The Importance of the Local Church

January 22, 2025

I love gathering with my local church. I love the buzz of lobby conversations. I love it when a song lyric matches what my heart wants to say to God. I love it when that senior saint prays, and you’re certain the great cloud of witnesses leans in to listen. I love it when a teaching point hits as exactly what I need to hear at that moment. I love watching the church show up for each other in a crisis. I love the local church—in all her expressions and Jesus-centered traditions.

The local church is God’s plan for redeemed families, gospel impact, and neighborhood outposts of the Kingdom of God. There is no Plan B. How do we keep the local church from slipping into something comatose or a distorted caricature outsiders assume to be true? How do we hold her up as indispensable, treasuring her as vital? I’m so glad you asked.

We gather weekly because we are a forgetful people.

We have been forgetful since our first parents in Israel (the worship of a golden calf just weeks after the Red Sea). We forget that God can do anything and has done everything. We fail to remember that He is the one who brought us to the place where we now stand. We forget we are beloved and work for something already ours in Christ.

Going all in with moments of Godward worship helps us remember. Sitting under studied teaching awakens and equips. Enjoying brother and sister relationships and praying for each other—these experiences revive us.

Gathering weekly to soak in grace and truth rehydrates hope and faith. And that fullness gets carried to people who have not yet met Jesus. You are an important part of God’s plan for maintaining the vitality of the local church. He has given you a spiritual gift to employ and a role for you to play.

There are dozens of biblical reasons why the Body of Christ coming together in large and small groups is important. Prioritize gathering with your local church (Hebrews 10:25). It is good for your soul and inspires you to do good between Sundays.

We hold to a biblical gospel.

The gospel is loving, and it’s good news. It is not outdated or insensitive, and it is the only path to knowing God and life eternal. There is no reason to squirm because the first part of the gospel includes repentance (Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15). This does not insult people; these words lovingly call them to the end of themselves—to find everything in Jesus.

The local church remains relevant because the Spirit is at work, and the Son is building His Church. We need not dilute or soften the biblical gospel in attempts to woo skeptics. Newcomers will appreciate the truth more than a camouflaged bait-and-switch of cozy self-help preaching. People are not reconciled to God by good vibes at a church event. People are reconciled to God when they realize their need for a savior—and respond with faith in Jesus. Be on your guard against embracing a “different” gospel (Galatians 1:6-12).

The church is a light to the world because she stands on and proclaims truth. The Spirit will give people eyes to see the truth, and the truth will set them free (John 8:31-32).

We view other churches as on the same team.

Celebrate what God is doing in other churches. Mingle with your extended family in Christ. Find out how to help and bless a church plant in your area. Pray for other congregations and their leaders. This has spiritual significance beyond PR optics. God is glorified in our gospel unity, even if we are not uniform in how we revere Him.

Yet, do not minimize the optics. Unbelieving onlookers will notice when Christians in their city move from silent competitors to vocal teammates—cheering each other on and speaking well of each other.

All who name Jesus as Lord are our brothers and sisters, worthy of our love and prayers. They are also our co-laborers, worthy of our enthusiastic support as together we go after the harvest–gathering worshipers for Jesus (Matthew 9:35-38). Same Lord. Same goal. Same team.

We show up in the community.

The local church is mobilized by obedience and compassion to get the Light and the Salt out beyond the church building. Take action when schools need supplies or when senior care homes need help.

I remember hearing of church leaders who approached their city’s mayor with a question: “What is a current problem you wish you could solve or a project you’ve been wanting to start, but you lack volunteers?” The stunned official named a project, and the church committed hundreds of hours to help make it happen.

Let’s also show up when things get rough, during storms or tragedies—when it is evident to everyone that there are things bigger than ourselves. Offer practical care and comfort while pointing others to hope in the One who holds all things, including the weather and the brokenhearted, in His merciful hands.

Serving a hurting community is just one way the local church makes the love of Jesus more than a theme or a theory. Christ is glorified when we show up with blankets, water, food, funds, or willing labor—all in His name. Christ is shown to be real and present when local churches demonstrate new life in Him, characterized by unselfishness, compassion, and generosity.

We make things better.

In some places, the local church is a bit of a fixer-upper. But at the core, it is beautiful, important, and worth your investment. Get in there and make it better. She is a mosaic of broken people who love Jesus but are works in progress, still breaking free from the flesh. Continue to love your flawed local church. Love her as Christ does—give yourself up for her (Ephesians 5:25).

Volunteer to serve. Pray for your pastors and elders. Approach them with this offer, “What do you need most right now?” Then, apply your gifts and resources in partnership with the Holy Spirit to serve the church’s vision.

We gather and scatter.

The local church is a family of Christians coming together to love and serve each other before going out to love and serve the world (Acts 2:36-47, Ephesians 4:11-16, Matthew 5-7).

Because of his rock-like faith, Simon’s name was changed to Peter (Matthew 16:18). Life change is the through-line of our community. It’s not that some of us were enemies of God, mercifully brought to life by grace through faith—we all have this story in common.

Christ has redeemed us into the life of His body, His church. This is the life to which we have been called—coming together and going out. Linking your life with a local church is not just one of God’s requirements—it is one of his greatest blessings.

Scripture References

25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

17From that time on Jesus began to preach,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

“The time has come,”

he said.

“The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—

7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.

8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!

9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

10Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

11I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.

12I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

31To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said,

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

37Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

36“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

40With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

41Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

44All the believers were together and had everything in common.

45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,

12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up

13until 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.

14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

And I tell you that you are Peter,

and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades

will not overcome it.

Kyle Dunn

Kyle Dunn serves as Lead Pastor for People of Hope Church—a non-denominational church plant in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is a graduate of Baylor University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Kyle and his wife, Stacy, have been married for thirty-four years. They have three wonderful children who are now in their twenties. Kyle enjoys traveling, reading history, bombarding his family with facts about history, and trying new restaurants with Stacy.