Church Attendance

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Matthew 28:5-6

I was watching the news a couple of days ago and they said that church attendance across the country has experienced a steady decline over the past few years. They said that churches are looking for ways to increase attendance and begin new programs that will hopefully attract younger people. Churches should always search for ways to bring more people into the church. There are many saved people today who came to church for an event and stayed because they learned of the saving grace of our Lord and Savior. However, I do not believe we should lure people into the church under the pretense that it will require little commitment, they will only hear “feel good” lessons from the pastor, and they will be entertained. 

The news reporter made the statement that millennials are the people who have had the largest decline in attendance. She said this drop could be blamed on the idea that attending church was old fashioned and many did not see the need to gather with other Christians. They believed the church was filled with hypocrisy and if they needed to worship, they could do it alone wherever they were. I believe the millennials are correct, somewhat. We are told to worship God in all areas of our lives, in all places, and at all times but we are also told of the importance of gathering with other believers. We need this interaction with other Christians so we can share in each other’s joys and sorrows. They are also correct when they say the church is filled with hypocrisy but they do not understand that we go to church to worship a perfect God. And, even if we worship Him alone, there is still at least one hypocrite in attendance. He knows we are imperfect but He still allows us to come to His house and worship Him. Maybe we have done a poor job as Christians of teaching young people that church is not a place to be entertained or to be served. Maybe if we had done a better job of teaching young people the eternal value of worshiping a Risen Savior they would be filling the churches each Sunday. Easter is traditionally the most crowded Sunday of the year but according to the news even that day will see smaller crowds. I hope the news report will be wrong but I am afraid our churches will continue to see the size of the crowds shrink slowly.

Just prior to Easter Sunday, I was reading in Matthew about the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. As the women searched the tomb for Jesus an angel appeared to them. He says to the women, “I know you are looking for Jesus, but He has risen, just as He said."  I thought about how throughout Jesus’ life on earth, in His death, and even today Jesus has always done just as He said. He taught us by the way He lived His life as a servant to all, by freely giving His life for us, and by providing the blessings we experience each day. If we know this why would we not want to worship Him daily, gather with other believers to share our joy, and share our love for Him with others. I prayed today that we would all continue to gather with other believers each Sunday and worship our Savior who was crucified for us but rose again on the third day.

Happy belated Easter to you guys. He has Risen!

Chad