Christians Who Feel They Don’t Need Church Anymore

I have met Christians that conclude that they don’t need the local church anymore. They might watch services online, listen to sermon podcasts, or read Christian books, and/or worship alone or as a family, but when it comes to being a part of local church life, they avoid it. You might be one of these.

There are various kinds of burnout that led some to this conclusion. The church that they have been a part of might have been dominated by sharp contention. Strife over secondary issues wear people down. Professed believers in known sin may remain unconfronted by the leadership. The church where one has invested much time, energy, and resources has proved spiritually dead or has given in to cheap grace and worldliness. For these reasons and others, some may conclude that it is spiritually defeating to continue. Too many Christians have experienced this. They are weary of all the struggles and unmet expectations.

In some cases, the believer who has left did so because they were sinned against in a very painful way by another member. It is extremely difficult to worship and serve God alongside those who have really hurt you and broken your trust.

Too many have watched their spiritual leaders fall into sin and then even remain unrepentant. Greed, sexual sin, heavy-handed and abusive leadership, etc., are far too frequent even among those with solid credentials and sound doctrinal convictions. When a believer experiences this once in their Christian experience it would be hard enough to process, but some have experienced it multiple times.

There is an intense struggle with sin and evil in these times.

These are dark days. It is grieving to learn through the news and social media of one Christian leader after another falling into serious sin. And we have not even begun to talk about the widespread apostasy (rejection of foundational truth about God), false doctrines, and heresies (deviations from sound doctrine and basic Christian living) rampant in many professed Christian congregations. If we Christians focus on all these failures, it could easily lead to a spiritual depression or a dangerous cynicism that leads to a rejection of local church life altogether.

The fact that these evils have occurred, are occurring now, and will continue to occur, must not be allowed to justify or validate Christian living in isolation. I believe that God is not pleased with a rejection of the local church under any circumstances.

Truths that keep us engaged in local church life despite challenges

1. The local church is obviously God’s perfect plan for His people.

The whole New Testament communicates this. Upon baptism, every single believer becomes immediately attached to the local body of believers through whom he/she has come to Christ (Matt. 28:19-20). We see no exceptions.

There is no example in the New Testament of an obedient Christian that intentionally avoids the local church or disassociates him/herself from active fellowship with other Christians in person. There is no category for unchurched Christians in Scripture.

For whatever reason, if we have disengaged from local church life, something must change, and quick, for we are outside of the will of God:

“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” (Heb. 10:24-25).

We cannot hide from this plain command.

2. When we sin, God expects us to repent and change.

If sin keeps us out of church, we must repent. We are all sinners; some of us will fail in horrible ways. God promises forgiveness and restoration to all who humble themselves. Shame must not keep us from returning to the fellowship of God’s people.

Some believers will harden themselves against the Lord for a time. God gives clear direction to churches for how to admonish them and then discipline them if they remain unrepentant (see church-discipline-guarding-the-gospel). Some people disappear from church before the members can appeal to them.

3. We must forgive as Jesus has forgiven us.

If we have been sinned against, whether that abuse is physical or emotional, we must forgive. It may be very painful and a difficult process but forgive we must. The worst thing we can do is hold on to our pain and refuse to forgive and find healing from Christ.

Forgiveness often leads to restoration of relationships. Forgiveness restores us to a right view of God and His people, which includes our view of the local church. Some sins are so destructive that, even when there is forgiveness, may require a Christian to leave one church and become a part of another.

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:31-32).

4. Sometimes we must leave a church for good reasons.

If a church has not deal with sin biblically, or has succumbed to false doctrine, we must confront it. If we do, and see no change forthcoming, we will have to leave. Christ’s command is to make disciples and teach them to obey His teachings (Matt. 28:19-20). We must be in a fellowship of disciples who want to obey Jesus Christ. That is non-negotiable (1 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

Separation from a failed congregation must not result in rejection of church life. Instead, we must find another local church that still strives to be obedient to Christ, that faithfully preaches His truth. If there are none near us, we may need to travel far. We might even need to consider starting a new congregation.

5. We must accept that we need genuine Christian community.

Accountability and encouragement that comes from sharing life with other believers who have differing spiritual gifts, experiences, and levels of maturity is crucial. We need Christian community. Life-on-life discipleship is for all believers. This is especially true when we are struggling. No believer should seek to justify isolation, as some appeared to be already doing early on: “as is the habit of some” (Heb. 10:25).

6. Evil should drive us toward the local church, not away from it.

God’s Spirit through the author of Hebrews tells us that we need the local church more in dark days, not less: “all the more as we see the Day (of Christ’s return) drawing near” (Heb. 10:25). It may be that our local church fellowship may need to change, but our need for Christian community is heightened, not lessened, by the struggles with sin all around us.

God expects all His people to be an active part of a local church. This basic reality is inescapable if we want to follow Christ.

If you know believers hurting and confused who are outside of local church fellowship, patiently and gently instruct them and lead them back to Christian community where they can flourish once more.

Forrest and Jennifer McPhail minister in Cambodia, a predominantly Buddhist country. This article first appeared at Rooted Thinking, it is republished by permission.