What is church for?

Last night at small group we had a discussion about God wanting our heart rather than for us to just "go through the motions" of a religious life. Within that discussion the question was asked: What do you think church is supposed to be for?

This is a question I have asked myself on and off for many years, since my husband and I have never been willing to just pick any old church and attend "because we're supposed to."

In the course of the conversation I felt like my thoughts on this came together better than they had before. I think that people get extremely caught up in HOW church should be. Should it be like the early church fathers? Should it be with hymns and people wearing dress-up clothing? Should it be very subdued? Should it be ecstatic? Should it be uproarious in it's praise? Should miracles happen there? Should we be able to wear jeans? Should there be a youth group? On and on the questions arise on the HOWs of it all.

I think that when we get fixated on the HOW we miss the bigger point. I do not believe that there is one right way that church should look. I do not believe that God's intention was for everything to be the same in every time, in every place, for every people.

I believe that church is supposed to be a catalyst in our spiritual life. The worship, the teaching, the fellowship, and the community are all important parts of this. What is a catalyst in my life today may not be a catalyst for you. The church setting that inspires you and helps you to spend more time in prayer and meditation, that helps you grow in your spiritual walk is the one you should be in. But that is never going to be the same thing for all people. It probably won't even be the same thing for you your whole life through.