So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore: An Unexpected Journey

by Wayne Jacobsen

“Why do people go to your church, Jake?” “Because we’re supposed to have fellowship. We need it to be fed, to stay accountable to others, and to grow in God’s life together. Are you saying that’s not right?” “So if someone doesn’t attend anymore, what happens to them?” “They should find another local church and get involved, or they will wither spiritually or fall into error.” “Listen to yourself, Jake. You’re using words like ‘need,’ ‘should’ and ‘supposed to.’ Is that the body life God’s called you to?” “I thought so.” “Scripture doesn’t use the language of need when talking about the vital connection God establishes between believers. Our dependency is in Jesus alone! He’s the one we need. He’s the one we follow. He’s the one God wants us to trust and rely on for everything. When we put the body of Christ in that place, we make an idol of it, and we end up wrapped in knots over such a situation. Religion survives by telling us we need to fall in line or some horrible fate will befall us. “We share body life together, not because we have to, but because we get to. Anyone who belongs to God will embrace the life he wants his children to share together. And that life isn’t fighting over control of the institution but simply helping one another learn to live deeply in him. Whenever we let other factors get in the way of that, we only use love to get our hooks into people. We reward them with affection and punish them by withholding it.”