A few years ago I wrote a post about why I go to church. The reasons were:
Music.
It provides a faith background for my children.
It's familiar and comforting.
It does good work in the community and around the world.
It's an opportunity for meditation and resetting for the week ahead.
So for these reasons I have made church a priority, and although we haven't been there in person for awhile, we still keep in touch and "attend" the YouTube live stream when we are at home on Sunday mornings.
Recently I was asked to join a committee that is tasked with considering the future direction of our church and how we could engage the community and attract more members. Traditional churches across the country have been facing this problem as it appears that going to church is no longer a priority for many people. The demographic of the population that went to church on a regular basis is getting older.
One of the questions we are asking is why people don't attend church. I know one reason is that people are busy on the weekends, so a traditional church service that takes up at least an hour of your morning (at an awkward time for some of 10:30 am), and maybe they would like to go but can't seem to find the time. I also know people grew up with bad experiences associated with church. Some people simply do not believe in God. Others never knew church in any form growing up, so now it seems like a foreign concept.
I am curious about why people don't go to church and whether there is anyone who would like to go but aren't sure where to start. For any of you like that, now is the best time to try out church because you only need to go onto YouTube, no one knows you're there, you don't need to worry about where to sit, and if you don't know the hymns or prayers, that's fine. You can check out my church here, but there are likely many local churches in your area doing the same thing.
When I am in workout classes and we do some mindfulness at the end, the instructor usually speaks to the light, and the power within us to do things, and similar messages, and each time I can't help but think they could be saying the same thing that we talk about at church but switching out ourselves for God or Jesus. The thirst for meditation and mindfulness is out there and it's possible the solution we seek is at church. I know I find comfort in prayer and my belief in God, and I wonder if others would do.
This is my passive way of inviting you to church, so reach out if you're interested in hearing more, you never know what you might find that works for you!
I like your reasons for church. Music is at the top of my list, too. And it feels like family. Without the music I haven't been back to my church but I've enjoyed going to your church via you tube. It's a wonderful way to attend church...when you can't be there in person.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the reasons we haven't been "attending" church as consistently during Covid is that, for me, church is all about the community being together. Worshiping on YouTube just doesn't feel the same to me. I CAN'T WAIT until we can go back to church in person...
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