• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Archives

Hobo Theology

Theology | Bible | Soul

Why Must We Go to Church

by Derek Leave a Comment

With podcasts and live streaming, have you ever wondered why we must gather together at church every Sunday? Isn’t that a little old school? I mean, why not just stay in your jammies, sip coffee, stream one of the best worship bands on the planet via Spotify, download a sermon from a world-renowned teacher, and call it a day?

The answer comes, in part, from the definition of the word “church” (Greek, ekklesia). Church is not a building. Church is a people. But in particular, the church is a gathering of people. Edmund Clowney (1995) writes:

The term ekklesia is the Greek Old Testament translation of the Hebrew word qahal, and it describes an assembly…Both ekklesia and qahal denote an actual assembly, rather than a ‘congregation’ (which may or may not be ‘congregated’). (p. 30)

Although church (ekklesia) may not be a building, it is a literal gathering, an assembly of people. So, “to do church,” if you will, means at the very least “to gather.” Why would we go out of our way to go to church every week? Because at its core, that’s what church is, a gathering. As pastor Mark Dever (2012) says, “The local church is more than…a gathering, but it is never less” (p. 132).

Now, at this point, we might ask, “Why would God want us to gather?” What’s going on here? What is the theological significance of the church actually gathering?

More on that in a future post… 🙂

dg

References

Clowney, E. P. (1995). The Church. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press.

Dever, M. (2012). The Church: The Gospel Made Visible. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic.

Enjoyed the post? Pass it on:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related


Discover more from Hobo Theology

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Church, Ecclesiology, Theology

Reader Interactions

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Primary Sidebar

just one beggar
telling another beggar
where to find bread

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Threads
  • Bluesky
  • RSS Feed

Follow on Fediverse:

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 213 other subscribers

Recent

  • Matthew 7.13-20
  • Joy and Privilege of Busyness
  • Why Evaluate a Profession of Faith
  • As You Can
  • Read the New Testament in 2025

Tags

1 Corinthians Apologetics Bible C.S. Lewis Chasing Soul Christ Is Risen Christmas Church Easter Ecclesiology Evangelicalism Exegesis Faith Family Gospel Grace Incarnation Jesus Leadership Mark ministry NL Our God Passion 2016 Pastoring Prayer Prayers Preaching Psalm 103 resurrection Sabbath Sabbath Dimensions Sanctification Solitude Solitude 101 Soul Spiritual Disciplines Spiritual Disciplines 101 Spirituality Student Ministry The Gospel Coalition Conference 2013 Theology Tim Keller Timothy Keller Worship

Copyright Hobo Theology © 2025

%d