I’m going to start this column off by saying that I think it is a weird and unhelpful habit when Christians get used to not going to church very often. The Bible is either true, or it isn’t. Similarly, church gatherings are either good for you or a waste of time. Depending on what you believe, I can see why some people would go to church every week, and I can see why other people would not attend at all. But it sorta’ baffles me as to why someone would attend once every 4-6 weeks.
I recently shared this opinion in a room full of Christians, and they asked me something like, “Well, then, why don’t you preach that people must go to church every week?”
My response was this: Because the Bible doesn’t lay down a specific law like that. It is true that Hebrews 10:25 mentions the importance of not getting into the habit of skipping Christian meetings because we must promote “love and good works” amongst each other. But it doesn’t mention how often one must go, nor does it mention if it is a sin to miss one every once in a while. Additionally, as I’ve preached before, I think the meaning of that verse comes closer to encouraging community group attendance than it is talking about Sunday morning church attendance.
So, without a specific rule in the Bible, I don’t have the authority to tell people that they must go to church every week, or to shame people for missing a Sunday.
However, that shouldn’t prevent me from explaining why you should want to go to church every week. Nothing prevents me from pointing out the value of weekly church attendance. So, let me do that by showing you how weekly church attendance helps us to complete our mission: love God, love each other, and love people who don’t know God yet.
LOVE GOD
I believe that you are more likely to honor God throughout the week, when you hear the word of God preached earlier during that week. And I believe that, generally speaking, hearing God’s word taught four times a month is twice as good as hearing it preached two times per month. (Sure, the law of diminishing returns eventually applies; I don’t think going to church sixty times per month is superior to four or eight.) Worshipping God alongside other believers points your life in a better direction than it would be if you simply worked at your job, took care of your family, and then started all over again the next week without having gathered with God’s people for teaching and worship.
LOVE EACH OTHER
It matters that we know and care about other people who belong to the same church that we do. And it is very hard to care about people you only see once a month. Many of us recognize that “love one another” is an important command, however we are putting ourselves in a position where that command is very difficult to obey – at least with the people that we call, “our church.”
LOVE PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW GOD YET
This one might not be as obvious. But think of it this way: our Sunday morning services are designed to be a community where a non-church person can walk in and be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. But for that to work, we need people inviting people to church, greeters at the door, people doing music, sound, and KidZone. We also need regular people who choose to be “incognito greeters” going around making everyone else feel comfortable and happy to be there. That kind of worship meeting is harder to pull off when half the team doesn’t show up.
So, while I don’t believe I have the authority to try to make you feel bad for missing a Sunday every now and again (of course that is going to happen because of work travel, vacations, and sicknesses) I do believe I can point out how important it is to get yourself in the habit of attending church every week that you are healthy and in town; it helps us accomplish what God has called us to.
I recently shared this opinion in a room full of Christians, and they asked me something like, “Well, then, why don’t you preach that people must go to church every week?”
My response was this: Because the Bible doesn’t lay down a specific law like that. It is true that Hebrews 10:25 mentions the importance of not getting into the habit of skipping Christian meetings because we must promote “love and good works” amongst each other. But it doesn’t mention how often one must go, nor does it mention if it is a sin to miss one every once in a while. Additionally, as I’ve preached before, I think the meaning of that verse comes closer to encouraging community group attendance than it is talking about Sunday morning church attendance.
So, without a specific rule in the Bible, I don’t have the authority to tell people that they must go to church every week, or to shame people for missing a Sunday.
However, that shouldn’t prevent me from explaining why you should want to go to church every week. Nothing prevents me from pointing out the value of weekly church attendance. So, let me do that by showing you how weekly church attendance helps us to complete our mission: love God, love each other, and love people who don’t know God yet.
LOVE GOD
I believe that you are more likely to honor God throughout the week, when you hear the word of God preached earlier during that week. And I believe that, generally speaking, hearing God’s word taught four times a month is twice as good as hearing it preached two times per month. (Sure, the law of diminishing returns eventually applies; I don’t think going to church sixty times per month is superior to four or eight.) Worshipping God alongside other believers points your life in a better direction than it would be if you simply worked at your job, took care of your family, and then started all over again the next week without having gathered with God’s people for teaching and worship.
LOVE EACH OTHER
It matters that we know and care about other people who belong to the same church that we do. And it is very hard to care about people you only see once a month. Many of us recognize that “love one another” is an important command, however we are putting ourselves in a position where that command is very difficult to obey – at least with the people that we call, “our church.”
LOVE PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW GOD YET
This one might not be as obvious. But think of it this way: our Sunday morning services are designed to be a community where a non-church person can walk in and be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. But for that to work, we need people inviting people to church, greeters at the door, people doing music, sound, and KidZone. We also need regular people who choose to be “incognito greeters” going around making everyone else feel comfortable and happy to be there. That kind of worship meeting is harder to pull off when half the team doesn’t show up.
So, while I don’t believe I have the authority to try to make you feel bad for missing a Sunday every now and again (of course that is going to happen because of work travel, vacations, and sicknesses) I do believe I can point out how important it is to get yourself in the habit of attending church every week that you are healthy and in town; it helps us accomplish what God has called us to.
