That’s not a question I hear Christians voice very often, but I’m certain it’s a thought that dwells in the minds of some, perhaps many Christians.

You probably know that some view church more like a social club, others as “the thing you do” on a Sunday because you’ve always done it or because going to church is expected. But I believe that Jesus wants us to have a very different mindset around church.

I get incredibly sad when I see Christians treating church with indifference, perhaps attending church when there isn’t something better to do. Sure, no church is perfect, but if I believe what Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, Jesus not only loved the church so much that He died for it, but He is also refining the imperfect church as He brings it into alignment with His Word.

There is no doubt that Australia needs many more vibrant, healthy churches and Exponential Australia is committed to seeing this occur through the planting of new churches.

And it’s important that we as Christians play our part and engage to see the church in our Nation be healthy and vibrant. For some this will involve entering into ministry positions, for others it may involve planting new churches and for others it will involve intentionally directing some of their finances to Jesus’ body, the Church. In short, a healthy church will see its members engaged in the mission of Jesus.

Recently I was reflecting on why the Church is so vitally important to our Nation and have briefly summarised some thoughts below.

1. Church is good for you!

Jesus commanded us to love our neighbours. One of the ways we can do this is by getting them involved in a local church. Why? Well one reason is that being part of a local church is good for you!

The Undeceptions article: “Going to Church Is Often Good For Your Mental Health” draws some fascinating conclusions, including:

The ‘Oxford Handbook of Religion and Health’ provides a comprehensive meta-analysis of all published studies on the association between religious involvement and medical and mental health. Its findings are both astonishing and challenging. Some key takeaways include;

• 78% of more than 300 studies report a positive association between religiosity and well-being.
• 73% of 40 studies report a positive association between religiosity and hope.
• 81% of 32 studies report a positive association between religiosity and optimism.
• 93% of 45 studies report a positive association between religiosity and one sense of purpose and meaning.
• 82% of 74 studies report a positive association between religiosity and one’s sense of social support.
• 61% of 413 studies report lower rates of depression or faster recovery from depression in religious individuals.
• 75% of 141 studies report that religiosity is associated with less suicidal ideation, fewer suicide attempts, or fewer completed suicides.

You can read more about the positive impact going to church can have on you in our article  Is Going to Church Actually Good For You?

2. The Church has a role to play in turning the tide on spiritual poverty in our nation

If you don’t like certain decisions the government makes, or the way some people are judged, abused or hated, you have to realise that this isn’t the way of Jesus. In fact it’s a symptom of the increasing spiritual poverty in our nation.

It’s estimated that only about 19% of Australians are connected with a faith community of any kind. That means that 4 out of 5 aren’t. So, what shapes their thinking? Perhaps it’s the social media or news bubble they are in where they get fed information the algorithm chooses to send them. Or perhaps it’s the peer group they belong to, or as a result of the education they have received.

Either way there is something shaping leaders and followers across our Nation. And when the teachings of Jesus don’t feature strongly in this, spiritual poverty increases.

The antidote to increasing spiritual poverty is to see more people connected in healthy churches where they are taught about the words, works and ways of Jesus and are transformed by the renewing of their minds as they are shaped in community with others

3. The Church plays a vital role in reaching people with the Good News

People’s eternity matters. Perhaps it’s too easy to forget that and that the Church plays a vital role in seeing the Good News of Jesus shared by acting as the collective body of Christ, designed to proclaim, demonstrate, and teach the message of salvation. The Church serves as a base for equipping believers, becoming a community that models the love of Jesus and takes the message of Jesus to those that don’t know Him.

There is no ministry or organisation that plays a greater role than the church in seeing disciples made by reaching men, women and children with the Good News and being instructed in the teachings of Jesus.

A significant reason my wife Sharon and I planted our church was that in the year prior to our planting, we had a bunch of people we knew take their own lives. Our hearts were breaking and we were stirred to plant a church that would introduce people to Jesus and His good news and provide a supportive community to people who were struggling.

4. Church helps us to pass the faith baton to the next generation.

When people give up on church or become indifferent to the church, the ramifications for their children and grandchildren are generally significant. Let’s face it, if mum and dad don’t practice their faith as an engaged part of a faith community, the likelihood that their children will is small.

This is a tragedy as not only are their children’s eternities threatened, but the way they live their lives and their quality of life will also be significantly impacted.

5. Jesus was passionate about the Church and we should be also.

It’s often been said that the Church is the hope of the world. I actually think that Jesus is the hope of the world, but the Church is Jesus’ body in this world. As mentioned above, Jesus was so passionate about the Church that He was prepared to die for it to be born. It continues the work He started and we as believers and followers of Jesus are called to be part of His body and part of His work.

Paul paints a beautiful picture of the church in Ephesians 4:16 when he writes that:

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (NIV)

And Luke writes in Acts 2:42-37 another beautiful picture of the first church were the believers were “devoted” to being part of the church and engaging as members of Jesus’ body.

Jesus was passionate about the Church and as His followers, we should be likewise.

Painting A Compelling Vision For The Church

Jesus made the promise that he would build His church. Not I as a leader, but Him. It will happen as we obey His teaching and make disciples who follow Him, obeying His teaching, learning to love as he showed us, telling others about Jesus and His good news and making more disciples.

Jesus’ vision isn’t just for those in the Church but for everyone, everywhere. It’s a vision for the cities and towns in which we live (Jerusalem), but also for beyond that. It’s a vision that is far greater than merely what the church can be, but a vision that extends to the impact that Jesus can have through His body across our Nation and beyond.

It’s my hope that believers across our Nation will fall in love afresh with His bride and also fall in love with what Jesus calls the Church to be.