Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?

The answer is no and yes.

No. There are lots of people who never darken the door of a church and yet identify themselves as Christian. They may have been raised in the Church or once been active in the Church or have had some minimal exposure to Christianity and for whatever reason choose to identify as Christian. Many, though not all, will say that they have accepted Christ and that they try to follow Jesus’ teachings in their daily lives, which sometimes, but not always, mostly means being a good person and praying on occasion. Lots of people fall into this category and certainly a person can admire and even practice certain aspects of the Christian faith on their own without going to church.

Years ago, a young woman told me that she was not a Christian, but that Christianity, specifically Episcopal Christianity, was her family’s religion. She recognized that she had not personally committed to the Christian faith, but also recognized that her family had a Christian heritage, even if she wasn’t specifically committed to it herself.  Lots of people who would answer the question with a no, are like this young woman; though, instead of saying “Christianity [Episcopalian] is my family religion,” they just say, “I’m a Christian [Episcopalian].” This is not unlike individuals who know and do very little politically, but still identify as XZY party because their family does.   

So that’s the no part of the answer, but here is the yes part of the answer.

Yes. You need to go to church to be a Christian. Christianity is a communal faith. If you are going to acknowledge Christ as the way to God then you also have to hang out with Christ’s people. To say you believe in Christ or follow Christ but ignore His people is like professing to be in love with someone but never giving them or their family or friends the time of day. Christianity, like most of the world’s religions, isn’t just a matter of privately held beliefs, but is about living a certain kind of life, engaging in certain spiritual practices, and being part of specific, spiritual community. Christianity is a team sport (No, watching the Saints doesn’t count!)  

You can’t play basketball by yourself; you need other people to play the game. The same is true with Christianity. Yes, you can do some spiritual dribbling and shooting on your own, but you can’t fully live the Christian life without being part of a Christian team. The question itself is a bit flawed, “going to church.” Attending weekly worship is an important part of the Christian life, but Christianity is about far more than a one hour event once a week. Christianity is a particular way of life designed to help us become fully human, fully alive, as God intended. Christians aren’t called so much to “go to church” as to “be the church” wherever they go. This involves community life in many ways, not just, but certainly including, attending worship.