When I talk with new church members, I make a big promise. And so far, no one has ever returned to complain that I misled them. I promise that if they show up consistently (in our church, that means corporate worship on Sunday and home group on Wednesday) and seek to care for others, they will get everything they want out of the church. That could be spiritual growth, friendships, biblical knowledge, or practical help. They will get whatever they want from the church by fulfilling just those two simple tasks.

If you don’t participate regularly, you don’t get the formative experience of church. You don’t grow in biblical knowledge through the teaching or in relational depth through praying with others. And if you don’t seek the good of others, you learn to judge the church for how it fails to meet your needs and how others fail to reach out to you. I’ve never seen people rediscover church and get what they want from the community unless they consistently show up and ask others how they can help. Nothing would do more to help the spiritual growth of Christians around the world today than if they went back to church, after 18 months of online fighting over masks, racial justice, vaccines, elections, and more.

You are the body of Christ. You might be a hand, an ear, or an eye. Whatever the appendage, you are essential. The body doesn’t function properly without you. And you need the body of Christ. So show up and ask around. Other Christians need you more than you can realize. One day you’ll understand how much you needed them, too.