What is the Main Purpose of a Church?

"The main purpose of a church is not worship" was the rather sweeping statement I made recently at a gathering on eleven churches in the Midlands. Afterwards someone described this as “putting the cat among the pigeons”. I suggested instead that evangelism was the main purpose of the church; a subject known to ruffle a few feathers. Was my assertion wrong?

When one asks a question about the main purpose of a church, people seem to drag up from their memories something that comes from the Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1647 which states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him for ever”. Even though the use of this catechism is not something common to all Christian traditions it is often quoted and we all tend to pick up on it. But those who are familiar with the catechism know that this is only the first of 107 points. The remaining 106 points largely qualify what is meant by the first.

The second emphasises the importance of scripture, and the third emphasises the importance of obedience to its teachings. Thus it implies that to glorify God means to live in harmony with God’s character and his purposes as revealed in scripture.

At the end of his ministry Jesus left behind a band of disciples whom he tasked with the duty to be his witnesses, to take the gospel throughout the world, and to make disciples among all nations (or peoples). He made it clear that in his agenda this was “the main thing”. It is to be hoped that all Christians value the mission of Jesus that brought about his life and ministry on earth, his death and resurrection. Those first disciples had to continue the outworking of that mission, and indeed we in turn have to today.

But for many Christians we have substituted other things for that mission such as attending worship services and maintaining ecclesial systems and buildings. No matter how laudable these things may be the main thing is to ensure that the main thing remains the main thing.

King Saul’s excuse for his disobedience was his desire to offer worship to God (1 Samuel 15:15). But the prophet’s response was “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” Psalm 51 also emphasises the worthlessness of worship from a life that fails to be in line with God’s expectations. The prophecy of Malachi seems to be God’s disappointment in a people who go through the motions of worship but have compromised on obedience.

To these examples from the Hebrew Scriptures we could draw on what we often call the Lord’s Prayer. The first aspiration is for the Lord’s name to be hallowed, but we cannot divorce that from the following petitions relating to the coming of God’s kingdom and obedience to his will.

I find myself wondering what God thinks about our offerings of prayers and hymns and worship when we live in disobedience whether by deliberate acts or simple neglect. Just what value does God place on worship that is unsupported by genuine discipleship?