“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than sitting in garage makes you a car.” “I can worship God anywhere — church doesn’t have the corner on that market.” “There are too many hypocrites in church for me to want to go there.” “Sunday is the only day I get to really rest, and isn’t that what Sunday is supposed to be, a day of rest?”

I could go on. I’ve been in church work enough years that I have heard all the excuses. And, yet, I still believe firmly that going to church isn’t just a good thing, it is necessary.

Are churches perfect? No. Are there hypocrites, awful people, bad churches? Yes. There are bad restaurants, too, but we haven’t sworn off eating because of them!

In my almost-39 years, I have been to many different churches, different denominations, different sizes, in different cities, states and countries. In every one, God has taught me more about Him, He has put people in place that challenged me and helped me, encouraged me.

But that is only PART of what church is for — yes, we go to grow and learn and be part of a community. But when we stop at that, we miss out on the best part: service.

There are LOTS of different places to serve in the church. For me, my favorites are discipleship and worship arts. I love seeing people get excited about learning more about who they are in Christ, helping ignite a passion for God and His word. I love helping point others to Christ through music and drama.

Most people I encounter who hate church or make excuses for not attending are people who aren’t serving. They are so focused on what they aren’t getting that they miss out on what they should be giving. And every believer has something to give — you can love on babies, bring meals to people who are sick, help organize showers, make dolls for children in the hospital, serve meals to the homeless, fold church bulletins, run the games for VBS…

Church should be a place of comfort, encouragement, challenge, accountability. If you aren’t part of a good, Bible teaching church – find one! Get involved, use your gifts, grow.

^“Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches.” ~Hebrews 10:24-25