There’s something deeply scriptural about that. You don’t just go to be served, you go to serve. The reason you would go to church today is that you’ve moved from being a consumer to being a contributor. That’s very different than consuming church in a back row, which you can just as easily do on your back deck. I think being the church has something to do with living your life for Christ, demonstrating God’s love by serving others and sharing your faith with people. Merely attending church doesn’t make you much of a church because sitting in a back row consuming church doesn’t make you very good at being the church. The main reason I gather with the church is because I am the church. In fact, I can think of only two compelling reasons to go to church anymore. We now live in a culture that’s drowning in options and has 24/7 access to anything Christian. In addition to faith reasons, people loved going to church because it was one of a handful of options available in a community as well as the main way (other than personal devotions) you connect with God. Generations ago, the church was a social and cultural hub as well as a missional hub. I wonder if in large measure that’s why the era of attending church is dying. Slip on Spotify and grab the message via podcast or on demand and boom, you’re covered.
All of that you could almost do by yourself in a much more convenient way. You drive all the way in to connect with three or four songs, hear the message and then head home. Increasingly, I’m convinced there’s no point to merely attending. Which brings us back to the question: Why attend church? You can access almost any church you want, anywhere, anytime. If your church doesn’t have a great online experience, no worries, about a million others do.
Plus we share the services on demand, so I could watch or listen any time during the week via our website or catch the message for free via podcast.
I could literally watch live on any device I own anywhere. So I feel what the culture is feeling more than ever before.Īnd on those Sundays when I have no official role, I’m plagued with the question “Why go to church?”Īfter all, our church streams our services live online. Sure, sometimes I host the service or have other roles, but more often than I’ve ever experienced before, I’m free on a Sunday.
I still carry about 30 Sundays a year of teaching and work on some senior level projects, but that leaves me much freer than I’ve ever been on a Sunday morning. In the fall of 2015, I transitioned out of the lead pastor role at our church and into a Founding and Teaching Pastor role ( Here’s a piece on why and how I did it). But I get why more and more people have simply stopped attending. There are many reasons why that’s happening ( I outline 10 here), but I think it’s increasingly evident that it no longer makes sense to attend church.ĭon’t get me wrong. You might have even asked the question yourself. The trend is practically universal: fewer people are attending church every year.