I Hate Church

Do you have to go to church to love God? I don’t think so.

Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? I don’t’ believe so.

Is it a good idea to gather with other Christians regularly? Sure. Does it have to be in a church? Absolutely not.

My experience is that church became a distraction, it drew my focus from the important and to the petty.

I stopped going to church. I’m not alone.

During the past 10 years, approximately 50 million Christians left the church.

Of the roughly 140 million Americans who do make their way to church on any given weekend, an amazing 74% are not engaged in their church at all.

By the end of the next decade, up to 40% of all church-attending Christians will be worshipping God, serving others, studying the Bible, etc., outside of a congregational church setting.

Something’s wrong and people are recognizing it and acting on it. I’ll bet that we’ll see a revolution, reconstruction and resurrection of the old church, people gathering in smaller groups in non-church titled places to worship.

Coffee Houses, living rooms, basements, back yard decks will replace churches. The mega churches will fade, titles will e dropped and more home grown non-denominational groups will emerge.

Type I Hate Church into a Google search and you’ll find this site Love Jesus, Hate Church. I haven’t read the book but it may be interesting. The data listed is interesting, I’m not that impressed with what I find an apologetic, defensive positioning

“First, I understand some of you are probably already a bit put off by the title of this book— maybe even a little offended. I’m also keenly aware of the fact that using the words Love and Jesus and Hate and Church all in the same sentence seem contradictory. It feels sacrilegious. Unholy. Somehow just plain wrong.”

But they’re selling a book and idea after all.

Church is a building. The Church is the family of God. From what I’ve experienced we need to step back and review.