To belong to Christ is also to belong to his Church

Writing a book is harder than I imagined! As I’ve been working on a chapter about the importance of the Church, I’ve found myself wrestling again with both the dream of Church as God intends it and the messy reality of church as we experience it. I had a similar struggle a few months ago when writing on the importance of belonging to a church in my First Steps resources for new Christians. Yet the more I think about it, the more persuaded I have become: the Church matters deeply. Not just the universal Church as an abstract idea, but the local church in all its imperfection.

The Bible simply doesn’t conceive of a Christian apart from the Church. Faith is not a solo project. It takes flesh in a concrete, tangible community where relationships are formed, faith is strengthened, God is worshipped, and service is shared. As C.S. Lewis once observed:

“The New Testament does not envisage solitary religion; some kind of regular assembly for worship and instruction is everywhere taken for granted in the Epistles. So we must be regular practising members of the Church.” (Letters to Malcolm)

To belong to Christ is also to belong to his Body. In the corporate gathering, we experience something of God that cannot be experienced alone.

The Rise of “Churchless Christianity”

Over the last decade or so of my years as a pastor, I watched a troubling trend: many left the Church, saying they loved Jesus but not the Church. They described themselves as ‘spiritual but not religious.’ They were described by others as the ‘de-churched,’ or ‘the dones.’ This trend was only accelerated by the pandemic, which left many feeling disconnected. But here’s the truth: there is no such thing as following Christ without belonging to his people. To follow Christ is also to belong to his family.

Dallas Willard once described the Church as a ‘school of love.’ And love can only be learned in relationship, especially with people who are not like us. As every teacher will tell his student, you can’t learn if you are continually absent. If all we have is a small circle of family or friends who think and act like we do, that is not church as the Bible envisions it. The beauty – and challenge – of the Church is that it gathers people from different social groups and backgrounds who would not otherwise associate. This is where the hard but holy work of love takes place.

As Eugene Peterson puts it:

There can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life, apart from immersion in, and embrace of, community. I am not myself by myself. (Practice Resurrection)

That’s why God places us in communities that stretch us, where we rub shoulders with people we would never naturally choose, and where love is tested, stretched, and learned.

When Church Hurts

I don’t say all this lightly. I know many have been deeply hurt by church: betrayed, disappointed, even abused. Some have had to step away for a time to recover. That’s real, and it matters. But withdrawal cannot be the end of the story. Healing must move toward re-engagement, even if quietly, in a community that is still imperfect but willing to learn and grow in maturity as well as numbers

Every church is a work in progress. There are healthy churches and unhealthy ones, and discernment is needed. Sometimes, leaving an unhealthy environment is necessary. But somewhere nearby there will be a community – still flawed – where worship, service, and relationships can begin again.

Letting Go of Our Ideals

One of the biggest obstacles to loving the Church is our own idealism. Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it starkly:

“Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.” (Life Together)

Our disillusionment with church may in fact be a necessary step, if it strips away our false ideals and allows us to see and love the real Church, with all its blemishes.

Jesus and His Church Belong Together

One of the most common refrains of church-leavers is: “I love Jesus, but not the Church.” Kevin DeYoung calls this “decorpulated Christianity.” Decapitation is the removal of the head from the body (that does happen where people want the benefits of community without the lordship of Christ). We might say that trying to separate Jesus from his Church, to have the head but not the body, is decorpulation. Whatever we call it, it is unholy dismemberment. To belong to Jesus is to belong to the Church he gave his life for and is preparing as his bride for his return.

Yes, the Church will fail us. Yes, she will wound us. But she is also the place where forgiveness is learned, where mercy and grace are embraced and where love is made flesh among us again and again.

Brutal and Beautiful

A friend once said that churches are both the most beautiful and the most brutal places on earth. I knew exactly what he meant. I’ve experienced church splits, abuse of authority, betrayal, and disappointment. I’ve been hurt – and I’ve hurt others. But I have also experienced the wonder of communities where people genuinely care for one another, where the stranger is welcomed, where forgiveness is extended, and where love grows in small but real ways.

Most churches, in quiet and unseen ways, are serving the most vulnerable: the homeless, the elderly, asylum seekers, those on the margins. Historically, the Church gave rise to schools, hospitals, and welfare systems, and were at the forefront of movements for social justice. Imperfect as she is, the Church has been remarkable in her impact.

She is a messy mixture, but she is God’s chosen instrument. My church family is far from perfect. We’ve known dark seasons and challenging stages of our journey. But it is my family. And I love being part of her. Whatever our experience, church still matters.