CHURCH ATTENDENCE; THE MISSIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF JUST BEING THERE!

I am glad that we have moved on from our legalism around many Christian Churches and that one of those legalisms that no longer is our having to attend Church every Sunday morning and having to feel guilty if we don’t. Protestant guilt is heavy burden and good reddens to it in the freedom and grace of Jesus. However, let us not allow the freedom to make us lethargic, careless or neglectful.

Indeed, let me give a completely different perspective on your attendance at Church on a Sunday. Attendance should never be about your own interests. Your attendance should be about your contribution to the worshipping missional community that you are a part of. I hear you say, “But I don’t need to be at Church on a Sunday to play my role and use my gifts outside of the Sunday service.” Can I suggest that this is a too individualistic an understanding of your role in the Sunday service.

I have recently paced around the Church on a Sunday evening concerned that there would not be a careless decision or two made about attending that night, praying that some of my congregation would prayerfully and missionally strategically weigh in. One night in particular I watched as a Polish woman walked very determinedly into my Church. It must have taken some courage and I am sure she was asking some questions as she arrived. Perhaps she wanted to know about Christianity and its relevance to people like her. I knew those in our congregation who could have reached her, befriended her and made her feel a little more at home but that evening they had decided not to come along. If we had put together an intentional mission event to reach varying groups of people I know that our congregation would commit with focused conviction. We need to see that even our presence at worship may have as powerful an impact. We haven’t seen the Polish girl since. Making our services friendly to strangers starts with the gathered community that the liturgy is played out in.

In conclusion another twist in perspective from old legalism to missional intentionality. We, in my congregation, have a fascinating habit of arriving just in time or actually in the five minutes after starting time. Again, how glad I am that we are not petty punctual. I like the fact that the Irish definition of “urgent” is “that there is still time for another coffee.” However, visitors have left our services before they started because they felt that there was no one coming or because there were only young people there and they felt out of it. If they had waited for another five minutes there would have been a whole range of others arriving but for them it was too late. Our comfort and almost pride in our lateness is self absorbed and not thinking of others before ourselves, a crucial basic of following Jesus.

So, don’t go to Church because you feel you have to and you don’t want to feel guilty for not going. Go to Church on Sunday because your presence is crucial for the work of Christ. Your presence is a vital contribution to Christ’s mission and might draw someone into the heart of God rather than your absence sending them back out into the cold!

Comments

[Kerry Nicholson]

But what about the HUGE culture in Northern Ireland of being there on a Sunday (and on time too) but NOT being there at any other time in the week, I think that this is possibly worse?

[Stocki]

Another real problem with people's perceptions of Church... but not the point of this blog...

[David Campton]

check out today's post from stuff christians like
http://stuffchristianslike.net/2010/04/2801/

[monty]

Oops My comment doesn't seem to have made it thru- AS far as I can remember it was along the lines of "Well done- couldn't have put it better myself"- indeed I did say it was probably the closest we've had to a "did he just write that or did I"? moment. As you would say either one of us has got converted or the other has backslidden. Said more or less exactly the same at our AGM. Let's not use a fear of legalism as an excuse to wimp out of the big challenges of belonging and contributing to what God is doing. If you're not there you're diminished, the church is diminished and above all the seekers/casual visitors/searchers are diminished because they miss out on a really true picture of what the church is. Keep preachin it

[Seb]

Spot on Steve - thank you Steve