What's in Going to Church?

Last week I had a conversation with a guy who hadn't been to church in over 20 years. He told me how when he was young he saw the hypocrisy of church attenders. In his opinion they were going there to look good, to convince others they were good people even though they really weren't. He didn't get much out of church itself so he left.

He developed the reputation of a good guy who did everything for everyone else. He even saw himself this way. Leaders of institutions to his mind were more in it for themselves than for actually helping people thus affirming his decision to no longer attend church.

From what I gathered, his reputation really did back him up. He was a good guy and more moral than many who professed faith and regularly attended church. It struck me as a very interesting conversation because of the popular assumptions many Evangelicals hold which is that one cannot really be good without God.

Is it any wonder that many folks have left the church altogether because of the hypocrisy of leaders professing this proposition and yet appearing more interested in preserving the institution at the expense of others? If those theoretically closer to God aren't good then why church, why faith?

He gave his own answer to this as he has since returned to church and found it profoundly helpful. His realization was that what kept him from going to church was his own stubbornness to do life his way. He says that God has begun showing him the powerful effect a community committed to following Jesus can have on growing in one's faith.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Can one be good without going to church or without faith? What's the value in going to church?