Is Walking Away From the Church the Same as Walking Away From Christ?

There has been some recent discussion online, based on comments by John Piper, that walking away from the church is the same as walking away from Christ? Is this true?

What I think is ironic is that much of the agreement of Piper’s statement comes from Reformed circles which believes in eternal security. This means that a Christian cannot lose their salvation under any circumstances, including leaving church.

Now I know what the response will be. If someone walks away from the church, they must not have ever been a Christian in the first place. The problem with this well worn argument is that effectively takes away any meaning of eternal security.

No one can have assurance of salvation because none of us, no matter how Reformed, how evangelical, how zealous for the gospel, can know if something will happen in the future that will make us stop attending church. The confidence in salvation of those are faithful to the end and those who seem faithful for much of their life until something significant happens looks identical.

I am not a Calvinist and so I accept that it is possible for someone to walk away from Christ. I only mention this because I find the direction of the conversation interesting.

I want to say up front that I highly value participation in a local church. I think that in principle, it is better for Christians to attend worship services and participate in a fellowship. I believe that is where the best discipleship takes place.

However, we do know that there are Christians who decide to stop attending church. Why does this happen? For some, it is because church was cultural or part of their tradition. Others may have attended to make family happy. Eventually they just decide to stop coming.

But there are other reasons. Some neurodivergent people and people with mental illness may experience sensory overload. I knew of a young man with extreme anxiety who wanted to attend church but could not be in the sanctuary with us because of social anxiety. This is not a matter of disobedience.

By the way, this is why I am critical of congregations that wanted to get rid of their online services after the pandemic. Online services reach a certain population that would not otherwise be able to attend.

There are others who may have attended faithfully for years but something bad happened. Perhaps it was abuse. Perhaps it was toxic leadership. People experience legitimate trauma at church for some, it feels impossible to return. Trying to guilt them into returning by equating their actions with walking away from Christ is only deepening their trauma.

But doesn’t the Bible say:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Yes it does. And in general, this correct. We should try not to neglect Christian fellowship. But misuse of this passage is the same tactic that was used to condemn churches that went online only during the pandemic to maintain public safety. If this is an absolute commandment, on which salvation rests, then those who do not attend church during a blizzard or other severe event are in big trouble.

I would like to conclude by suggesting that walking away from church is not the same things as walking away from Church. Pastors have been stressing for years that the church is not the building but the people. Some Christians find Christian fellowship in contexts outside of a formal church congregation. Perhaps they have walked away from a certain form of church while still remaining firmly established in the Church.