5 Reasons to Attend Church Regularly
BY RICK MCDANIEL , CP CONTRIBUTOR
There is a disturbing trend I am noticing in churches. Maybe it is more in larger, contemporary churches than
smaller, traditional churches. But since the majority of all churchgoers now attend larger churches this is of real
concern. The trend is the decline in percentage attendance. In other words there are less people attending each
church service in comparison with the number of people who call the church their home. For years a good percentage would be around 75%. Three out of every four people would be in church on any given Sunday. Now that
number may well be 50% or even worse. Regular church attendance is extremely valuable, is very important and
should be practiced by anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ. A Christ-follower needs to regularly attend
church. Not counting the times that you might miss for vacation or sickness or a particular work commitment
you should be in church.
Church is not something that you do individually it is something that you do collectively. To be a follower of
Christ is not just what you do by yourself it is what you do together with other people. We are what the Bible
calls the “family of God.” A family is by its very nature inter-dependent. What it means to be a part of a local
church is that you’re inter-dependent with other people in your church. There are strong reasons why you should
come to church regularly.
It Is What Jesus Did
Luke 14:6 says, “Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he’d been brought up and as usual he went to the meeting
place on the Sabbath.” The Bible tells us that “as usual” or another translation of the Bible says “as was His custom” Jesus went to the place of worship. This is in keeping with obeying one of the Ten Commandments which
is, “Observe the Sabbath by keeping it holy.” When we say we are followers of Christ, we’re supposed to do what
Jesus has done. What would Jesus do? Jesus would go to church and we as followers of Christ should do the
same. If we take seriously our followership of Christ, then we should go to church regularly.
It Is a Good Habit
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship. But we must not do that.
We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting
closer.” The Bible says to us there is a good habit of regularly going to church. Most of the time when we think
of habits we think bad habits but there are good habits. Some have developed the bad habit of missing church.
Maybe you’ve gotten out of the habit or maybe you have yet to develop the habit of regular church attendance.
Sunday morning offers a lot of options. It offers the sleep in option, it offers a brunch option, it offers the read the
Sunday paper option, and it offers all kinds of options having to do with recreation. Good habits bless your life
and produce positive results. When you practice the good habit of regular church attendance you reap some very
good outcomes.
It Is a Positive Example
Going to church is a positive example. When you go each Sunday, you’re setting an example. You are setting an
example that other people notice. It is an example that becomes an inspiration for others. People who are trying
to make their lives better, people who want a positive change are going to be impacted by an example of someone who is committed to regular church attendance. For those of you who are married, it’s a positive example to
your spouse. For those of you that have children, it’s an absolutely positive example for your kids to know that on
Sunday you go to church. For the people around you, whether it’s your friends or your co-workers, whether it’s
your family, when they see that you have a commitment that is leading you to living a better life - that is a positive example that other people can follow.
26 October Edition