pastor’s perspective, but the perspectives of the people in the church as well.
To be clear, if your pastor or other church leaders continuously teach in a way that doesn’t align with Jesus’s life and teachings, you should consider seeking a different church.
3. Attendance Can Look Different
When we think about “going to church,” we often picture going to a building on a Sunday morning. For many, this is a great time and place to attend, but for others, this arrangement doesn’t work. People in the service industry, for example, often find weekend services hard to accommodate.
The church I started attending offered services on a variety of days and times and was an early adopter of online church services. This allowed people to attend at times that worked for them. This helped me during exceptionally busy seasons in college when I often had strict deadlines to meet by Sunday evening. I knew that, on those occasions, I could simply attend a Wednesday night service or watch the service online.
Maybe you live far away from a local church. Or you may experience physical or mental obstacles that make going to church difficult. If so, you can still attend church online. Check out the websites of churches near you to find out if they offer online services. You’re also welcome to try out Life.Church Online—they have services every day, and also offer opportunities to connect with others and serve.
Gathering Matters
Will God zap you for not going to church? Of course not. But will going to church help you develop a richer, healthier faith? Absolutely.
Gathering isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it. So give church a try. It might take some time to find a church that works for you. But if you seek with an open mind and a prayerful attitude, you’ll find a church that can help you become more like Jesus every day.