Is the church relevant? Depending on who you ask, you'll get a different answer. A mature Christian will say yes, a slighted Christian will say no. There really isn't a universal answer for this question. I will say this: I can't take any Christian seriously that doesn't belong to a church. Individual time spent with God is important, but so is corporate worship. There's nothing like getting together with fellow believers to praise & worship together. You can't forsake the church and still have a relationship with God, even if you do spend ample time in prayer & fasting, and reading his word. When I think of a Christian that doesn't belong to a church, I think of someone who doesn't want accountability. When you belong to a church, you're accountable to fellow believers and your pastor, and some Christians don't want that. They want to do their thing when it comes to God. These are the same believers that want help from the church if they get in a bind.
Everyone's walk with God is different, and I respect that. Just say you don't want accountability, and that's that. That's what it boils down to anyway. I believe many Christians are turned off by church is due to being slighted. Either the praise & worship isn't to their liking, or the pastor doesn't preach the right sermons. A lot goes into why some Christians are turned off by church. If you're not being fed spiritually, find another church. It's that simple. Every church isn't going to meet everyone's need, and that's fine. There's various churches for each person's taste, so I'm sure slighted Christians are bound to find a church that suits their taste. Then again, some Christians are just picky. No matter if they find a good church, they'll find something wrong. In that case, maybe it's best if those Christians stay away from the church. That carnal nature is going to rub off on another believer, and no one needs that. Nitpicking Christians are likely to not tithe. It's said that 80% of Christians don't tithe, the other 20% are keeping the church afloat financially.
In conclusion, maybe it's good that some Christians are turned off by the church. Those are the types that probably wouldn't help out if the church needed volunteers for a family fun day. I'll take it further and say: If you're turned off by the church, DO NOT look to the church for any help. You don't need the church, remember?
