Do I Have to Come to Church? – What Does This Mean?

That question hides a host of other questions and notions behind it. Can’t I be a Christian without going to church? Doesn’t God love me enough to come to me where I am? And, I don’t much like church. What are the minimum number of times I can attend?

A certain wise Lutheran pastor often says, “is wrong question.” His criticism isn’t looking to invalidate the question. It is looking to redirect us back to how we should speak. If these are the wrong question, what might the right ones be?

Can’t I be a Christian without going to church? A better question here might be: What are the benefits for Christians in attending church services? The divine service is a blessing to us from God. We get to confess the Christian faith together, which uplifts and strengthens us together in the faith. Also, our Lord has promised to deliver His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation in His word and Sacraments here.

Doesn’t God love me enough to come to me where I am? A better question might be: how can I trust that God does love me? Trust in these words, “Given and shed for you.” Our Lord, Jesus, suffered and died for our sins. Like the thief on the cross, He doesn’t leave you in silence to trust within yourself. “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” He sends pastors to serve you in the Divine Service. There, you will hear His word and receive His communion for the remission of sin.

I don’t much like church. What are the minimum number of times I can attend? That’s kind of the problem, isn’t it? I don’t want to go. That’s the voice of unbelief drawing you away from your baptism and the family of God. Ignore that voice. Go where God promises to be for you.

O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells… But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the Lord. (Psalm 26:8, 11-12)

That’s the voice of faith. It can’t be kept away from the Lord’s house.

Do I have to go to church? No, you don’t. You can choose to stay away from the gifts of God and the gathering of the faithful. You can exclude yourself from His gifts to you. But also, you may attend the gathering of the faithful to hear His Word. You will come to hear and receive the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation from the absolution, the hearing of the Word, and the Lord’s Supper. Faith can’t be kept from the house of the Lord.

These gifts and the whole congregation are for you. They are given to lift and build you up in the faith.

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX