Why I Attend A Local Church

This reflection was written by my close friend and mentor Craig Greenfield. Craig wrote this article while living in the slums of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Many who initially come to Asia expecting to attend a local church, quickly realize that it is not as fruitful or easy as first assumed and weekly attendance may over time become a low priority. For this reason I wanted to set down in writing why I attend a local church on a weekly basis and why I am encouraging all new Servants team members to make the commitment to attend a local church regularly.

Firstly, the reasons I don’t attend a local church:

1. I don’t really attend for the teaching. Frankly, I don’t get a great deal from the teaching in most churches and it can be difficult or impossible to understand (especially for newcomers without language). At times it can be boring or longwinded.

2. I don’t really attend for the worship. While I prefer traditional Cambodian Christian songs which seem much more in touch with the reality of life in the slums, many Cambodian churches prefer the translated hymns. The times when I feel we are truly breaking through into an atmosphere of worship are few and far between. Other times the microphones and speakers are so loud I just want to stick my fingers in my ears to shut out the noise pollution.

3. I don’t attend for the Sunday school. There is very often no Sunday school. Most weeks, either Nay or myself end up walking round outside with one of the kids because they have become disruptive.

4. I don’t attend because I agree with everything they do. There are times when I don’t really agree with the way things are run. I wish they would be more Cambodian, more in line with my romantic view of how an indigenous church should look. Instead they hook up big speakers, hide behind pulpits, wear ties, sit on uncomfortable chairs and generally offend all my sensibilities.

So with all these fine reasons not to attend, why do I even bother? Churches are imperfect. Churches are full of problems. Churches are full of sinners! In fact, the church is the only organization in the world in which membership is based on the candidate admitting that he or she is unworthy of membership!

Someone once said that "The church is like Noah's Ark - you wouldn't be able to stand the stink inside if it weren't for the storm outside." So with the storm in mind here is a list of ten good reasons to remain committed to participation in a local church:

1. I attend because the local church will be around a lot longer than Servants will. For two thousand years, every manner of movement and organization has arisen and disbanded but the church continues. In the days and decades to come, there will come a time when Servants will probably cease to exist but the church will still be around. We know from the words of Jesus that it is the most sustainable community organization in Asia today.

2. I attend because we dare not bypass the local church. God’s mandate to Christians to love the poor does not exclude or bypass Asian Christians. In fact, I suspect God’s plan for building his kingdom in Asia places Asian Christians in a central position. Being part of a local church sends a signal to Asian believers that my life and our ministry here belong to them as well.

3. I attend because I can have an influence. As a cultural outsider my humble participation in the local church helps them avoid domestication. In other words, my presence and my alternative perspective provides a constant challenge to them and helps avoid syncretism or other forms of cultural infiltration.

4. I attend because I need fellowship with Asian Christians. One of the most important reasons that we go to a local church is to practice love toward Asians in the form of fellowship. In Servants we place a strong emphasis on sharing our lives with local people. This is why we live in the slums. But our perspective can become distorted if we lack fellowship with local Christians. I find it hard to maintain a right relationship with God unless I also do so with the local family of God (1 John 2:9-10).

5. I attend because it is a simple act of obedience. Hebrews 10:24: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” A great part of the purpose of gathering together with local believers is for their consideration, coming together to help motivate and encourage one another. This is a responsibility charged to every Christian.

6. I attend because I want to link the local church to Servants ministries. On a pragmatic level, all the churches we have attended now have a number of youth mentors as big brothers and sisters to orphans in Project HALO. Through church relationships I have found staff for Servants, introduced the Discover book to a whole denomination and Bible school, referred patients to Servants projects, recruited volunteers and got to know pastors who have in turn had an influence on Servants ministry.

7. I attend because fellowship with Asian believers combines our spiritual strength in prayer. The Bible is clear that agreement in prayer with other believers has special favor with God (Matt. 18:19). We need to be praying with Cambodian Christians for transformation.

8. I attend because I want my children to grow up with local Christian friends. At church my kids are a pain in the butt. But I want them to learn these principles from an early age, to grow up in fellowship with Asian Christians. I want to show them the importance of the local church.

9. I attend because I am encouraged when I see God working. For all its faults and frustrations, God still seems to work in the local church. All of us have experienced the encouragement and inspiration of attending the annual youth conference where young Christians from all over Cambodia get together for worship and teaching. This is what we gain on a smaller, more ordinary scale from regular participation in a local church.

10. I attend because it provides accountability to Asian spiritual leadership. Basically, I need humbling. Its good for me to sit under the leadership and teaching of a Cambodian pastor. The Bible urges us to submit to the authority of spiritual leaders, within the boundaries of God’s Word (Heb. 13:17). As Servants we uphold the principle of servanthood and submission necessitates a commitment and relationship to a local body of believers and to their spiritual leaders.

And when none of these reasons seems compelling ,
when there seems to be no point and everything within me says why bother?

I attend because I need to develop the spiritual disciplines of perseverance and faithfulness. The words of James describing what God wants to do in my life: perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature…