Deep within each of us is a desire to belong. We want to belong to a group of people where, in the words of the theme song from the sitcom Cheers, “everybody knows your name.” Some have called it our tribal instinct. Barbra Streisand sold millions of records singing about it. The lyrics “People, people who need people, are the luckiest people in the world,” struck a responsive chord in the hearts of many. Employees stay on jobs because of it. People stay in churches because of it.

And that need to belong is one of the critical reasons for church. In church we acknowledge our need to belong to the Lord. As every school has a school spirit, so should every Christian. Understanding that, it makes me wonder why so many so-called believers don’t want to belong in a church. Don’t we understand those words spoken by the Hebrew writer, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25).

How do you feel about belonging?