Going to church
Is it like…
Going to school
Going to hospital
Going to the beach
Going to the movies
Going to the markets
Or going to the football
No
Church is not a building
Church is not an institution
Church is not a spectator sport
Church is not a compulsory ritual
Church is not a task to be completed
Church is a gathering of people who belong to God
Let’s stop going to church and start being the church
macarisms 
Amen to that … Using “church” to mean, e.g., a mere
building or institution is yet another way in which we manage to
domesticate/downplay/trivialize God’s eternal plans. Unfortunately,
a large part of this battle is already lost, since you will not be
able to find an English dictionary that does not
include these alternative meanings in its definition of “church”.
Hence the continuing role of the preacher, Bible study leader, etc.
etc., down to the individual Christian, of affirming and
reaffirming the original meaning of “church” and its implications
for us today and for ever. I would add to the second list something
like “Church is not the pastor” or “Church is not the leadership
team”. I have on several occasions had to jump on statements of the
form (say) “The church wants to/doesn’t want to do X” when what was
actually true was “The pastor wants to/doesn’t
want to do X”.
Nice poem. I would include “Church is not an opportuity to fulfil our demands” or “Church is not a place of consumption”. These are the dark desires I find residing in my heart when I’m challenged enough to assess it. Just a quick reflection on how God brings us into relationship with him and others through Jesus should be enough to jump start proper thinking about the church. Yet it does show the reality and continual challenge of Eph 2:1-2.
Reminds me of a ditty our kids were taught years ago – The church is not a building…………….
The church is a people . You are the church , I am the church , we are the church together………