It seems that people are engaging a mass exodus from organized religion…according to the gallupgroup in 1999 70% of all Americans claimed church membership, now less than 50% do.  Out of the 50% they only attend 1-2 times a month…

These trends are also manifesting themselves generationally…62% of Generation Xers attend while only 40% of millennials do…if we really love the local church like we say we do…we need to pause and ask ourselves, “WHY, is this happening?”  Now, there are a myriad of reasons and explanations for this…there is a rise in peoples access to online church via the internet where people don’t have to attend a literal location…but, as a church leader I would be re-miss if I didn’t say to us, are we one of the reasons.

 Many Christians—especially in the United States—are giving up on church because they were hurt by pastors or wounded by other Christians, or because they simply decided to “go it alone.” They are known as “dones”—people who are “done” with church.    “Dones” might watch an occasional church service on television or meet with a few Christian friends over coffee for a casual Starbucks version of “church” They still consider themselves serious Christians, but they want nothing more of pastors, tithing, scheduled meetings or church drama.    I’ve even heard people say that attending a local church is nothing but religious-ritual!

If you or someone you love has given up on church, I’m not here to condemn you.

But I want to offer six reasons why you shouldn’t let a bad experience end your connection to God’s people.

1.    The church is Christ’s body on earth. With all its flaws, the church is still God’s Plan A.
Jesus announced before He went to the cross: “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). 

Jesus intended to use the church—even in its weakness—as His primary tool to reach the world with the gospel. Heaven does not have a Plan B. Jesus is the head of his church (see Col. 1:18) and we are His hands and feet. To reject the church is to reject God’s ultimate strategy to bring heaven’s kingdom on earth.

 2.    The Holy Spirit has called us to work and flow together. 
When we were born again the Bible says we were mystically unified with all other born-again believers and connected to each other by the Holy Spirit. The Lord also connects people in local congregations. This connection is holy and we should never make light of it or damage it. Paul told the Ephesians to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” by being in close fellowship with each other (Eph. 4:3). To reject this union of believers is to dishonor the work of the Spirit.

3.    God accomplishes more through His corporate people than through isolated individuals. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit worked primarily through the nation of Israel, and through individuals who had special callings and remarkable courage. But in the age of the New Covenant, the Spirit dwells in every Christian believer, and the corporate church makes a much bigger impact. This is why Jesus told His disciples after He went to the cross that we would do “greater works” than He did on earth (see John 14:12). 

4.    God’s authority flows through His church, not through “lone ranger” Christians.
Some people who’ve been hurt by church leaders feel they can never submit to another pastor again, nor will they honor a person who is called by God to carry the authority of a minister. Yet God has delegated to certain people the task of building up the church (see Eph. 4:11-12). It’s totally acceptable for you to leave an unhealthy church with poor leadership, but you should quickly find a new church where you can be equipped to fulfill your ministry. It was never int