Martin Shaw is an author and former professor at Stanford University. His specialty is mythology and storytelling. His best story is about his own spiritual journey.
Shaw grew up in a religious home. As a young man, he played in a rock band until tinnitus stopped him. He learned to enjoy long periods of living in the forest. (He still leads wilderness vigils.) At the end of one long camping trip, God got his attention in a rather remarkable way (another story!). Soon after, while still processing those thoughts, someone asked if anything interesting had happened to him recently. “As they said it,” he recounts, “I knew I had fallen into the mind of Christ.” It’s an unusual choice of words, but he was expressing his newfound faith.
He received baptism, then began looking for a church. It’s what he said about his search that I find most revealing. He said he visited three different churches. About each one he said they were “very, very nice. But I don’t want very, very nice! I don’t care about very, very nice! I don’t need a warm and fuzzy thing. I need to grow and stretch and be deepened.”
You might seek a church for various reasons. You can approach church as a consumer – how can they help you? Or you are an audience member – how well do they entertain? You might be in a negotiation with God – bartering your attendance in return for divine intervention. These are transactional reasons to attend a church. Notice Shaw had a different reason for gathering with fellow believers – to grow deeper in his faith. He wanted something transformational.
I saw a social media post from someone who lived through Hurricane Helene. He recently began attending church again because the volunteer recovery work done by Christians impressed him. He wrote, “The community of church is a beautiful thing. It’s just lovely to be around people who also are investing in being better people.” That’s only a start. It is even more lovely to be around people who want to be transformed by the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who want as much for you.
The Bible gives us transformational reasons to enjoy Christian community. Together, we share the assurance of faith, and the eternal promises of God. We “stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” We “hold fast the confession of our hope… encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:22ff).
There’s nothing wrong with coffee, donuts, and nice music at church. But don’t miss the main feature. It’s a transformed community on a journey together, centered on Jesus Christ, helping each other grow in love for God and neighbor until you fly away.