07/27/2026
The church you want and the church your soul actually needs are often two very different churches.
One of the greatest lies consumer Christianity has taught us is that the purpose of the church is to satisfy our preferences.
It isnât
The church is not a religious product where we look for the best preaching, the best worship, the best childrenâs ministry, or the best community where the people are most like us.
The church is the family of God, and is built through years of covenant, sacrifice, forgiveness, and long obedience together.
You may prefer a church where the preaching matches your style, the worship fits your taste, the ministries serve your stage of life, and the people share your values.
In other words, we are looking for a church that revolves around ourselves and what we want.
But the New Testament never asks, âWhat can this church do for you?â
But, âHow can I serve, love, encourage, and build up the body of Christ?â
Those are two very different starting points.
Spiritually, you need a church where you cannot remain a consumer.
You need people who notice when youâre gone.
You need leaders who know you well enough to ask difficult questions.
You need brothers and sisters who love you enough to correct you, encourage you, and refuse to let you walk away.
You need relationships with people that teach you to forgive, to bear with others, to overlook ordinary faults, and to love people who are very different from you.
You need ordinary Sundays, ordinary conversations, ordinary acts of faithfulness that slowly shape your soul over years.
A church built around your preferences will keep you comfortable.
But comfort is not the goal of the Christian life.
The purpose of the church is not to create an experience you enjoy.
It is to form you into someone who looks like Jesus.
