One of the most frequently asked questions among Christians involves church attendance? Do we really need to regularly attend a local church? With so many technological advances, isn’t it just as beneficial for us to stay at home and watch the church service of our choice online? Understanding the importance of church attendance and the benefits of connecting with other believers is an important part of strengthening our positions as disciples of Christ. Discover what the Bible says about attending church today.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many local churches shifted to an online-only model. With millions of people required to stay at home unless they were going to a store for essential items, many state governments made the decision to shut down church services. Even in states where this type of mandate wasn’t issued, many local pastors faced a difficult decision. Would they continue having regular church services where people piled into one room? Or would they make the decision to live stream a sermon online so their parishioners could still receive a message from Scripture?
Millions of churches around the world shifted to an online model during the pandemic. However, once the pandemic tapered off and churches were able to go back to hosting in-person services, many churches noticed that attendance never returned to its previous levels. A study published in 2022, more than a year after churches returned to “normal,” indicated that before the pandemic, the average church attendance around the USA was around 220 people each Sunday morning. After the pandemic, that number was closer to 150. That means that nearly 32% of people made the decision to stop attending church regularly.
This drop in attendance poses a serious question for us to consider. Is church attendance really important? After all, with so many churches still choosing to upload their services online, isn’t it more practical for us to take Sundays off, watch the service at our own leisure, and then go on about our lives?
Obviously, we should be thankful that we had the opportunity to continue to spread the Gospel and hear the Word of God during a time when it wasn’t possible to physically attend church. The advances in technology allowed the Church (the entire body of believers) to receive encouragement during a time when we all needed it.
However, this doesn’t mean that we should no longer attend church (the weekly meeting of believers) now that things have returned to normal.
If you’re one of the millions of people who wonder about the necessity of regular church attendance, consider the verses that we’re going to discuss today. Doing so will help you to better understand the benefits of connecting to a local body of believers while also considering what God said in His Word about the importance of church attendance.
Before we dive into today’s study, there are a few possible misconceptions that need to be cleared up. Obviously, Scripture doesn’t teach that you need to attend church if you are physically unable to do so. If you are sick, caring for an ailing family member, or have some sort of other circumstance that makes it impossible for you to physically attend church, God is not sitting on His throne angrily monitoring what you’re doing. Nor is He angry at you if you have a job that requires you to work on Sundays. Instead, today’s study is about the choice that people make regarding church attendance.
Church Attendance in Mandated by God’s Word
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NLT)
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
This passage from Hebrews is one of the most clearly defined mandates concerning church attendance that we find in Scripture. Within these two verses, we not only find a mandate that we attend church when doing so is possible, but we also see one of the greatest benefits associated with being connected with other believers.
First, let us look at the commandment that we not neglect our meeting together. The writer of Hebrews is unknown, but he or she clearly saw the need to encourage the Hebrew believers to attend a regular service. We’re not sure what sort of cultural issues were going on at this particular time, but it’s clear from these verses that some believers had made the decision to stop attending church. That’s why the author said to not neglect meeting together “as some people do.”
Today, we live in a society in which millions of people have made the decision to neglect meeting together. We can apply the same mandate that the author of Hebrews issued to our own lives. While we know that church attendance is not mandated for those who are sick, have issues with transportation, or are at work, it’s important to understand that the call for connection with other believers is not optional for those who have the ability to be there.
Additionally, the author of Hebrews spoke about the benefits of being actively engaged with a local church. The benefit discussed explicitly in these verses involved the encouragement that comes from being connected to other believers.
Living in an ungodly society is difficult. At times, all of us need some encouragement to continue pursuing good works and acts of love. When you are connected with other believers, you have a constant source of encouragement. Additionally, it allows you to serve a source of encouragement to other believers. When we choose to bless others with encouragement, we are also blessed.
Isn’t That “Legalistic?”
John 14:15 (NLT)
“If you love me, obey my commandments.”
The word “legalistic” gets thrown around a lot in the modern church. Many of the people who use this term do some from a place of good intentions. Scripture is very clear about the fact that our good works do not earn us entry into Heaven. The salvation that God has extended to every human is not contingent on our performance of good works. We cannot earn grace, and that includes the inability to earn it through church attendance.
However, God’s willingness to freely give His grace to everyone doesn’t mean that we simply live however we choose. Instead, we obey Christ’s commandments, not so we can earn His love, but so we can truly show Him how much we love Him.
The verses that we’ve already read from Hebrews make it clear that not neglecting church attendance is a commandment. It is not written as a suggestion. It is a clearly written mandate that we are expected to follow.
Yes, God’s grace was at the heart of everything Christ did during his time in this world. However, that doesn’t mean that we were exempt from following commandments issued by God. In the same vein that we still hold to the teachings of the 10 Commandments that we should not kill, steal, or create lies about our neighbors, the commandment to attend church is an important part of discipleship.
We do not attend church because doing so will make God love us more than He does right now. There is literally nothing you can do to earn more love from God. Moreover, there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any less. His love is anchored and unwavering. However, we attend church because we love Him and want to fulfill His mission for our own lives and the world around us.
Your local church is one of the most important aspects of God’s Kingdom in this world. Your participation and commitment to that church is a vital part of discovering your own role in that Kingdom.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the church that You have blessed me to be a part of. Thank You for the leaders of that church and for the people who I get to attend with. Help me to be even more connected to my local church than I already am. In Christ’s name, Amen.