Is the Local Church a Necessity for the Believer?

Recently my youth pastor, Brent, commissioned me to write a research paper on the question "Is the Local Church a Necessity for the Believer?" (hence the title). Well, I completed it last week, and since it is such an important question I decided to turn the paper into a series of blog posts (and Facebook notes) for the edification of the body of Christ. For those who know me well, don't worry, I have attempted to scale down the language to make it more understandable. What follows is the introduction:

“I love Jesus, but I can’t stand the church.” This phrase, or one worded very similarly, has become the cry of many professing Christians in this postmodern age. One celebrity recently renounced Christianity via FaceBook, issuing this statement:

For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being "Christian" or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to "belong" to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else. (Turk)

She is not alone in this mindset of separating devotion to Christ from belonging to the visible church. Many professing believers claim that the church hinders their relationship with God, and so they do not go, or they simply flit from church to church looking for a new spiritual experience. All this, combined with a culture which views authority negatively, and frowns on organized institutions, has created an environment in which the question is frequently asked whether the visible church is a necessary part of the life of a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This kind of individualistic attitude, however, goes back even to the days of the “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon. Consider this quote from Spurgeon: "I know there are some who say, 'Well, I have given myself to the Lord, but I do not intend to give myself to any church.' Now, why not? 'Because I can be a Christian without it'" (Mack 41). That sounds a lot like our day, doesn’t it? The question stands, “Is the local church, and membership and involvement therein, a necessity for a believer?” More pointedly, can a person be saved apart from involvement in a local church? The answer to the latter question is yes, because all a person needs to be saved is repentance, turning from his sins and trusting in what Christ has done on his behalf. However, apart from faithful participation in the activities of a local church, it is hard to tell a true believer from an unbeliever. Mark Dever puts it this way: “We don’t necessarily know that such uninvolved people are not Christians; we simply can’t affirm that they are” (What is 97). So a person does not have to be a part of a local church as a requirement for salvation, but what about sanctification? Is the local church a necessity for vital growth in holiness? The answer to that question is a resounding “yes.” The local church must hold an important place in the life of a true believer, for biblical and practical reasons.

Works Cited:

1. Dever, Mark. What is a Healthy Church?. Washington, D.C.: Nine Marks Ministries, 2007. Print.

2. Mack, Wayne. Life in the Father’s House. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006. Print.

3. Turk, Frank. “Weekend Extra: Our enemies can be reconciled.” Pyromaniacs. n.p. Web. 17 August 2010.