Why do you go to church... or not?

One of the many things I've learned as a new minister is people come to church for a million and one reasons!

There are lots of good reasons to be at church: to grow in faith, to express our faith, to find healing, to hear words that inspire, to hear music that inspires, to find opportunities to serve other people, to learn about God...

And there are some other reasons, perhaps less high-minded, but also legitimate: because you've always gone to church and wouldn't know what else to do on a Sunday morning, because it's a good place to make friends or perhaps find romance, because the brunch is good and you don't want to cook on a Sunday...

Recently, one of America's biggest and most influential churches, Willow Creek in Chicago, did a study of it's own congregation. They asked people why they come to church and then they asked questions to see what impact that church-going has on their spiritual lives. Their findings were fascinating.

The study found that going to church does not directly correlate with the goal of going to church. Willow Creek found that church attendance and participation is not directly proportional to spiritual growth. In the early stages of a person's spiritual life, regular church attendance is a significant contributor to a person's spiritual development (measured by how much they profess to love God and how much they do to help other people). But as a person becomes "advanced" in their spiritual development, church attendance (at worship and other programs) doesn't necessarily help the person grow. Personal prayer, individual Bible study, spiritual disciplines, and serving others outside the church were every bit as—or even more—important.

I found this study incredibly helpful for me, as a pastor. It's the very first study I've ever seen by a church that doesn't insist that the church itself is the way, the truth, and the life (any of us who have spent time around very flawed churches know this!). The study affirms that that identity belongs to Jesus... and that the goal of a Christian journey is not complete identification with the church... but solidarity and oneness with Christ.

This does not mean that we should stop going to church, by any means. It just means that we can embrace a diversity of attitudes and perspectives about why we go to church... so long as we keep our eyes on the prize: a close relationship with God in Jesus.

Why do you go to church?  And does the church help you get closer to "the prize"? I'd love to hear your comments.