Why You Should At Least "Check Out" Church

Now that my wife and I are working as stateside missionaries, and now that I’ve come to believe that Christianity is in fact true, it’s easy for me to cheer-lead people about the importance of going to church. It’s no different than a country club golf pro encouraging people to get out to the driving range.

But, how would I pitch “the me” of 15 years ago to go to church? How would I convince my 30 year-old self (who was perfectly happy and not searching for a thing) that spending a little time at a local church was a good thing?

I’ve considered the topic at length, and here are some of my thoughts:

• There are people there.
In fact, if you’re a single male, you’d be surprised at how many good-looking, bright, and funny gals attend church. If you’re married, you’d be surprised at how many couples go to church—some with kids, some with no kids, some a lot like yourselves. Yes, I understand this may not be a strong draw to someone who has lived in their hometown for their entire life, and has a group of best friends they went to kindergarten with, but if you’re new to an area this can be a real bennie.

• The people there are pretty nice folks.
As a general rule, most of the people you’ll meet in church are people you wouldn’t mind adding to your list of friends. This is not to say they aren’t flawed…they are, after all, human. But they are going to church, which is at least a step in the direction of “admitting” their flaws, and hopefully working to improve themselves. Yes, unfortunately, you’ll meet pompous hypocrites at church, too—but no one says you have to claim them as your new best friends.

• You can shop around.
If you want a church where the rules are strict and the preacher shouts of fire and brimstone, there’s one out there for you. If you want a church that’s upbeat with lots of modern praise music, there’s one out there. If you want a church that’s conservative and traditional, that’s available, too. It’s okay to shop around, and find a place that makes you personally comfortable. Remember that God didn’t invent any of our denominations, and He could care less about 99% of the silly little issues we argue about. Find a church that you enjoy attending, and you’ll be much more apt to actually show up on Sunday.

• Churches sponsor activities.
Let’s say you don’t currently believe a word of Christianity, but you do believe in helping those less fortunate. You don’t have to sign up for the church’s prayer team—you can sign up for one of the many, many outreach programs. Churches are very organized, and are efficient at helping you help those in need. Trust me when I tell you that your fellow Habitat volunteers will not be singing hymns as they hammer, they will not ask you to wear a cross as part of your safety gear, and they will not require you to discuss your faith during the ride to the job site. Why? Because they are churchgoers, not idiots.

• You won’t be attacked.
Believe it or not, attending a church service will not result in someone in the congregation seeing you, kidnapping you, tying you to a chair under bright lights, and demanding you spill your beliefs. In fact, it’s almost certain that “your beliefs” will never be brought up, until you bring them up when you feel the time is right.

Let’s break for a moment, and consider what you think will happen. The
scene is post-church service, and you’re minding your own business, walking to your car.

Suddenly, you’re accosted by someone with an irritatingly cheerful manner:

This person: Stop! Wait! You there! Are you ready to join our church?!!

You: Uhhh…

This person: Are you born again? Saved?

You: Uhhh…

This person: Have you given your life to Christ?!?!

You: Well, I’ve given all my money to the IRS…ha ha?

This person: Humor is Satan’s work! Are you Satanic?

You: Uhhh…

This person: Don’t go anywhere! I’ve got to gather the prayer team! I think we
can still save you, if you promise to never drink another beer!

You: Wow. Look at the time…

This person: Silence, Heathen!

It’s okay—admit it. You think this might just happen. Trust me, it won’t. Why? I’ll say it again: The fact that you attend church does not cause you to act like a moron.

• Consider the stakes.
Although you may not be a believer, consider the stakes in the overall scheme of things: Christianity says that it offers the one and only way to get to heaven. If this claim has a million in one chance of being true, isn’t it worth investigating? People buy lottery tickets all the time, and those odds are like 1 in 80 million—isn’t your afterlife worth a look?

The majority of Americans do, in fact, describe themselves as Christians, or at least kind-sorta Christians. But most of those kind-sorta Christians don’t go to church. It’s a curious situation when you think about it: If you do believe God became a man and lived on earth, and you do believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross in order to provide you with a bridge to God, then you almost have to go to church to thank him for doing so and to learn more about what his instructions were.

After all, no one thinks Jesus said, “I’m done here—everything’s cool now. Ya’ll just go back to doing what you were doing. Sorry for the interruption.” Jesus made it very clear that He was the Son of God—and you either believe him, or you think he was a liar. There’s really no in between.

So give it some thought…maybe check out a church this Sunday, or mail this column to a friend then invite them to come with you. And take an Alpha Course soon; it’s a lot of fun, and it will bring you up to speed on what Christianity claims. Armed with that information, you can then make your own educated decision on whether it’s worth the time to go to church.