In a time and culture that avoids commitment, it's impressive that people still attend church weekly. So what keeps them going?
We'll answer this question and more in the final episode of the Why Do You Go to Church series, on the You Don't Have to Be Perfect podcast.
I've attended a church service my entire life, and the reason has varied over the years, so I used the You Don't Have to Be Perfect podcast as a platform for this research. If you haven't listened to these interviews yet please do. It may give you insight into your own reasons for attending church.
In each interview, there were strong consistencies. For instance, most answered that they went to church for fellowship and to worship God.
From infancy through college, I attended a weekly church service (and usually one midweek). I genuinely loved being there. I loved the people, the singing, and the message of Christ's love. Oddly enough, I hadn't really cultivated a personal relationship with God yet. I heard people talk about it but wasn't really sure how to have it.
As a young mother, my personal relationship with God began to grow, and I knew what it meant to know Him intimately. Oddly enough, that's when I began to dislike attending church. If you don't know by now, I have practiced a perfectionistic way of thinking (my entire life), contributing to my dislike for church.
Perfectionists are known to find problems and quickly implement a plan to solve said problem so that the situation can be "perfect." I soon realized I couldn't fix the church no matter how hard I tried, leading to a weekly dread. As we'd creep closer to Sunday each week, I'd get increasingly uncomfortable, but I'd still go.
I continued to attend church to be obedient toward God and in support of my husband and children. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV)" -Hebrews 10:25. This verse specifically encouraged me to keep going and not give up even though I felt like I was in a congregation of pretenders. I know God is not fooled by those who pretend, but for some reason, they don't seem to realize that.
Jesus said that they would know we are Christians by our love. More specifically, He said, "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." -John 13:35. All I saw were people functioning by worldly methods and calling it Christianity, or worse, love. I wasn't fooled. God has opened my eyes to who He is through the power of His Holy Word, and I could no longer be fooled.
I had gone to church with these people for almost twenty years, and I started wondering, why do they come? What do they believe about the church that has them showing up every week?
As I began this series, my family and I began a beautiful transition that breathed fresh air into my soul. Amazingly, the series spanned from the beginning of that transition to where I am now: from California to Montana!
I enjoyed every interview and wanted to share some of my favorite parts. My guest Kandee shared that her favorite reason for attending church was to see what God was doing in people's lives because it encouraged her and spurred her on in her faith. I love that, and as we gather together in the Spirit, it should encourage and strengthen our faith. When you meet at the church to fellowship, do you feel encouraged?
