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I have a question and I would like the input of my readers.
How and when did church attendance become the defining characteristic of Christianity? Of course, it shouldn’t be — but in many ways, it is. Think about it: We generally assess someone’s “faithfulness” by their attendance record. We try to persuade unbelievers to “come to church” with us. Most, if not all of our activities involve meeting together at the “church building.” We go to great lengths and spend a fair amount of money to advertise our address and meeting times. We make a big production out of our meetings by dressing up in nice clothes. Try to change one of your weekly meetings to an activity serving the community (away from your “church building”) and see what kind of opposition you face in your congregation — people will think you’ve gone “soft” if you suggest cancelling a “church service.”
Shouldn’t “church service” be a verb instead of a noun?
Don’t get me wrong, I think it is important for believers to meet together on a regular basis, for many reasons. But I don’t hear Jesus saying that His followers will be known by their meetings or their attendance record. It seems we should be known more for our words and activities that take place away from “church.”
If you took away the Sunday morning assembly, what would be left for most churches? Isn’t following Jesus about much more than a Sunday assembly? How did it become the end-all of our faith?
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