What Is the Purpose of Church and Why Does It Matter for Your Life?

What is the purpose of church? And why does it matter to your life? Perhaps this is a question you are asking yourself for the first time. Or perhaps you have been asking yourself this on and off your entire life, and you are on the search to get reconnected with the church. Perhaps you have always been involved with the church, but have never fully grasped the concept of your “why”. Or perhaps you have never gone to church but you recognize something is missing in your life, and you are wondering if religion can fill that void. No matter your “why” to ask this question, this question matters.

To worship God together, not just privately.

Corporate worship does something personal worship can’t fully replicate. There’s power in a room full of people singing, praying, and believing together.

Have you ever been to a concert of an artist or band you REALLY love? If you have, you know the energy behind it. How good it feels to be surrounded by hundreds of other people who share your love for that band, that music, that passion. To know that you are surrounded by people who “view” the world like you, even if just in a small way.

Now amplify that. When your passion for God comes together with other believers, when your purpose for life and living is amplified by others who share the same purpose, it’s powerful, it’s captivating, and it’s real. It matters, and it brings God glory.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.”, Hebrews 10:25

To hear and be shaped by Scripture

The church exists to be a place where God’s Word is taught, wrestled with, and applied to real life.

Have you ever had someone say something to you at exactly the right time? The words you have been needing to hear happen to be uttered at exactly the right moment, and that moment changes your life?

Remember the moment, that feeling,those words, and then amplify it. The word of God has power, it is useful for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness, and it is all God breathed. No matter when or where you read scripture and apply it to your life, it is powerful. Yet going to church brings a new way to learn, grow, and challenge each other in scripture, and those challenges bring spiritual change and spiritual growth.

“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”, Romans 10:17

To belong to something bigger than yourself

In an age of loneliness and isolation, the church is designed to be the antidote, a family you didn’t earn but were welcomed into.

We live in a world that is lived online. You often see what your friends and family are experiencing, but you don’t experience or feel it. In a world where we know what everyone is doing all the time, you would expect it to make you feel more connected, more seen, and more loved. Yet for many of us, it does the opposite. It can often lead us to feel more left off, more empty, and more alone. Facebook, instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (X) are not the antidote to loneliness, instead, often church is the better antidote. A place you can truly go to, be yourself, and know that God and those who follow Him will love and welcome you with open arms. In a world of loneliness going to church means you don’t have to struggle, and especially not alone. The church is a place to be known, to belong, to be seen, and be loved.

To be equipped, not just entertained

The goal isn’t a good experience on Sunday, it’s a transformed life Monday through Saturday.

Going to church is about so much more than just a Sunday sermon. As Christians we are not just Christians on Sundays. We have the same faith Sunday-Saturday, and church attendance helps to amplify who we are in Christ not just on Sundays, but all seven days of the week.

“To equip the saints for the work of ministry.”, Ephesians 4:12

To serve others, not just be served

Church is where you discover your gifts and use them for something beyond yourself. Serving is one of the most scientifically proven ways to reduce depression and increase life satisfaction.

Have you ever gathered for a family holiday and exchanged gifts? When thinking back to those cherished memories, what do you remember first? Maybe it is the best gift you have ever received, or maybe it’s the best gift you have ever given, and the look of a loved ones face, when they received that gift.

Just like we get joy from receiving gifts, we also get joy from giving gifts. And the same can be said of serving and being served in the church. So much joy comes from discovering your gifts and your love languages and being able to use those things to give life and love to others.

To be sent into your community

The church building is a launching pad, not a hiding place. The purpose of gathering is to scatter, into neighborhoods, workplaces, and relationships, as people who carry hope.

When you think of church, what do you see? Do you see a building with a pulpit and a cross? Or maybe you see a community, the people who you surround yourself with, that make a church a home. Attending church does not just help you build a family on Sundays, but it creates a family you can do life with throughout the week, and that family encourages us to share our passion for God in our daily lives. Having the hope of Christ does not just change your life, a true passion for Christ changes the lives of everyone who interacts with you.

So … What is the purpose of church? And why does it matter to your life?

If you resonate with anything in this article, please know that these things are some of the many ways Valor Church strives to give our church purpose and for that purpose to extend into the daily lives of those who call Valor Church home.