One of the mottos of the last church where I was a member was, The church is not this building; it’s the people. Yet, after I left church four years ago, I would occasionally run into people who asked me if I was attending church anywhere. Their question was more about whether I was attending a building on Sundays and less about whether I was part of a community of people who shared a love of Jesus.

The case for attending church has been made that Jesus, during his time on earth, attended temple. While Jesus did attend temple, he often did so to teach and correct the Pharisees. Then, there was the time he became so angry with what was happening in the temple that he turned over tables.

Another case for attending church is that Jesus died for the church. That case includes a bit of a guilt trip by insinuating that those who don’t attend church make Jesus’ death seem in vain. However, Jesus died for the whole world, not just the church attenders.

What if church is more than a building full of people who sit together once or twice a week and listen to one man share his interpretation of the Bible and his concept of God? What if church is more than a membership in a tightly-knit club that performs the same rituals and traditions based on the shared beliefs week after week?

What if church is a world of people who hold differing beliefs