Can You Be a Good Christian Without Going to Church?

The world is full of good people. Despite everything we hear on television, there are more good folks than bad folks. The majority of our neighbors are generous and want to make the world a better place.

But, can you be a good Christian without going to church? That is a whole different question.

My church used to be the beach. Every Sunday, I bought a coffee and made my way to a jetty along the Atlantic Ocean. I would ponder life and wait to see if God wanted to give me any insights. Almost every day, God and I walked along the boardwalk. In the cold of winter, we might retreat to the shelter of my car to have a conversation, parked where we could see the waves coming in.

Honestly, I had no use for any other church. Most of the church-going people I knew failed to impress me with their brand of Christianity. It certainly never crossed my mind that they were better Christians than me.

Besides, I had a direct line to God. I believed in Him. I loved Him. The church was not going to improve my faith, so I thought. It would just add rules and try to make me more religious. I was positive that you can be a good Christian without going to church.

Then I met someone who challenged my position on church attendance. She believed I just hadn’t found the right church. She invited me to join her at a service one Sunday. The offer was enticed by the promise of a full Sunday breakfast to follow.

That church took me in and treated me like they’d known me forever. They provided non-judgemental discussion and debate. Talking to God on the beach was no longer good enough. I became an avid Bible-reader and looked forward to Bible study and round-tables.

The church community did not turn me into a religious, but less-faithful Christian. In fact, it greatly enhanced the conversations I still had with God every day. They opened questions and raised topics I hadn’t considered. They provided advice and support that helped firm up my faith.

My personal relationship with God was very important to me. By spending so much time protecting it in my private beach-church, I actually kept it from blooming as it should. Joining a church community did nothing but enhance my personal relationship with God.

The Bible is clear about the need to meet regularly and have discussions with fellow believers. Hebrews (10:25) reminds us to not be lazy about going to church, but to continue to meet and encourage each other. 1 Corinthians (12:14-20) compares the church to a body that needs all its parts together to function properly.

Church is where Christians can love one another (1 John 4:12), promote good works (Hebrews 10:24), serve (Galatians 5:13), instruct (Romans 15:14), honor (Romans 12:10), and be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32).