As Justin Bieber said recently, going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a Taco Bell makes you a taco.
Amen to that. But the trouble is that this morphs very easily into the idea that since there's no necessary connection between the two, you might as well not bother going at all. And this plays very well in today's society, in which people are deeply individualistic, reluctant to commit, prize personal freedom above everything and don't join things. So churches have a mountain to climb.
And let's face it, we don't always make it easy for people. Churches can be all-absorbing, taking over your spare time, becoming the focus of your social life and taxing your emotions and your energy - not to mention your bank account. I sometimes think we need to step back and think really hard about why we do what we do. Somewhere along the line, a lot of churches - particularly evangelical churches - have performed a sort of quantum leap into a parallel universe: people support meetings, instead of meetings supporting people.
But I still believe in churchgoing, and here's why.
1. Church stops me from being selfish - or at least, quite so selfish. In the normal way of things, I can choose my own company, decide what I want to do and when I want to do it, and generally go my own way. Being part of a church means I accept I have responsibilities. I don't want to go to a meeting, but I go anyway. I'm a traditionally reserved Englishman who'd really rather not talk to anyone at all unless it's an emergency, but when I go to church and see someone who's on their own, I have to - and actually I find I quite enjoy it. Church makes me a better person.
2. Church expands my mind and spirit. In middle age I find I've accumulated a good many opinions - most of them, of course, entirely correct ones. But these can very easily ossify into prejudice. The risk is that we only read the work of people who think like us and only talk to people who agree with us. It's nice and safe. But when I go to church I hear things I hadn't thought of before and I realise that people really do think very differently from me. I learn a lot and sometimes I change my mind.
3. Church anchors me in a tradition. One of the weirder early saints was St Simon Stylites, who lived for many years at the top of a high pillar, away from the temptations of the world. Food was hoisted up to him by his admiring disciples and no doubt there was traffic the other way too, though on this history is silent. But Christianity was never meant to be a solitary occupation. When it becomes a completely private afffair, it's just a philosophy of life - or a hobby.
4. Church makes me pay attention to God. Do I always enjoy the worship? No. Sometimes the songs are irritating or I can't concentrate on the sermon or there are too many toddlers who don't seem to appreciate the glories of 18th-century English hymnody. But for an hour and a half on Sunday morning, I have no excuse for thinking about anything other than God. That this happens among other people who bring their own struggles, fears, hopes and dreams into His presence as well isn't just a bonus, it's part of the whole deal. There's a hymn which begins: "Here from the world we turn, Jesus to seek". Lovely, but it always grates a little. I find myself wanting to sing, "Here to the world we turn..." We bring the world to church with us, and Jesus is there too.
5. Church is where God is most visible. At its best, it's made up of people who have committed themselves to living like Christ and who've received the power of the Spirit to do so. This life is most clearly seen in community. Relationship is at the heart of our faith because it's the essence of the nature of God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. During the years of my churchgoing I have been repeatedly awed, humbled and amazed by the quality of the relationships between Christians I have seen. Church is the test-bed, the training-ground and the shop window for a new kind of living. Most of the time, I like going to church.
But even when I don't, l still believe in it.
Follow @RevMarkWoods on Twitter.
