Going to Church

Not a Social Club

We all know the feeling. The alarm goes off on Sunday morning. You’re tired from the week. The temptation to stay in pajamas and stream a sermon online is strong. But you get up, get dressed, and head out the door.

Why?

If we are honest, for many of us in modern Western culture, the primary draw of Sunday morning has subtly shifted. We go because we want to see our friends. We go because we like the music style. We go because there’s coffee in the lobby and a general sense of belonging.

Don't misunderstand me—wanting connection is human, and enjoyment isn't a sin. But if the primary reason we attend our local congregation is social connection and personal comfort, we have sadly reduced the living Body of Christ to a sanctified social club.

The Church is not a Rotary Club with hymns. It is not a country club with a steeple. It is something far more radical, demanding, and glorious. It’s time we recapture the biblical vision of what it means to "gather."

Here is why the Church is immeasurably more than a social club.

1. A Social Club is About Preference; The Church is About Presence

When you join a social club, you gather around shared hobbies or interests. You go there to talk about golf, books, or business. The focus is horizontal—human to human.

When the Church gathers, the primary focus must be vertical. We gather because God Himself has summoned us.

In the Old Testament, the assembly gathered at the Tabernacle because that was where the glory of God dwelt. In the New Covenant, we are that temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). When we gather in His name, Jesus promises to be in our midst (Matthew 18:20).

If we leave church thinking only about who we talked to and not Who we worshipped, we have missed the point. The gathering is first and foremost an act of corporate adoration of the King of Kings. It is a rehearsal for eternity.

2. A Social Club is for Consumers; The Church is for Equipping

In a social club, you pay your dues and you expect certain services. If the services decline, or if the people become annoying, you leave and find a better club.

This consumer mindset plagues the modern church. We "shop" for churches based on programs for our kids, the charisma of the preacher, or the quality of the worship band.

But the biblical mandate for the church gathering is not entertainment; it is equipping.

Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-12 that Christ gave leaders to the church "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."

Did you catch that? The pastors aren't the paid ministers while we sit in the audience. They are the trainers; we are the ministers. We gather on Sunday to be instructed in the Word, convicted by the Spirit, and armed for the spiritual battles we will face Monday through Saturday.

A social club is where you relax. The Church is where you get your marching orders.

3. Socializing vs. Koinonia (True Fellowship)

Now, this is where pushback usually comes: "But doesn't the Bible talk about fellowship? Aren't we supposed to love each other?"

Absolutely. The earliest church was characterized by deep devotion to one another (Acts 2:42). But biblical fellowship—the Greek word koinonia—is vastly different from coffee-hour chit-chat.

Socializing is based on shared interests. Koinonia is based on a shared Savior and a shared mission.

Socializing is polite and avoids messy areas of life. Biblical fellowship involves "bearing one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2), confessing sins to one another (James 5:16), and speaking the truth in love even when it hurts (Ephesians 4:15).

A social club falls apart when things get tough or awkward. The Church is designed to thrive in the trenches. True fellowship isn't just enjoying each other's company; it's partnering together in the gospel, extending sacrificial love to people you might not even naturally get along with, because Christ’s blood has united you.

The Challenge for Next Sunday

The writer of Hebrews gives us a vital instruction regarding our gatherings:

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV)

We don't meet just to meet. We meet to "stir one another up to love and good works." We meet because we need the encouragement to keep running the race.

Next Sunday, when you walk through the doors of your church, I challenge you to shift your mindset.

 * Stop asking: "Who will I see today?" and start asking: "How can I encounter God today?"

 * Stop asking: "What will I get out of this service?" and start asking: "How can I contribute to building up this body?"

 * Stop looking for a social circle: Start looking for co-laborers in the Kingdom of God.

Let’s enjoy our coffee and our conversations, but let’s never mistake the lobby for the holy ground to which we have been called.