Why We Don't "Attend" Church!

​People often talk about “attending” church. The truth is, people can “attend” but not truly be a part of the church at all. When attending an event, we go to a venue, a building. But a church isn’t a building. The Bible is clear: the people gathered is “the church”, not a building. Sitting in a pew doesn’t constitute being “in” church!

Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” In other words, when the people are gathered (wherever they are), they are the church, with Christ present among them.  Church isn’t a place we attend; but rather a gathering of Christ-followers who are organically and spiritually connected to each other as brothers and sisters because of their common allegiance to Jesus.

When you “attend” a football game, you sit in the stands and watch the players play. When you “attend” a concert, you listen while the musicians perform. Church is not something we simply “attend”, to watch others perform.
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In 1 Corinthians 12:12, the apostle Paul says, “…all the members of the body [the body of Christ, the church], though many, are one body…” In other words we are vitally connected to each other, not because we occupy the same pew on Sunday, but because we are placed into the gathering, the “church” with one another. And when we gather, we meet for ministry, for mutual edification and encouragement in the name of our Lord Jesus. Being a member of the “body”, the church, isn’t a passive process. We’re meant to be connected and involved with one another, not just members of an audience.