It’s becoming increasingly common for Christians to skip church on Sundays. There are numerous reasons for this. Some are traveling on Sunday mornings, whether that be for work, for pleasure, or for their children’s sports tournaments. Others have such busy lives that they just want to sleep in and rest on their one day off from other responsibilities. Some have been hurt by a church in the past and don’t want to find a new church to attend, lest they be hurt again. And still others don’t see a need at all to go to Sunday worship services (after all, the Church isn’t a building, right?).
According to Ligonier’s The State of Theology survey in 2022, forty-four percent of professing Evangelicals do not believe that every Christian is obligated to join a local church, and fifty-six percent believe that worshipping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regular church attendance.[1] This means that about half of self-proclaimed Evangelical believers today do not believe it’s necessary for Christians to attend church regularly or become a member of a local church. This fact is both alarming and problematic, and it’s one reason why Dean Inserra wrote his newest book, A Short Guide to Church.
Inserra begins his book by outlining several reasons Christians aren’t going to church, including some that I listed above. Many of these reasons may seem like valid excuses for skipping Sunday mornings, but it’s important to remember that Christianity is a faith that is not meant to be practiced alone. After all, followers of Christ have been gathering together on a regular basis since our Savior’s death and resurrection. Attending church may not be a requirement to be a Christian, but it still plays a vital role in the Christian’s life. As Inserra wrote,
“There is more to being a Christian than going to church, but there is certainly not less.”[2]
A Short Guide to Church covers all of the basic practices you’ll find in a local church and why those practices are important for Christians to take part in based on biblical truth and historical evidence. The Bible ought to be preached so that the congregation can be discipled by the pastor’s wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word. Worship songs ought to be sung so that church members can praise God and remember the beautiful truths of the gospel. The Lord’s Supper ought to be taken and baptisms ought to be performed because these sacraments symbolize what God has done in the life of each and every believer and identifies those believers as members of their church body.
The book continues by exploring other church practices that are more outward-focused. Christians ought to be giving to their local church body, stewarding well what the Lord has blessed them with to support not only the church but also the surrounding community. Christians ought to be evangelizing and making disciples of their neighbors, both nearby and abroad. And Christians ought to be sending and supporting missionaries overseas or going overseas themselves, if the Lord calls them to do so. Inserra ends his book by highlighting the importance of being a member in a local church and how that membership not only benefits the individual, but it also benefits others around them and their witness for Christ.
“The local church is the best thing going. Go all in.”[3]
As the title suggests, A Short Guide to Church is a short book with easily digestible chapters. But don’t let the size fool you! This book is full of important truths about the church that every Christian needs to know and remember. Dean Inserra roots his writing both in Scripture and his own experiences as a pastor, and his book is a great basic introduction to ecclesiology (the study of the church). If you’ve ever wondered what’s so important about church or why the church practices certain things, you should pick up a copy of A Short Guide to Church today!
A big thank you to Dean Inserra for sending me a copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.
**As an Amazon Associate, I can earn commissions from qualifying purchases made through the affiliate links on this page at no extra cost to you.
[1] “Key Findings,” The State of Theology, accessed June 24, 2024, https://thestateoftheology.com.
[2] Dean Inserra, A Short Guide to Church: What is it All About? (Brentwood: B&H Publishing Group, 2024), 1.
[3] Inserra, 142.
