Is Church Essential: Why or Why Not? - Ben's Answer

Is church essential? Well, yes. It is.

Is anyone reading this surprised by me saying so? Like an engineer who’s weak in mathematics, I wouldn’t be a good pastor if I didn’t think church was essential. A tree cannot grow without soil. A calf will not survive in the wild without a heard. Likewise, we will not grow as Christians unless we’re in a Christian community; or as my hermeneutics professor consistently barked, “Christians…go to CHURCH!”

A BIBLICAL MANDATE

Far more important than what I think is what the Bible says, and in the clearest possible way, God tells us that He too thinks church is essential. Again, is anyone surprised by this?

Now, I won’t walk through every passage which speaks of the church’s indispensability, but it would at least help us in our discussion, if we were to look at the clearest example of this in Scripture:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Within chapter 10, this is the third “let us” appeal that is based on a common premise that, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (cf. Heb. 10:22). Meaning, because of Jesus, we have a place in the Holy Place to draw near to God, to bolster our resolve in God, and to thoughtfully consider our fellow Christians for God.

Of those three appeals only the last requires us to be in the literal company of others to accomplish its set objective. Simply said, it is impossible to “stir up one another” if you’re aren’t meeting together with one another. Thus, it appears that Christians do indeed have to go to church.

This is not to say online worship is wrong. I’m an ardent fan of online services. In fact, I readily encourage my people to tune in when they cannot attend and to also go through our sermon archives to review past lessons. However, just as Boston is a poor man’s Journey, online worship is a poor substitution for in-person worship. A screen simply cannot replicate even the most basic church service.

This is why the writer of Hebrews admonishes us to make Church a priority. He tells us not to neglect her because she is the best avenue we have to encourage one another. That in these final days we ought to lovingly spur, spark, and stir one another into doing good works. Every believer should be around those who are aflame with holy fire so that they too may begin to burn all the brighter.

AN ADAPTIVE METHODOLGY

While the principle of church is non-negotiable, the methodology of church is not. Or, to put it another way, while church as an institution is essential, the way in which we do church is not. Without a doubt, there are characteristics of the Church that are rigid and uncompromising. I will not deny that the Body of Christ has a buttress of fixed doctrines which not only supports it, but also helps channel its mission and practices. Yet, simultaneously, the church is also adaptive and fluid. There are very few (if any) contexts in which the church cannot thrive. Like the wind, it flows and fills a vacuum no matter its dimension or size.

This is because we are being pulled along by an endlessly creative Spirit. This Spirit moves in the valleys and vales breathing life, restoring flesh, and forming people where once there were only dry bones. This is achieved through voices in various languages and dialects preaching God’s Word in varied contexts and circumstances with varying degrees of pressures and difficulties.

No two churches are the same, and I’d argue that they shouldn’t be.

Churches are as diverse as the people who make up these faith communities. If every church were to be woven together into a vast tapestry each community would bring a color and texture that was uniquely their own. Some cords would be thin but long. They would wind their way throughout the curtain in subtle lines. Others would be thick and bold. They would cut deep swaths of color in a spectacular fashion throughout the drapery. Still others would be utterly unseen, yet they would provide the hidden backing which undergirds and strengthens the fibers closest to the surface. When viewed from a distance, those labyrinthine threads suddenly coalesce to reveal the grandeur of God’s sovereign plan. A work of art and beauty which was not designed by a mortal mind but was still made with mortal hands.

Because of this, Christians throughout history have met in homes. They’ve met in designated buildings. They’ve even had church with nothing more than the sky and stars over their heads. Until recently I would’ve been hard pressed to find anyone that believed that churches must meet inside. However, the conduct of some faith communities throughout this pandemic make it seem like that this is exactly what they believe. Brick and mortar are not essential for the church, but people are. It is a shame I would even need to write those words, but there are some who undoubtedly need to hear it.

In fact, as we all know, Christians were first recognized by the actions they did and not by the buildings in which they met. The irony, of course, is that the Greek word for church is ekklēsía. A word which literally translated means “assembly.” Yet this does not mean they assembled in “church” buildings but, rather, they were the church assembled. The trappings changed; the assembling of believers did not.

So, yes. Church is essential.

But may we not rigidly define what church should look like in the future. May we instead hold to the foundation of Christ while being pressed into creative avenues by the Spirit for the purpose of glorifying God in whatever way, method, or form we can. May we abide by the biblical mandate in the midst of a chaotic world yet adapt our methodology to the fluidity of our individual circumstances.