“We can go it alone.” The trend in churches today seems to be thinking we don’t need a governing body over us, we can go it alone. Then they pull away from association with a greater body to become independent.

This is a dangerous move in today’s environment. Satan prowls around seeking whom he may devour turning on unaware individuals and loner churches. There is spiritual warfare in the world today. You don’t send a soldier out by himself to fight the enemy unless you mean to have that soldier killed.

Churches push for individuals to become members of their church. Why? Can’t they go it alone too? Why do we need church membership? Or are the churches deep down just wanting to pad their coffers and increase membership numbers to make the church look good? That’s a serious allegation, but I encourage you to think about it.

The thing is, we need each other. God said, “Let us not neglect meeting together, as the manner of some is, but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25 ESV) As the Day of the Lord approaches, the environment will get more and more hostile to God and His Church. We need each other to encourage one another, on an individual basis and on a church-to-church basis.

In the small fellowship of churches my church belongs to, we have annual meetings to take care of business and to encourage one another. At the annual meetings recently, they have covered topics like how we can respond in love to gender identity and alternative lifestyles, encouragement for the churches to keep on keeping on even in the face of resistance and problems. The conference provides opportunities to encourage one another on an individual basis individually and corporately.

There is just something about community that encourages and strengthens to continue the journey. As we know, the journey will not end until we meet our Savior face to face, and God promises the journey will get harder and harder until that time. We need each other individually and as churches to stay the course to reach the end.