It's Hard to Go to Church

Pertinent section of the article:

“According to the survey, about one-fifth of Americans now go to religious services a few times a year, but say they used to go a lot more. Roughly half of this group stopped going as often because of what the researchers called “practical issues”: They are too busy, have a crazy work schedule, or describe themselves as “too lazy” to go. Others said they just don’t care about attending services as much as doing other things.”

As the pastor of a small church, this article is Spot on. Our church struggles with volunteers and attendance at services, let alone other activities, because of these “practical issues.” I fear that if the church as a whole doesn’t begin to give God their priorities, all the other priorities we currently have may be taken away.

It is always amusing to see a secularist write about “religion” generically. When you deal in complete abstractions, you actually end of saying nothing. Consider this tidbit:

For one thing, the U.S. is still overwhelmingly religious, despite years of predictions about religion’s demise.

This statement means nothing. Satan is very religious, too. What the author is saying is that many Americans are moved by common grace to seek out something greater than themselves. If we know the Bible, that isn’t a particularly deep insight. Next:

A significant number of people who don’t identify with any particular faith group still say they believe in God, and roughly 40 percent pray daily or weekly.

Satan believes in God, and so do his fallen angels. Yawn. Prayer is also useless and ineffectual to unbelievers who have not repented of their sins and believed in Christ, because they have no access to come boldly to the throne of grace, that they might have mercy and help in time of need. They have no mediator. They have no access. They don’t have God.

First, people who report going to worship services less frequently now than they used to overwhelmingly say the logistics of getting there are the biggest obstacle

Spare me. Please. I grow weary of this madness. Please read the depiction of God’s heavenly throne room in Revelation 4-5, then explain to the Lord why the logistics of gathering with the congregation to worship and praise Him are just too much …

Second, a significant number of people who said they’re not part of any particular religion expressed mistrust of religious institutions, suggesting these organizations’ reputations have something to do with why people are dropping out of public religious participation.

People are sinful and always will be. So, you decide to be deliberately rebellious and cut yourself off from the only God-ordained means of sanctification and corporate worship? Read the Book of Hebrews and heed the warnings, friend. My family has been deeply hurt by other Christians, both as a Pastor and as an ordinary church member. We still attend a local assembly, and we always will. Please, dear brethren, find a straw and suck it up.

It suggests that many people view religious services as optional in a way they might not have in the past. Fifty or 60 years ago, churches, in particular, were a center of social and cultural life in America. For many people, that’s still the case, but the survey suggests that many people may be creating their social lives outside of a religious context—or perhaps forgoing that kind of social connection altogether

I think this is a good thing. The fake religious gloss has worn off. Excellent. Many of these “cultural Christians” are not regenerate at all. If you’ve ministered in the rural Mid-West, than you know how deep and pervasive the pseudo-religion of “cultural Christianity” is.

I listened to a sermon by RC Sproul preached to his congregation at St. Andrews in Sanford, Fl. He gave the congregation its attendance statistics, only 1/2 of membership attended Sunday school, and 1/4 of membership was not in church any given Sunday morning. He observed that the normal healthy person is not sick and unable to attend church on Sunday morning 1/4th of the time (he didn’t mention those who must work on Sunday). I used to think that my church was unique in the lack of commitment to be in church every Sunday unless a genuine reason for not being at church arose.

I have become more and more convinced that loving but deliberate accountability must begin to happen in churches. This is anathema to many Christians today, as I found out when I was obligated to implement church discipline as a Pastor. But, if a person is a member of a church and yet rarely if ever attends, then there should be a clause in the constitution that their membership is terminated after a set period of time.

The Pastor and/or Deacons should seek out and meet with these people, and explain how important it is to come together and worship. If they have no defensible excuse, they should be warned and then, if they do not correct, their membership terminated. Period.

Ecclesiology is not a “secondary” doctrine. It’s where the rubber meets the road in the crucible of real-life ministry. It impacts everything. I have a friend at church. He is Seminary trained. He went to an evangelical Seminary. I can tell, because he’s well-meaning but wishy-washy on just about every single thing there is. He appears to have no doctrine of the church, no concept of separation on any level, and has a warm, mushy, ecumenical flavor to him that is bizarre to me.

[Jonathan Charles]

Pertinent section of the article:

“According to the survey, about one-fifth of Americans now go to religious services a few times a year, but say they used to go a lot more. Roughly half of this group stopped going as often because of what the researchers called “practical issues”: They are too busy, have a crazy work schedule, or describe themselves as “too lazy” to go. Others said they just don’t care about attending services as much as doing other things.”

As an avid reader of old National Geographics, one thing that strikes me is that in the 1950s and 1960s, there was considerable emphasis on religion precisely because the “Godless Commies could not”; it had become a form of civic expression for many. I wonder if those who are now “too lazy” are simply the descendants (religiously if not physically) those who went to church 50 years back for “not precisely religious reasons”, and whether this is….not a huge loss for the church, sad to say. It simply eliminates one category of unbelievers from the pews.

Complicated issue that the Atlantic doesn’t really address well, really.

The section on logistics as a barrier is meaningless. Agree with Bert, church has been a staple of civic and cultural involvement, and that is waning. Hence the decline.

I do believe that most people attended church in the prior generations out of a commitment to “duty” as well as a feeling of community, with the revolution against “duty” and the emphasis on individually in the last several decades there is no wonder attendance has fallen….I know we would all love to believe that Holy Spirit zeal and excitement drive to corporate worship but in reality Church services have evolved into several “expository teaching” series several times a week without any two way participation. Because we fundamentalists are terrified of “small groups” we tend to teach right at the middle of the congregation on a five year plan.

I have noticed the “expository teachers” have tended away from spontaneous “topical” sermons that God used to communicate to his preachers for direction to his church..I guess he speaks in five year bible studies today. As a 68 yr old Christian, married to the same lady for 49 yrs and worshipped and taught at the same church for the last 40 yrs, I finally said “enough” after my 12 times through Hebrews on Wed night aimed at the 3rd year Christian… and am looking for a different worship experience in what is left of my life„I am looking for more “preaching” and less teaching, more fellowship, more of an open exchange and sharing of Gods presence with people of my own experience and passions.

I guess I may be part of the problem„,but just wanted to share my reasons for “falling away” I know the easy critique would be to blame us for our lack of duty , spiritual weakness, or even carnality, but I would refer you to Paul’s challenge to the “elders” of Ephesus about their responsibility. I have never belonged to a SBC church but will tell you they are at least trying to address the issue from a leadership position with “some” success and a lot of “failure” but with large numbers. The Fundamentalist for the most part just continue to just blame the sheep…