A new Gallup poll shows that church membership in America has dropped sharply in the last 20 years from 70% in 1999 to 50% today. This trend reflects the fact that fewer Americans have any religious affiliation, and those who do identify with a particular faith group are less likely to belong to a church or other place of worship than in the past. Gallup concludes that fewer religious Americans think membership in a church is “a necessary part of their religious experience.”

This is especially true of the Millennial generation that has been turned off by traditional worship services, denominations and organized religion as a whole. More people want to worship God in a way that suits their personal preferences… kind of a spiritual Frank Sinatra – “I worshipped MY WAY!”

I get it that organized religion has been disappointing or off-putting to some. Over the centuries, there have been too many abuses that have tarnished the church. And we’re reading about more and more scandals all the time. The Roman Catholic church has a dark history of sex abuse by priests, and recently we learned about sexual abuses committed by nuns. Many of these horror stories have been covered up, but increasingly they are coming to light, and the church of Rome is finally having to take responsibility for these abuses that they’ve swept under the rug for far too long.

But the Catholics aren’t alone. Earlier this year, two Texas newspapers compiled a database of more than 220 predators within the Southern Baptist community who abused at least 700 victims within Southern Baptist churches. The list includes pastors, ministers and Sunday school teachers who forced themselves sexually on congregants as young as three years old. I have no doubt that every denomination and every religion has its fair share of ugly skeletons in their own closets.

Wherever they happen, such abuses are despicable and deserve our strongest condemnation. There is no excuse for the behavior or the cover-ups. Understandably, many of these victims basically said, “to hell with Christianity or the church or religion.” These abusers are guilty of not only sexual abuse, but murder — the murder of the victim’s faith. It’s no wonder that such injustices against young people carry the severest warnings from Christ, who said “It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” (Luke 17:2)

But even if there were never any sexual abuse sins perpetrated by church leaders or members, there would be plenty of other offenses that turn people away from organized religion. In particular, the conspicuous materialism demonstrated by churches or church leaders has become obscene. Do ministers really need to live in $13 million mansions… or own two private jets… or give their wives Lamborghinis? (I’m not making this up; ask Google to find out who is doing this.) These examples are a far cry from the lifestyle of Christ, who said that even he “had no place to lay his head.”

And most of us have probably known at least one person who professed to be a Christian but instead acted more like the devil. One big reason why people, including some of my own family members, tell the church “adios” is because of the “hypocrites” who attend them. To be honest, I can understand some who have rejected organized religion because they were burned, rejected, not welcomed or judged. That is not what Christ intended, and I am truly sorry if that has been your experience.

So today, we shouldn’t be surprised that more and more people are jettisoning traditional church and making up their own religious system – one that suits their own beliefs and behaviors. It’s a convenient arrangement because we humans get to make the rules. We decide what God is like. We reinvent Him to fit our comfort level. Rather than conform to His image, nature and character, we adapt Him to conform with our image. It’s not unlike those “Build a Bear” stores in shopping malls, except that instead of a bear, you get to create a customized cozy God you can cuddle and be comfortable with. We might try to redefine God or religion or spirituality, but we can’t redefine truth. Humans and their attitudes might change, but God never changes.

I spoke with a young woman who said that, rather than attend traditional church services on Sunday morning, she preferred to “hang out” at Starbucks with a Christian friend. This was her method of “fellowship” with another believer. When I asked if the two of them did Bible study, the answer was “No.” Sing worship songs? “No.” Pray together? “No.” Have communion (Lord’s Supper)? “No.” Did they even talk about Christ at Starbucks? “No.” Is this is a viable alternative to “organized religion?” Not even close.

I’ve heard other people say, “I don’t like going to church. I prefer to worship God in nature.” That’s cool, since the creation was made to evoke our worship of the Creator. While we can worship God anywhere – in the car, on a walk, in the subway, swimming laps, lying in the grass – we need the experience of meeting together with other believers in corporate worship.

The Bible is crystal clear about the importance of worship and fellowship. We go to church to worship God. We don’t go there to be entertained, as if we are the audience watching a spiritual performance from the pulpit. God is the audience of One watching us worship. He is the center and object of our attention, not us. We gather to sing His praise, to confess our sins and failures, to receive His pardon and blessing, exalting the Savior who died in our place. Attending church to worship with other redeemed children of God is the least we can do as an offering of genuine thanksgiving.

While the church is for our benefit, it doesn’t mean that it’s all about us. C.S. Lewis warned about the dangers of church shopping to the point that one becomes a connoisseur of churches who is always critiquing different pastors or pews or people but not really settling into one fellowship. It’s like taste-testing ice cream at Baskin-Robbins; we try a little here, a little there, but never buy anything. Worship is supposed to be God-centric, not me-centric. That means putting an end to the shopping and finally settling down and sinking our roots in a local fellowship.

Furthermore, corporate worship isn’t an option; it’s a command. Hebrews 10:25 says, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of Christ’s return is drawing near.” We fellowship with others to have our faith made strong. “Like iron sharpens iron, so does one person sharpen another.” (Proverbs 27:17) If you don’t have other believers around you, chances are you will have a dull, not sharp, faith.

The early Christians gathered regularly to sit under the teaching of the Apostles (what we might call Bible study/preaching), for prayer, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper (communion), to sing hymns and give money or other resources to help the less fortunate among them. The weekly gathering is what held the church together, especially during times of intense persecution. Collective worship was a key catalyst through which the Holy Spirit expanded the church throughout the world. Church attendance and participation in the sacraments are critical elements of spiritual formation, and I seriously doubt that God will change this formula for church growth any time soon.

Are there difficult people in church? Yes. Are there imperfect people in church? Yes. Are there mean people in church? A few. The church isn’t a country club for spiritual giants who do no wrong. It is more like a hospital filled with hurting people – men and women and children who have great needs physically, emotionally, relationally and spiritually. They know they are sick and need a Great Physician’s touch.

It’s also important to remember that the church isn’t a building. As I watched the 800-year-old Notre Dame cathedral in Paris erupt in flames, I was comforted by the reminder that even if every church building in the world was destroyed, the church would still survive. That’s because the church is a human edifice. The church is the body of Christ. The church is the bride of Christ. Jesus died for His church. He gave everything to save her. The least we can do in return is to give a few hours a week to commune with Him and His people, His body. But just because the church isn’t a building doesn’t give one license to forsake gathering in a building (any structure) with other believers. It’s more important than we realize.

Besides, the world needs the church. It is a fact of history that this planet is a better place because of the church. William Temple, the late Archbishop of Canterbury, said it most profoundly: “The Church is the only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” Without the church, slavery would still exist and women’s rights would not. Without the church, many medical breakthroughs and scientific discoveries would have never happened. Without the church, countless widows, orphans, prisoners and refuges would have had no one to care for them. No other “institution” in history has done more good for humanity than the church. Period.

For those who hate organized religion, I have a question: do you think disorganized religion will help you more? Since God is a God of order and not chaos, isn’t it more logical that He would endorse order over chaos in the way we worship? He gave us the church to be a place of refuge, redemption, repentance and restoration. With all its problems, the church is still the best thing that has happened to this old, broken-down world. And if you love Jesus, you’ll love the church, because He loves it and died for it. If you don’t like your church, then get involved and help make it better. Anyone can be a critic, but very few can be a contributor.

Can you worship God without going to church? Sure. God is everywhere. So, we can worship Him anywhere. God is more concerned with the state of our hearts each day than the places we go each Sunday. But the church is for our benefit. We need each other. There are no lone ranger Christians. Flying solo is more dangerous than flying in a squadron. There is protection and provision in the body of Christ. There is strength in numbers.

Life isn’t about religion – it’s about relationships. Our first priority relationship is with God (vertical fellowship) and our second is with God’s people, the church (horizontal fellowship). We can’t know truth very well without either of those critical relationships.

Long ago, King David wrote in Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Why? Because there is no safer place than to be in God’s presence. And churches that exalt Christ and are truly led by the Holy Spirit will always be safe for everyone from all walks of life. Corporate worship is really just a dress rehearsal for all we will be doing in eternity. “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever.” Psalm 16:11

If you’ve almost given up on organized religion, ask God to lead you to a church home where you will be blessed, loved, sharpened, and changed. Christ and the body of Christ truly are ready to welcome you. So, whoever you are, come as you are. But be warned: Jesus is in the transformation business. He doesn’t intend for you to stay as you are, but to be made more and more into His image. He’s getting you ready to enter His house in heaven. As David said in Psalm 23, “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and [after I die] I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”