(This is the third column in a 5-part series on The Basics.)

Different people have differing perspectives on the purpose of the church. Some mistakenly think of the church as a social gathering place for the religious elite. Others see the church as a breeding ground for legalist and judgmental personalities. Yet there are many more who experience the church as a place of grace, a community of encouragement, and a safe space for recovery. Dr. Vance Havner often reminded his congregation, “The church is a hospital for sinners, and not a museum for saints.”

Have you ever paused to ponder the purpose of the church? In our busy lives, it’s easy to get caught up in the routines of church activities without fully grasping the profound purpose that unites us as a spiritual family. This week, let’s reflect on the question, “What is the purpose of the church?”

• A church is a local expression of the body of Christ. Inspired by the life of Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, we are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world today. We unify around God’s mission, not our particular preferences, to offer things like generous hospitality, an inclusive welcome, an encouraging word, a helping hand, and a healing touch.
• The church refers to people, not a building. A church is composed of flesh and blood, not brick and mortar. Do you remember the little nursery rhyme about the church many of us were taught as children? As we folded our hands in a prayerful position with fingers turned inward, we would say, “Here is the church and there is the steeple.” Then we would turn our interlocked fingers upward as we said, “Open the doors and see all the people.”
• We often gather on a church campus for worship. Worship is our time to honor and praise our Creator, to pray together, and to offer our time, talent, and treasure to serve God. Worship is at the heart of our purpose, aligning us with God’s will and nourishing our spiritual lives.
• The church is a spiritual community for support and encouragement. The local church becomes our primary spiritual family, providing support, encouragement, and love to one another. In Acts 2:42, we read that the early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Our church community is a source of strength and companionship on our spiritual journey.
• The church provides resources for spiritual growth and discipleship. We are called to grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, to deepen our relationship with Christ, and to mature in our faith. As Ephesians 4:12-13 tells us, the church equips us for works of service and builds us up “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
• Each member of the church is commissioned to share the Good News. The church is a beacon of light to the world. It’s not a place to keep our faith hidden but to share it with others. Our purpose extends beyond our church walls to reach out to those who have not yet encountered the love of Christ. We are called to be ambassadors of the gospel, fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
• A church embodies grace and advocates for justice. Through our church, we actively engage in acts of compassion and service. And through our church, we become the hands and feet of Jesus as we live out our faith by caring for the needy, comforting the brokenhearted, advocating for the underserved, and working to make the world a better place. James 1:27 reminds us that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

It is through the combined work of local churches that I see God most at work in the world to offer hope, share grace, and advocate for justice. Popular author and Atlanta native, Philip Yancey, confessed, “I rejected the church for a time because I found so little grace there. I returned because I found grace nowhere else.”

In his sermon titled, “The Church Is Worth the Effort,” long-time Atlanta pastor Dr. Bill Self, proclaimed: “The church is a solid oak tree, not a fragile tea cup. It has withstood Roman imperialism, Jewish legalism, pagan optimism, medieval institutionalism, the excesses of the reformers, wars and rumors of wars, a youth quake, modern skepticism, southern provincialism, resurgent fundamentalism, and heresies in each generation that seem never to die. It can withstand anything our generation can throw at it. It has been victimized by unprepared and selfish clergy, tone-deaf musicians, manipulative members, argumentative deacons, demanding denominations, unloving reformers and greedy politicians. Still it continues to provide love, affirmation and community to the fallen in the face of alienation. The church is worth the effort.”

As we reflect on the purpose of the church, may we remember that each one of us plays a unique role in fulfilling the mission of the church. It’s not just the responsibility of the leadership or a select few; it’s a collective effort of every member of the body of Christ to do the work of the church.

Despite its imperfections, being a part of a church or spiritual community is the best way I know to become equipped and encouraged to serve God by serving others.

(Barry Howard serves as the pastor at the Church at Wieuca in North Atlanta. He also serves as a leadership coach and columnist with the Center for Healthy Churches. He and his wife, Amanda, currently reside in Brookhaven, Georgia.)