My entire christian life I have listened to people's opinions of the church.  It seems as though criticizing the church is perfectly acceptable by those inside the community of faith as well as those outside.  I believe the negative aspects of the church as we traditionally know it have been discussed ad nauseum, so I would like to  present a few of the reasons I will always support, promote, and participate in the local church.

 Jesus was a regular attender of the synagogue in his hometown.  In Luke 4, we read how that Jesus as His custom was,  went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.  It was on this particular day, a day like so many other Sabbath days when He would be in attendance  with His friends and family, that He opened the book of the prophet Isaiah.  As He began to read the words of the prophecy, there was something different that day, a glorious witness, as all of heaven fixed it's gaze on the one who would deliver all of mankind in the fulfillment of the words He read that day.   I think it is significant that He presented Himself, declared the fulfillment of the prophecy and announced the beginning of His mission, in the local house of worship, the synagogue in Nazareth.  What if you were a part of that community and decided to stay home that day because you thought you knew exactly how the service would go, who would be there, who would read, what prayer would be said, etc.  Enough said.  People often site the 'hypocrite' factor, you know, they don't want to either be a hypocrite or be in church with the hypocrites who are there.  People were the same in Jesus day as they are now.  If anyone had a legitimate reason NOT to go, it would have been Jesus.  There were hypocrites, religious people, mean people, to the degree that they wanted to kill him that very day, but He still regularly attended synagogue and participated in the services.  He is our example.  

In Psalm 73 we read about the struggles of a righteous man who was angered and confused over the injustice he saw in the world and the blessed lives of the ungodly.  Like righteous Lot, this man was 'vexed' in his soul because of the prosperity of the wicked and even questioned the value of living a life of holiness . . . "until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood . . ."   This man said that his feet had almost slipped, in other words, he almost gave in to the temptation to become offended and walk away from God, but when he went to the house of God, understanding came.   It was in the sanctuary that his eyes were opened and he was restored in his heart.   There is a supernatural exchange that takes place in an atmosphere of corporate worship.   God likes it.  Things happen, not the least of which is that revelation comes to our hearts; faith increases, strength is renewed, joy is restored, courage is imparted and peace is recovered.  These things happen when true worshippers gather together and worship in spirit and truth.  It is supernatural, it is divine.  It is an opportunity missed when we view church from a natural (unspiritual) perspective.  Yes, I know you can worship alone at your house but there is something different that happens in the corporate setting that does not happen when you are alone at your house.   We are after all, the body of Christ.

There have been  many studies done attempting to measure the happiness factor of people.  According to one study referenced by David Brooks in the New York Times, joining a group that meets even just once a month produces the same happiness gain as doubling your income.   Wow!   This is just the baseline benefit of joining a monthly meeting group but imagine the benefits when you add the other dynamics of a typical church service, singing, worship, the Word of God, prayer, counsel, personal ministry and interpersonal relationships are formed and strengthened.  Other widely known studies have shown that people who participate in regular worship services, whatever their faith, are happier, live longer and stay married longer than their counterparts who do not.

In conclusion, I believe the benefits of church are much more than what I have stated here.  It is in the church that we have opportunity to learn and practice the love of God, receive and extend grace to one another, work through differences, forgive one another, honor and bless those we agree with and those we disagree with.  We teach our children how to work through  offenses and walk in humility.   I believe it was God's intention that we would learn how to live with one another in the community of faith (within the local church) so that we would have successful relationships in our individual homes and families. Unfortunately when we do not learn these life principles in the church we don't practice them in our families and the result is broken relationships and marriages.  The ramifications are generational and ultimately impact society in the exact opposite way that we the church are supposed to impact it.  What a difference iit could make in our lives, our families and beyond  if we would take advantage of the benefits of the local church.