Do Christians need to belong to a church?

I see myself engaging with an intimate group of believers that meets weekly over a shared meal. It’s less about church and more about doing life together and supporting one another’s growth and kingdom mission.

That’s what I’m moving towards. My friends are Christians and we’re committed to one another. I think fellowship has many guises. I visualize a similar gathering for people who don’t know the Lord. It would provide a warm environment where faith is demonstrated and questions are welcomed.

~Bella

jimmyjimmy said:

It's not an option. Find just one account in the NT of a Christian who isn't.

Being "added to the Church" is another way of saying that one is indeed a Christian.

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I am not a Christian...I am saved baptised and a believer in Christ but as far as a Christian no sorry. I hate to break it to you but the church has done more damage to the faithful. You got pastors and preachers molesting children or cheating on there wives. I remeber Jimmy Swagart going on national tv and weeping and crying and you my mom watched that and said yeah we all make mistakes..the he did again and again and she finaly considered him just a hypocrite. I have so called christian bully and harrass gays, muslims, anyone who is no like them, I stopped going to church a few years ago because every one I went to you had all self-righteous people there and I mean every one...a thousand different translations of the bible I mean really finally...one of the criminals on the cross with Jesus, he was not save, baptized did not ask to be forgiven, he asked to be remembered, jesus saw he was repentant and forgave him and saved him. It tells me that what is in your heart matters more than whether you go to church or not. I do not hate the church but I have no respect for it what so ever.

Robert6671 said:

I am not a Christian...I am saved baptised and a believer in Christ but as far as a Christian no sorry. I hate to break it to you but the church has done more damage to the faithful. You got pastors and preachers molesting children or cheating on there wives. I remeber Jimmy Swagart going on national tv and weeping and crying and you my mom watched that and said yeah we all make mistakes..the he did again and again and she finaly considered him just a hypocrite. I have so called christian bully and harrass gays, muslims, anyone who is no like them, I stopped going to church a few years ago because every one I went to you had all self-righteous people there and I mean every one...a thousand different translations of the bible I mean really finally...one of the criminals on the cross with Jesus, he was not save, baptized did not ask to be forgiven, he asked to be remembered, jesus saw he was repentant and forgave him and saved him. It tells me that what is in your heart matters more than whether you go to church or not. I do not hate the church but I have no respect for it what so ever.

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By your own admission, you aren't a Christian, so I don't take your opinion over God's Word.

jimmyjimmy said:

By your own admission, you aren't a Christian, so I don't take your opinion over God's Word.

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Yeah your right...you know i got banned from this site once because I spoke out about the hypocrisy in Chrisitianity. If you want to be technical I am a Christian I believe in Christ I was saved and baptised its jut the who orginized religion I cant stomach...its the believe of a good number of Christians oh and I should throw Muslims in this as well...yours and theres beliefs should trump the rest of the world. You see I have seen very few Christians who truley follow Christs teaching to the letter...they tend to take bits and pieces they like and ignore the rest...and you know I should not have come back here...I do not like most Christians I and the majority of the rest of the world consider most Christians and Muslims to be bigots, judgmental self-righteous jerks. So with that thank you for helping me see I do not want to be here.

Robert6671 said:

Yeah your right...you know i got banned from this site once because I spoke out about the hypocrisy in Chrisitianity. If you want to be technical I am a Christian I believe in Christ I was saved and baptised its jut the who orginized religion I cant stomach...its the believe of a good number of Christians oh and I should throw Muslims in this as well...yours and theres beliefs should trump the rest of the world. You see I have seen very few Christians who truley follow Christs teaching to the letter...they tend to take bits and pieces they like and ignore the rest...and you know I should not have come back here...I do not like most Christians I and the majority of the rest of the world consider most Christians and Muslims to be bigots, judgmental self-righteous jerks. So with that thank you for helping me see I do not want to be here.

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Yes. Yes. I've met plenty of your type. The irony is, your above post is more self-righteous, condescending, and judgmental than those you've so quickly condemned.

Christianity does not represent hypocrisy. People who do not understand what it is or what it is supposed to be give it a terrible name.

For me when I read the word.. we should always love coming together. The fact that GOD has blessed each of us with something. So to give that away so to speak, help others. To not go (hello me) is as I see it being self severing. I am talking about ...just not going. We are still saved.. and God is still in us working but.. all of this is about others.

We are the Church so even a few meeting together.. thats Church. How it was.. some just grew to BIG! Lol.

Romans 8 said:

The question is regarding the the brick and mortar, not body of Christ which we all belong to regardless.

There are a few questions in there but I don't think it's that difficult to understand.

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I totally understand you. I played the guitar in church every weekend for 14 years and frankly some of the replies to your original question is exactly why I quit going. Most of the events surrounding Jesus in the bible happened outside of a building. The times were he was in the synagogues, he was either getting kicked out or tearing stuff up lol.

Blade said:

We are the Church so even a few meeting together.. thats Church. How it was.. some just grew to BIG! Lol.

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I hear people say that--people who don't want to associate with any church body. BUT the Bible--the New Testament in particular--doesn't support the view.

It names church offices, gives needed credentials, refers to worship services, and more that the "lone wolf" type of Christian disregards, even while most of those people insist that the Bible is what determines their beliefs and practices.

Romans 8 said:

I've heard different views from, "Yes, there is no exception or excuse", to, "No, you are the church". Are there verses in the bible that dictate we must go? If we're Spirit filled and pray on our own, is that considered ok?

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I guess that all depends if you think it's ok that you're not there to be a help and strength to those who you can encourage with the help you've received from God. 2 Cor 1:3 Or if one thinks it's OK to maybe hear from some saints in Heaven, "I sure wish you were there to share the daily things God was doing in your life. I know it would have inspired me to be strong." OR, "You know that problem on such a date that you were praying for God to encourage you on....I had went through that very same thing and I wish you were there that I could have helped you."

Or if you think it's OK to go forth with less powerful prayer results. Reading the Book of Acts we see where their coming together as a body in united prayer greater power of things were released. Acts 1:14

Scripture also says where two agree in my name Matt 18:19 there God is to make good the things that are prayed.

I'm not attempting to get out of going to a church. I currently attend one twice a week and two others now and then, but my lifestyle changes and so does my job. Also, sometimes I go through stages where I just don't want to be on a hectic schedule. What say you?

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Don't think of it like a legalism thing that if you miss an odd service here or there that you've sinned a great sin. Sometimes people need an odd day to rest but the general idea is though don't be forsaking the fellowshipping of yourself with other believers. The Body needs you and you need them...to insinuate that you maybe wouldn't is to make a false assessment on your strength.

Yes

Romans 8 said:

I'm not a monk or living a solitary life. I'm just looking for some insight here

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My church is online because I cannot physically attend because of distance but I trust this pastor whole heartedly and I love his preaching style.

Romans 8 said:

I'm not a monk or living a solitary life. I'm just looking for some insight here

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I quit church attendance in late 2019. I was attending a pretty liberal baptist church where I was a teacher and praise team member. I got very frustrated with the tolerance of abortion, homosexuality, just the general woke agenda (politically).

Everywhere I attend I see the same problems to varying degrees.

1. Lack of knowledge, understanding and respect for scripture.
2. Country club Christianity
3. Political correctness
4. Diotrophes mentality
5. Lack of Spirit

I blame the church (mysellf included) for the collapse of western civilization. We no longer stand for truth. I am resolved to speak truth to lies as I see them in my daily life. I am becoming (I hope) a real pest.

Being unaffiliated with a congregation is not good. Being part of a Laodocian type congregation, IMO, is worse. We need the support of godly people. Having this technology is great for fellowship and encouragement. Is it enough? No, not by a long shot.

I often wonder what devout Jews went through as the Babylonian captivity approached. Their brethren were off the rails into idols. Don't you think the good guys were warning them to no avail? America and the western world is about to fall to communism because the church (universal) is so corrupt and this nation once blessed by God has caused His name to stink.

I pray the church wakes up fast and purges itself of the corruption. Perhaps, just maybe, God will turn from His righteous anger and spare us for now.

Robert6671 said:

I am not a Christian.

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So then how do you agree with the following verse? For it is written...

“And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (Acts of the Apostles 11:26).

RCrihfield said:

I quit church attendance in late 2019. I was attending a pretty liberal baptist church where I was a teacher and praise team member. I got very frustrated with the tolerance of abortion, homosexuality, just the general woke agenda (politically).

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It sounds like you merely needed to locate a better congregation to belong to. They do exist and what you've described is not a unique problem.

Some believe popular institutional church is necessary to attend because they hold to church sacraments as being necessary for salvation, and others believe it is necessary because they believe that is where you truly can understand the true teachings of God's Word. But none of these things are biblical. The church are a people and gathering together was done to truly worship the Lord among friends. A church is not a light and music show and neither is a church a place where a holy man speaks chants and throws incense around. Show me these things in the Bible. What we should follow in regards to fellowship is what we see in the Bible and nothing more and nothing less. Problem is that I believe we are living in the last days as per 2 Timothy 3:1-9 and finding true followers of Christ is very rare. Some say we should attend church so as to help those who are not perfect. Granted, we should have a desire to help others, but there has to be another way than attending a church with serious problems. For if a church's beliefs are so wrong and heretical, they need more than our approving of their beliefs and actions by silently attending their church. For one, going to a building that we call a church is not really a biblical concept. Neither is having one man speak all the time a biblical thing, either. Everyone has a song, a doctrine, etc.; God's people are the church.

Bible Highlighter said:

Some believe popular institutional church is necessary to attend because they hold to church sacraments as being necessary for salvation, and others believe it is necessary because they believe that is where you truly can understand the true teachings of God's Word. But none of these things are biblical.

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Of course they are! But not as you've described some of this.

For example, Christ himself instituted Christian baptism and directed his people to be baptized. And Christ also instituted the sacred meal we call Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper and directed that his followers continue to observe it after he'd left this life. No, they are not absolutely required for salvation, so that claim is in error, but the sacraments are both commanded and Biblical.

As for thinking that instruction in the faith and in the Bible, etc. is irrelevant, I cannot imagine where that notion might come from since both the Old and New Testaments are full of references to Scripture and to knowing what it says.

It was not a light and music show or a holy man speaking chants and throwing incense around. Show me these things in the Bible.

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Correct. So, avoid the minority of congregations that go in for that sort of thing, and it's "problem solved." Of course also, doing that would mean that this particular excuse for avoiding all churches would become null and void.

Albion said:

Of course they are! But not as you've described some of this.

For example, Christ himself instituted Christian baptism and directed his people to be baptized. And Christ also instituted the sacred meal we call Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper and directed that his followers continue to observe it after he'd left this life. No, they are not absolutely required for salvation, so that claim is in error, but the sacraments are both commanded and Biblical.

As for thinking that instruction in the faith and in the Bible, etc. is irrelevant, I cannot imagine where that notion might come from since both the Old and New Testaments are full of references to Scripture and to knowing what it says.


Correct. So, avoid the minority of congregations that go in for that sort of thing, and it's "problem solved." Of course also, doing that would mean that this particular excuse for avoiding all churches would become null and void.

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The sacraments is a human invented term not found in the Bible. Of course we can read about the Lord's supper, and baptism in the Holy Bible. I was not born again yesterday and I am very familiar with the New Testament (or New Covenant) that we are supposed to be under.

However, as you are most likely aware, not all sacraments are the same between various churches. Some sacraments in other churches are not biblical practices. Anyways, if we could use the word “sacraments” as a biblical term (Even though it is not biblical), and the only two sacraments is the Lord's supper, and baptism then it would be biblical except for the use of the name “sacraments.” But the problem are the extra biblical things. Extra biblical traditions like like Confirmation, and extra biblical additons to the Lord's supper like a prayer book, or a church article, praying for the dead, etc. is not found in God's Holy Word. We are not to add to His Word. Again, this is the problem with institutionalized churches. They just create things that are not in God's Word. We either follow the Word, or we follow the ways of men. I prefer to follow only what His Word says because the Bible is the only book that has proven to be trust worthy in that it is divine in origin.

Bible Highlighter said:

The sacraments is a human invented term not found in the Bible.

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That's a pretty strong lead-off comment. While the term ('sacrament') isn't from the Bible, what it refers to certainly is. We have the explicit command of Christ to his Apostles was to go into the whole world and baptize...and that's to say nothing of his own baptism, done as an example. And there's no way to ignore the Last Supper, what Christ said about it, and about future observances of it.

However, as you are most likely aware, not all sacraments are the same between various churches.

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True, but your post dismissed ALL of them, categorically ("Some believe popular institutional church is necessary to attend because they hold to church sacraments as being necessary for salvation, and others believe it is necessary because they believe that is where you truly can understand the true teachings of God's Word. But none of these things are biblical.") .

But the problem are the extra biblical things.

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Then the obviously correct approach would be to observe the sacraments properly, not talk as though we should have nothing to do with them at any time, under any circumstances, etc.

Tone said:

Born again Spirit filled believers are the called out ones and as Hebrews 10:25 says:

"And we should not be forsaking our meetings, as is the custom for each person, but plead with one another all the more, as long as you see that day drawing near."

We should assemble at the appointed times and daily fellowship is also excellent.

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Isn’t that what we do here on CF?