Do Christians Have to Go to Church?
Rev Charlie (August 2026)
The question, ‘do Christians have to go to church,’ belies a common misunderstanding of what church actually is. Church is not a building, or a weekly event. It is the people who belong to Jesus, past, present, and future. Christians don’t go to church; we are the church. A better question would be, ‘should I meet with believers in my area for worship, fellowship, mutual encouragement and spiritual growth?’ The answer to that question from a biblical and common-sense perspective is a resounding yes.
Jesus is our example in all things, and he consistently gathered with God’s people. Luke 4: 16: tells us that attending synagogue on the Sabbath was his custom. Jesus also redefined discipleship around family: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12: 49-50). If Jesus saw His followers as family, it is hard to imagine He would want us to live our Christian lives apart from them.
The Apostles, chosen and ordained by Jesus, established regular gatherings as the foundation for Christian life. Many of Jesus’ commands, especially “Love one another as I have loved you,” cannot be obeyed in isolation. Love requires presence.
The New Testament shows that disciple‑making happens most fruitfully in worshipping communities. Christ has called pastors, teachers, and other leaders ‘to equip His people for works of service’ (Ephesians 4:11–12). And every believer has gifts meant to strengthen the body. By not joining the regular gathering, one not only denies themselves the opportunity to be spiritually nourished, but they also deny the church the benefit and blessing of their God-given gifts and abilities. The Church is the ‘body of Christ’, by not gathering with believers, one effectively dismembers the body.
The challenge of inconsistent attendance is not new. Hebrews 10:24–25 urges believers not to give up meeting together, ‘as some are in the habit of doing,’ but to encourage one another — especially as the Day approaches. Our modern, hyper‑individualistic culture has amplified this struggle. Many people speak of a ‘private faith,’ disconnected from the church. Yet Jesus calls us to remain in Him, which means remaining in His body.
Sometimes exceptional circumstances prevent believers from gathering with God’s people: illness, remoteness, or solitary confinement in prison. In such cases, wherever possible, the Church should go to them. Online services have helped the housebound, but they are no substitute for embodied fellowship when attendance is possible.
Many say they are ‘too busy’ but it’s often a matter of priority. To illustrate this point let us juxtapose four real scenarios.
Scenario 1: In Himachal Pradesh, India, I visited a house church that met under a large tarpaulin attached to the side of somebody’s home. Some of the believers walked five or six kilometres (it happened to be raining), over arduous hilly terrain to be there. At the end of the service, they returned home by the same means.
Scenario 2: In Tunisa, where Christians face extremist threats, I met with the minister of an Anglican congregation in Tunis. We met circumspectly, in a gravel carpark and walked around the edge of the Lake of Tunis. At one point, the man stopped, looked at me intently and said, “My congregation are willing to die.” Within two years of that interview, sixty people were murdered in Tunisia in two separate attacks by Islamic State linked terrorists.
Scenario 3: Pastors in capital cities across Australia regularly observe lower numbers on wet Sundays. In the broader Christian community, statistics suggest up to 47% of regular believers will skip a service due to rain.
Scenario 4: During the early days of planting a church in Springfield, the absence of a few families would dramatically change the dynamics of the service. On one such occasion, I bumped into three of the absent families in Bunnings later that day.
These examples speak for themselves. Commitment looks very different depending on context, and ours, in the Western world, is often shaped more by convenience than conviction.
Jesus famously said to Simon Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.” Perhaps the gates of Hell can rest easy, as it seems that many Christians are overcome by a light drizzle, a slight headache, or some laundry that needs doing.
There are legitimate reasons for not attending the weekly gathering: illness, holidays, family emergencies, work rosters and so on. However, it should not be viewed as an optional add‑on. It is the place where we worship, learn, serve, encourage, and grow together as the people of God. It is where we practise love, receive grace, and become more like Jesus. Perhaps we in the West need to relearn that gathering is one of the most basic components of the Christian life.
