Going Back

We belong to Jesus, and we are part of the body of Christ - His Church, which He established. When we come together in unity to worship Him and fellowship together, there is the potential of wonderful things happening. Colossians 3 says:
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

No wonder there is such external pressure to see the Church divided and made weak through our failure to allow the Holy Spirit of God to flow through us so that we can function as a powerful force for the glory of God in the earth. We can make the effort to be involved in our local church congregations, so that we are strengthened and encouraged - and so that we can encourage one another. Our participation in the work of the Lord brings a great sense of satisfaction to us. 

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God is calling us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Himself, and we grow in Christ through our individual time with Him and through the gathering of God's people. Hebrews 10 offers this reminder:
22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

For students around the Faith Radio coverage area, this is the season when the routines of families are shifting back to what they were during the spring - or new routines are being crafted entirely. Yes, it's Back to School time, and that affects so many families.  The summer is over, and it's time to lock in what the Fall will look like.

And, with routines during the summer changing somewhat, that may have had an effect on church attendance - and families may have moved out of the habit of regularly worshipping in the house of God.  So, over a dozen years ago, an initiative called National Back to Church Sunday was launched.  The website, backtochurch.com, states:

National Back to Church Sunday began in 2009 as church attendance in America was declining and church leaders began to look for ways to involve their congregations in reaching out and inviting friends, neighbors and coworkers to come back to, or try church for the first time.

Each September since then, we have set aside the third Sunday in September as the day to encourage everyone to attend a Bible-based church in their area and for church leaders to create a welcoming, inviting environment for their visitors.

Incredibly, since 2009, more than 4-million Christ-followers have participated through over 40,000 churches…and the movement continues to grow.

While this has been incredibly effective in getting people back in church who perhaps have stopped attending entirely, or perhaps have not attended.  There is some new research that indicates some reasons why regular church attendees decide not to go.

In a summary of this new survey by Lifeway Research of American adults who go to Protestant or nondenominational worship services, its website relates:

Respondents were asked how often they would skip a weekly worship service for six different scenarios—to avoid severe weather, to enjoy an outdoor activity in good weather, to get extra sleep, to meet friends, to avoid traveling when it’s raining or to watch sports.

The site goes on to say: "One in 10 Protestant churchgoers (11%) say they would never skip for any of these reasons. Twice as many (22%) say they would never skip due to the five options besides severe weather situations."

Just over three-fourths of those surveyed indicated that at least once a year, they would miss church due to severe weather. Just over half said they would not attend in order to participate in an "outdoor activity" or to enjoy some "extra sleep," again, at least once a year.  Half said they would miss church at least one time during a year in order to spend time with family and friends. 

Of those six reasons for missing church, believe it or not, watching sports finishes last, but still with 42% of respondents saying that would not attend in order to view a sports occasion.

And, the more someone attends church, the less likely he or she would miss for any of the six reasons surveyed.  The summary notes:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, churchgoers who attend four times a month or more are less likely to say they’d ever miss for any of the six options than those who attend one to three times a month. Also, evangelicals by belief are less likely to say they would skip for any of the listed reasons than those without such theological convictions.

Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Research underscores the importance of making that choice to attend church, stating, “Churchgoers are not on autopilot. Each week they are faced with a choice of whether to attend church, and there is more than one tradeoff when it comes to this decision..."

The Bible speaks in Hebrews about the importance of God's people coming together.  And, while there is certainly no condemnation for missing church every now and then, if it grows to be habitual, I think it can have an effect on a person's spiritual life.   We grow in Christ through a variety of means - including our personal prayer and Bible study, as well as our corporate participation in worship. Other resources, such as exposure to Bible teaching and music through Faith Radio, can keep us connected to the God who desires for us to be in relationship with Him and with His body.

We do have to guard against allowing external circumstances to have a negative effect on our internal growth in Christ. It can be easy to make excuses for not participating in the work and worship of God. We should be motivated to remain committed to what He wants to do in our lives and how He would have us participate in the work of the local church.