An honest question
Can I be a Christian without going to church?
Key points
- Short answer: Yes. Being a Christian means trusting Jesus, not keeping an attendance record.
- What Jesus did: Jesus himself went to worship “as was his custom” every Sabbath.
- The Lutheran view: Lutherans say the church is wherever the good news of Jesus is preached, and baptism and communion are given.
The short answer
Yes. Being a Christian means trusting Jesus, not keeping an attendance record.
But Jesus never meant faith to be done alone. Church, at its best, is where you are fed, forgiven and carried on the weeks you can’t carry yourself.
What Jesus said and did
Jesus himself went to worship “as was his custom” every Sabbath. He gathered a group of friends rather than teaching people one at a time. He promised, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”
He also met people far from any building: a woman at a well at noon, a man in a graveyard, a tax collector in a tree. He went to them first.
A little longer
There are good reasons people stay away. Illness. A schedule that never stops. Being hurt by a church. Not knowing anyone, or anxiety in a room full of strangers. None of them stops God from finding you.
Christians still say church matters, for a plain reason. Some things can’t happen alone. You can’t share bread, be baptized, hear “you are forgiven,” or be prayed for by name on your own. And other people need you there too.
Church can start small: a short service online, a midweek group, one person to pray with. If you’re homebound, many congregations will bring communion to you.
Where Christians disagree
Christians disagree about online worship, especially whether communion can be shared over a screen. Most agree that gathering in person, when you can, is part of following Jesus, and that it is never a test you pass or fail.
How Lutherans see it
Lutherans say the church is wherever the good news of Jesus is preached, and baptism and communion are given. Those come to you through other people, which is why Lutherans hold on to gathering. But they also teach that faith is God’s gift, not a reward for attendance.
Where it is in the Bible
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Luke 4:16–21 Jesus goes to worship, as was his custom.
Read Luke 4:16–21
16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, 19 and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Matthew 18:19–20 Where two or three gather, he is there.
Read Matthew 18:19–20
19 Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Hebrews 10:24–25 Don’t give up meeting together; encourage each other.
Read Hebrews 10:24–25
24 Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
What do these words mean?
| The word | It means |
|---|---|
| Faith | Trust in God. Lutherans say it is a gift God gives, not something you work up. |
| Sabbath | The weekly day of rest God gave his people. |
| Communion | The meal of bread and wine that Jesus gave his followers to share. |
| Baptism | Washing with water, with God’s promise, that makes someone part of the church. |
Tap a word for more. All 228 church words: the glossary, A to Z
Where to go next
Other questions people ask
Written by Digital Lutheran Church, a small, free website from the nonprofit Hope for Americans, in the tradition of the ELCA. Bible passages are from the World English Bible.