Have you ever found yourself going to church on Sundays and not really paying attention to the sermon? Or have you ever wondered if the pastor is made like the CEO of your congregation and is just there to keep you entertained? I know that I have, and I am willing to bet that most of people—at one point or another—have too.
This did not become a reality to me until I was sitting in my apologetics class and was asked the question, “Why do you go to church?” one of the young ladies in the class said,
The teacher agreed with that answer; it applied to all of us, because we had all grown up in Christian homes. But is that why we should go to church, or should we go because we have a desire to grow in our relationship with God? The answer should be obvious. But unfortunately, too many Christians in our society just go because it is the thing to do. Sometimes these people do not have a desire to grow—they are just going through the motions. This has caused many churches to try to become more appealing to people by creating more entertainment in church.
We have churches with coffee shops, gyms, bookstores, and the list goes on. In no way am I saying this is wrong, but I think in some cases, it takes away from the point of church. The pastor now has to be the CEO of the church. Instead of worrying about delivering an inspired message on Sunday, many times it seems like they have to make sure all the extra stuff is operating smoothly. And in other cases, the pastor is made out to be a celebrity and is just there to entertain the church.
I’m not saying that megachurches and progressive ministries are wrong, but I think that when you have a church that is too big, you begin to loose focus of what really matters. And that is when church leaders need to reexamine what they are trying to accomplish. To often churches focus on numbers rather than doing the work that the church is called to do.
For many believers, church has become something that is kept out of our everyday lives. Maybe it’s because we don’t want to hurt anybody feelings or disrespected their way of living (even if it is not how people are suppose to living). I many cases, people have separated their own personal beliefs from the way they live their lives.
You can see this dichotomy all around. The most obvious is in the political spectrum. There are many politicians that personally believe something is wrong, but they do not back it up with action. Society constantly tells us not to express our religious beliefs, because they might offend someone. But that is not the way we are suppose to live our lives.
In scripture, there are many times when Jesus would say or do something and someone else would have a problem with. But that did not stop Him from doing His ministry here on earth. If we are to be Christ-like, we must not leave our personal beliefs at home when we head off to work or school. We must take them with us and be light in a dark world. We must seek grow and to better answer the question, “Why do you go to church?”
