Why Do I Go to Church?

Before I get to the heart of this post, let me beat you to the punch and say what you’re probably thinking. I’m a pastor, so I go to church because it’s my job and I’m paid to show up on Sunday morning. Several years ago I actually wrote a post about this very issue: “I’m Glad It’s My ‘Job’ to Go to Church.” Several years down the road, I stand by that post. I’m still glad it’s my “job” to go to church.

The fact of the matter is, I was raised in a family that valued and prioritized going to church. As a young child, my parents made the decision about whether or not we would go to church. I thank God they made the right decision, even when I preferred to sleep in. When I was in high school, college, and seminary, and I had to make the weekly decision about whether or not to attend church, I still went. I went as a teenager. I went as a college student. I went as a seminary student. Through all those years, no one was forcing me to go or paying me to go. The routine I learned as a child carried over to my adult life.

Furthermore, I am firmly convinced that if the Lord called me out of vocational ministry and into another vocation, I would keep going to church. Obviously that theory would have to be tested and proved in the aforementioned circumstance, but I’m quite confident that church attendance would continue to be a priority for me, and by implication, for my family.

This gets to the heart of the issue on my mind with this post … Why do I go to church? Fundamentally, there are two reasons.

First, I go to church because I believe.

I believe the Bible really is inspired by the Holy Spirit and inerrant in content. I believe God created the heavens and the earth, and I believe human beings ought to recognize God as the Creator, Provider, and Sustainer. I believe God is supremely holy and worthy of worship. I believe that God (as God) has the right to call his people to worship, and I believe God has the right to set parameters on our worship. I believe human beings are sinful, wicked, and depraved, and I believe it is good for us to confess our sins to God. I believe that God, in eternity past, as an overflow of his infinite mercy, determined to save a people by his grace and for his glory. I believe that in the fullness of time, Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, born under the law, born to redeem sinners. I believe Jesus died as a sin-bearing substitute, was buried, was raised from the dead, and ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven. I believe the Holy Spirit gives life to the dead in the miracle of regeneration. I believe Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe eternity will be glorious for the redeemed people of God and eternally dreadful for those who do not believe in the name of God’s Son.

I go to church because I believe these things. Church is the place where all of these beliefs come together in worship, prayer, preaching, teaching, fellowship, and mission. I go to church because I believe.

Second, I go to church so that I will continue to believe. I know my heart is fickle and easily led astray. I know the human heart is prone to doubt and question and forget. I know the world pulls on the hearts and minds of all people – even believers. I know the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking people to devour. I know that left to myself, I have no ability to come to Jesus and no ability to keep myself close to Jesus. I know that I need to be reminded of God’s character over and over again. I know that I need to be confronted by the Word of God and convicted about ongoing sin in my life. I know that I need to gather with the people of God to sing the praises of God, and I need this rhythm of worship to be engrained in the regular pattern of my life. I know my heart is prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love. I know that God’s design for the regular, consistent gathering of his people is a good designed intended to encourage me to press on in the faith until Jesus returns or he takes me home.

I go to church so that I will continue to believe. Church is the place where my faith is strengthened, encouraged, established, refined, and focused. I go to church so that I will continue to believe.