I have often heard church leaders say "you need a church home". Is this true and if so, why is it so important?
Answer
A partial answer about why we need a “church home” can be found in my answer about television churches at What Does the Bible Say About..TV Church?" and in my article at Too Many Congregations.
But those don’t address the need to choose one congregation with which to worship. Of course, this wasn’t a problem when the Bible was written, since there was probably only one congregation of Christians in each city. There were no choices. Today, when you have choices not only of congregations of the Lord’s church but also of denominations that choose the traditions of men over the word of God, there may be even a greater need to pick one congregation with which to assemble regularly.
One reason it is important to attend one congregation regularly is so that the elders can shepherd you. Imagine a sheep that wandered from one herd to another. No shepherd would recognize him as part of his flock, so when the sheep had problems no shepherd would be responsible to help him. If he were in one flock, the shepherd would give his life to save him. Paul commands us to know and love our elders. “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12) You can’t obey this command if you don’t settle in one congregation.
Another reason is so you can encourage others. You never know who is watching you. You never know whom you may influence. But if you are not settled in one congregation it is hard to obey the command (Hebrews 10:24-25) to encourage one another. Encouragement is more effective if it comes from someone you know. The New Testament speaks frequently about “fellowship” and uses the phrase “among you.” You can’t have true fellowship or be among the people of a congregation with whom you do not regularly associate.