Christians - the new unchurched?

So, why bother to go to church? It certainly is not the no-brainer that many christians consider it to be. I encounter more and more lovely sincere people who have a very real faith, yet who struggle to find a church that they feel they can commit to. For some, there very idea of church is now too difficult to even approach.

I suspect this, and related matters, will provide meat for many of the entries here. I don't want to attempt to be clever or go too deep with this right now, but I thought I would write down why it is that /I/ go to church.

I was in a conversation with TL, and I found myself describing the things that prompted me to go to church. It was fascinating, because I had never really put words to it in quite that way. For much of my early life, attendance at church was a forgone conclusion. Now, it is very much a personal choice. I have spent considerable periods of my life completely away from the church, more than twelve years at one point, so I reckon I have seen both sides of this equation.

OK, enough flannel, why do I go? I go because I have come to an unshakeable personal conclusion that God is real, and that by attending church and worshipping with others I find myself feeling closer to Him.

It's as simple as that, at its core. Sure, there are other attractions - such as:

Some great people to be friends with - Free tea and coffee - A chance to play music and sing - Support during tough times - Contacts in the community...  I'm sure there are others.

If all that was there, and it was just a sham, worshipping a figment of my imagination - I would not bother.

I have tried to live as a christian without any kind of meeting with other christians, and it is a tough way for me to go. For me, nothing compares to meeting together with others and focussing on God.

It's easy to find fault with any church, because they are all riddled with them. There will be obnoxious people who you struggle with, badly thought out ways of doing things and maybe even poor leadership. As one who is often all too keen to criticise (ask anyone), I feel the challenge to me is to remember why I am there, to enjoy church on that basis and do what I can to be a positive influence.

If I were to spend all my time wishing for church to be better, then I would be guilty of living in the world of "if only" - a fruitless and frustrating place to be. (see previous entry)

For now, I am content to have found a place to be where I can go and feel closer to God, and that's my priority.

Comments

[Tim the Enchanter]

From the very limited 'how to' descriptions in the New Testament, we certainly have made a bit of a meal of church haven't we? Or maybe the combination of Constantine's conversion, man's easy ability to get religious and an inclination to the wrongful use of power have made it something it was never intended to be. (In my view). I am STILL left with the problem though that Jesus apparently loved the church, and gave his life for it. That makes me push on for something that I suspect is more authentic than the average expression.