Does Anyone Else Not Attend Regular Church Services?

[KevinK]

Sometimes I accompany my mother, who attends weekly. I've tried to maintain a regular schedule, but it never holds. Various reasons. I hate seeing that collections plate(s). I thought spirituality was about worship, not money. Plus I give separately from home, writing checks (well, now it's PayPal).

Second, I was raised Roman Catholic (my mother still is). For reasons I don't want to go into here, I no longer really align myself with that sect. I have tried a couple other churches, but haven't stayed with any.

I've seen people who "religiously" attend weekly service, then proceed to screw over everyone in sight the other six days of the week. Yet they blithely assume they are saved.

So I'm a ronin Christian. How big an issue is this? Is it sinful?

 

[tim-from-pa]

My church consists of me (age 56) and 4 other ladies in their 60's or early 70's. All except one basically left the organized church, but she keeps us abreast of what's happening in the church we once attended. From the outside looking in we maybe appear to be a bunch of aging, disillusioned hippies, but the one lady who is the leader has been teaching first in an organzied church, and then out of her home. So we are the first to have a home church on the 5th day of the week in the mornings for several hours just diggin' in the Word. On the Sabbath (Saturday), I love to rest and listen to videos on youtube from another church. If something pressing comes up, I may attend to it if someone needs something (like saving that sheep on the Sabbath), but I don't make it a regular work day like all the others is my point.

In these end times, you'll see more and more people becoming disillusioned with the organized church, many of which is going the way of the world and Babylon (just look at the 'moral controversies' going on and being accepted by the church). Instead, you'll see house churches like mine. Also expect the government and future beast to "change the times" and proclaim the only established churches are legal. But in reality, it's not hard to go underground. If you want a bible study in your home, I always joke just get a whole bunch of 20-year-olds (both sexes) and lots of beer and throw a big party upstairs. Probably the worldly people, the alternates, and even local government officials will drink themselves drunk and make fools of themselves at your party while you have a bible study under their noses and getting drunk by the Holy Spirit instead. :wink

 

[Obadiah]

To me, being a Christian isn't about following a lot of rules, like going to church every Sunday. It's about my relationship with God through His Son that makes me a Christian. Sure, fellowship with other believers is important and we are told not to avoid that. And I don't avoid or rebel against organized churches. But to me that relationship means a lot more than sitting in a "service" on a Sunday morning for an hour or so were "fellowship" really isn't encouraged (try talking to your friend about your week during the service and see the dirty looks you get!) That's not to say I don't go to worship services on Sunday morning. I do, even though I'm sort of church hoping looking for a new church do to a change in employment right now. But going to church is for worshiping God and I do it for that reason. If I don't feel in a worshipful mood, or if something about a particular church stifles worship for me, I don't go. My relationship with God is with Him, and with Him alone, and is not dependent on a church schedule or how many "religious" rules I follow or don't follow. I think you will find there are a number of other Christians that feel the same way about this to one extent or another.

 

[WIP]

I attend regular services as best I can. I do this because I feel it is important for my spiritual health and I also believe it is scriptural.

Hebrews 10 NKJV
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Matthew 18:20 NKJV
For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.

Romans 12 NKJV
3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, beingmany, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry,let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

What I wonder is why does the offering bother you so much? The church does not require admission to enter or attend the service. The building and services offered outside the worship service have costs. The priest, pastor, or minister who provides his services full time must live on something. The building that the services are held need lights, heating/cooling, utilities, maintenance, supplies, etc. The church also supports others financially through mission work locally and abroad. Our church for example supports local food shelves, Christian outreach programs, visitor centers for immigrants, housing projects, mental health support programs, Christian missions in Africa, India, and Indonesia as well as supporting missions for our own members who wish to get involved to name a few and we are only 60-70 total members.

Throughout the Bible we read about supporting the ministry in both the old and new testament. Growing up in the Catholic church myself I understand that it is a bit more of a closed system but in our Lutheran church the congregation is an integral part of our decision making. Yes, we have a church council to handle most of the "everyday" decision-making but when it comes to how the church funds are spent, that is decided at an annual congregational meeting. Perhaps you should consider joining a church and getting involved to see for yourself how things are done. You may find it an eye-opening experience.

Please don't take offense but if the offering plate is your only reason for avoiding attending worship services regularly, I would say you are leaving out a vital part of your Christian life for a silly reason. Even Jesus, who we should be seeing as our example, attended services regularly.

 

[LovethroughDove]

I never do. John 4:23-24 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." - Jesus

Right before this he is telling the Samaritan woman there is not a "place" to worship our Father.

 

[Kenny_ms]

Sometimes I accompany my mother, who attends weekly. I've tried to maintain a regular schedule, but it never holds. Various reasons. I hate seeing that collections plate(s). I thought spirituality was about worship, not money. Plus I give separately from home, writing checks (well, now it's PayPal).

Gods workers need to get paid so they can survive, but at the same time, without going into a lot of detail, I absolutely get what you are saying about the plate. I do pretty much the same but don't attend church at all. However, I try to keep God close all my waking hours and seems I constantly dwell on him/the son these days. The reason I mention that is I think one of the reasons for Church is to keep us dwelling on God or so we don't lose track of our goal/a constant and weekly or whatever reminder of who we are and what we are about. So, although I have absolutely nothing against the right bible teaching church and think it would likely be better if I had one, I feel I do fine without it, or at least "Church" in the conventional sense.

Second, I was raised Roman Catholic (my mother still is). For reasons I don't want to go into here, I no longer really align myself with that sect. I have tried a couple other churches, but haven't stayed with any.

So many denominations out there can be so confusing and even though I'm "born" baptist, I couldn't care less about that or any other denomination (sorry if that offends some but I'm just not going down that road at all, no need to) I make it simple, at least generally and align myself with the Biblical God, no more, no less. To me, It's much less complicated that way.

I've seen people who "religiously" attend weekly service, then proceed to screw over everyone in sight the other six days of the week. Yet they blithely assume they are saved.

These people will always be present and they have no affect on my thinking about anything at all, with the expectation of, I hope they see and abide in the truth before it's to late for their own sakes. They don't make church a bad thing, they are them and the Church is the church. As long as the church is teaching the right thing and not something that may create that type person (and that does happen), the Church in itself is not to blame...the individual is.

So I'm a ronin Christian. How big an issue is this? Is it sinful?

We are not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together but fact is, you are gathering together right now, just not in the conventional way. And I think it was Deb who brought this up awhile back that for all I know, what we do here is more like what it used to be in the past than the conventional Church. Not certain about that, but it's something to consider when we start throwing around the term "conventional" and thinking that is always the best way and more acceptable by God, when it very well may not be. So much has changed over the years, who's to say the majority have it right, or not?

Even if one went total recluse, something I would never recommend but, even to that point, I still don't think it would be a sin as the gathering of ourselves together is not a commandment. Again, just gut feeling tells me we would be better off around actual warm bodies but that isn't always possible and there are other ways, especially these days.
Also, I try to always be open to change, for whatever that's worth.

It's not so much how we reach the goal but that we reach it.

 

[JoJoe]

No need for buildings when it comes to fellowship with others. Church believe it or not was a factor for my rebellious attitude toward God. People put too much of there worldly selves at times(I speak from my home church) and I realized that even someone who attends church every week can not be saved.

I do attend now and then and in the city I grew up in they have bible study every Friday in the park. I do love worship in churches though.

My plan is to attend as many different churches around me. I find that as Christians we have divided our selves into different areas when really we need to focus as a whole.

 

[Kenny_ms]

I never do. John 4:23-24 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." - Jesus

Right before this he is telling the Samaritan woman there is not a "place" to worship our Father.

That's a very interesting post.......thanks.

 

[handy]

We left organized church several years ago. Partly because solid, biblically based churches are few and far between around here and partly because Steve's hours... Sunday being the only day we generally have to be together as a family. (I should explain that he often leaves home on Monday and is not back until Friday or Saturday night.) Since the closest churches that are solid, biblical churches are almost an hour away, going to church is more of a day trip for us, rather than a day of rest.

But, we would probably make the trip except...one trend that is hard for our family to cope with this the "rock and roll" style of worship. Steve just cannot handle loud, rock music... he just can't. His epilepsy is well controlled with the implanted device and medication, but loud music with a steady rock beat can really trigger nervousness in him. The last time we went to one of the more biblically sound churches which is about 45 minutes away from us, he wound up having a seizure due to the heavy rock music and flashing lights. He prefers the more liturgical style of worship, but liturgical churches in our area come in three categories: Roman Catholic, which we are not; Evangelical Lutheran/Episcopal, which are not biblically sound in a "liberal/anything goes" kind of way; Missouri Synod Lutheran, which we thought would be a good fit, but this particular church was far too insular...no having communion anywhere but at that church only, not even other LCMS churches, a general lack of love amongst the congregation and far too much bashing of other churches for not being as biblically sound as their church was. I can't fellowship in a congregation that puffs themselves off as the "only real church" there is...and that attitude came through strong and clear each Sunday morning.

Frankly, I miss church, I truly do. I would love to join in fellowship and worship on a regular basis and no, I don't look for perfection in a congregation... just solid teaching in a non-blasting rock and roll format. That is simply not to be found in our area.

 

[KevinK]

I have trouble with an offering plate that is passed around in full view. Didn't the Lord say offerings were to be made in such secrecy that the right hand knew not what the left hand was doing? Envelopes help, but how about no envelopes, no baskets, except at the back of the chruch where no-one is looking.

As I said, that is not the only reason. Secondly is that I've left the RCC for all intents and purpose, and have no idea if there's an alternate church with fewer "issues" (let's not go there). And I have looked. To the point where I wonder if it's necessary at all.

 

[tim-from-pa]

We left organized church several years ago. Partly because solid, biblically based churches are few and far between around here and partly because Steve's hours... Sunday being the only day we generally have to be together as a family. (I should explain that he often leaves home on Monday and is not back until Friday or Saturday night.) Since the closest churches that are solid, biblical churches are almost an hour away, going to church is more of a day trip for us, rather than a day of rest.

But, we would probably make the trip except...one trend that is hard for our family to cope with this the "rock and roll" style of worship. Steve just cannot handle loud, rock music... he just can't. His epilepsy is well controlled with the implanted device and medication, but loud music with a steady rock beat can really trigger nervousness in him. The last time we went to one of the more biblically sound churches which is about 45 minutes away from us, he wound up having a seizure due to the heavy rock music and flashing lights. He prefers the more liturgical style of worship, but liturgical churches in our area come in three categories: Roman Catholic, which we are not; Evangelical Lutheran/Episcopal, which are not biblically sound in a "liberal/anything goes" kind of way; Missouri Synod Lutheran, which we thought would be a good fit, but this particular church was far too insular...no having communion anywhere but at that church only, not even other LCMS churches, a general lack of love amongst the congregation and far too much bashing of other churches for not being as biblically sound as their church was. I can't fellowship in a congregation that puffs themselves off as the "only real church" there is...and that attitude came through strong and clear each Sunday morning.

Frankly, I miss church, I truly do. I would love to join in fellowship and worship on a regular basis and no, I don't look for perfection in a congregation... just solid teaching in a non-blasting rock and roll format. That is simply not to be found in our area.

Yes, I hear you, Handy. And like I said, this is going to become more common as our society gets more corrupt, and as churches compromise.

 

[tim-from-pa]

I have trouble with an offering plate that is passed around in full view. Didn't the Lord say offerings were to be made in such secrecy that the right hand knew not what the left hand was doing? Envelopes help, but how about no envelopes, no baskets, except at the back of the chruch where no-one is looking.

As I said, that is not the only reason. Secondly is that I've left the RCC for all intents and purpose, and have no idea if there's an alternate church with fewer "issues" (let's not go there). And I have looked. To the point where I wonder if it's necessary at all.

I have no problem with the tithe, but you can be discrete about it. If you put bills into the plate, fold them up tightly so that the denominations don't show. If it's an envelope, put it face down so that any amount you penned in is not seen, or better yet, don't pen in the amount at all! I once worked collecting offerings and tallying them up, and those who do not pen in the amount are cussed at and the counting person temporarily loses their Christianity, but they'll get over it because they remove the contents anyway and can pen it themselves to tally it up. After all, they volunteered and this isn't their living or anything like that.

 

[Blake]

I do go, but, my attendance slacks off from time to time, and returning can be very daunting. People in the churches have a hard time seeing you as a God-fearing Christian if you aren't in church every Sunday. In a way I really can empathize and see where they're coming from, but, it doesn't seem to me like the mandate to worship together had a post-script saying "every Sunday."

I don't know why I can never stay put. Honestly it'd make my life a lot easier if I did go every Sunday, but, it just doesn't always work out that way. And while we're being honest, sometimes it even helps me spiritually to take a small break. I can be close to God and praise Him as He passes by in the cleft of the rock, just as much as I can in corporate worship.

The major selling point for going to services regularly is being sharpened regularly. It's easier to live the life when we stay prayed and praised up, and it is often easier to enter into that atmosphere when you're in church, with anointed preachers and singers and ministers of all kinds.

 

[JoJoe]

I have trouble with an offering plate that is passed around in full view. Didn't the Lord say offerings were to be made in such secrecy that the right hand knew not what the left hand was doing? Envelopes help, but how about no envelopes, no baskets, except at the back of the chruch where no-one is looking.

As I said, that is not the only reason. Secondly is that I've left the RCC for all intents and purpose, and have no idea if there's an alternate church with fewer "issues" (let's not go there). And I have looked. To the point where I wonder if it's necessary at all.

Yeah I remember when I felt the same and I still do. Although it is good to give so the churches can grow, churches now days reward members of the church with trips, meals, and other expenses that are just unnecessary. Which most around me charge people still.

God just demands ten percent of our wealth. Doesn't mean to dump it all in the tithe box. Wealth could be extra food for the hungry, extra clothes for the naked, and even just something small like a bottle of water or something hot in the cold.

People to me just focus on green paper as there wealth, which is fine and God will still honor it. I just pass on the plate sometimes and people consider me poor. I rather be giving as God commands me and not that of men.

 

[WIP]

churches now days reward members of the church with trips, meals, and other expenses that are just unnecessary.

I've never seen anything even close to this in our church or any that I've attended in my lifetime.

 

[WIP]

I have trouble with an offering plate that is passed around in full view. Didn't the Lord say offerings were to be made in such secrecy that the right hand knew not what the left hand was doing? Envelopes help, but how about no envelopes, no baskets, except at the back of the chruch where no-one is looking.

Why do you compare yourself to others? Give what you are led by the Spirit to give and what others think is unimportant. As others have said, fold it up so others can't see what you've done. Another option is to send the gift by mail. It doesn't have to be placed in the offering plate.

2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

But that's enough about the offering. That's just a small piece of the service. As I've explained to my Sunday School class, the Sunday service is what you make it. Don't allow it to become mundane or useless. When I was in my late teens I began to have trouble with the service. It began to lose meaning and purpose for me. I felt like I was going through the motions, reciting the same words I'd done over and over since I was old enough to speak. It was this that prompted me to leave the church for nearly 20 years. When I finally decided to attend service in our small country Lutheran church it was with apprehension for sure but I found the more I attended, the more I began to grasp what really was happening and the true meaning of attending.

Our liturgy is prayer through and through with worship songs and praises mixed in whereas the Catholic services I recalled were just as I felt when I left...actions completed out of obligation and not out of reverence for the One whom it is intended. Our service begins with a 1-1/2 hour Bible study for adults or Sunday School for the youngsters and then moves into the service and is followed up with fellowship with each other that can sometimes go on for an hour or two. I will say our service is pretty conservative. Trust me, trying to get response out of these Norwegian Lutherans is like pulling teeth some times. Many times I feel like I'm preaching to my high school Sunday School class when I would much rather get good dialog going with them. It could be due to the age difference since I am 56 and have no training or experience as a teacher. Just a desire to help them grow in faith.

 

[Roro1972]

I dont because even though I try hard to be christian and I now christians are at church I feel I do not fit in for several reasons

 

[Deborah13]

Again, just gut feeling tells me we would be better off around actual warm bodies

I agree. The forum is fine and for some people it is sufficient because they have family members and friends who are saved that they can have fellowship with. They can lay on hands in prayer, they can study scriptures with them regularly, etc.
One can help most any Christian organization with food pantries and other community outreach programs. The same with giving to missions, etc.
But if one doesn't have others to worship and pray with, I believe it is for their good and other's good as well, that they find some kind of group meeting to attend regularly.
One may never know what gifts, what ministry, the Lord has given them to share with others, with they are never around the others.

 

[Deborah13]

Why do you compare yourself to others? Give what you are led by the Spirit to give and what others think is unimportant. As others have said, fold it up so others can't see what you've done.

I have always put mine, whether it be cash or check, in a small mailing envelope before I went to church.

 

[Runner]

A big No. I attended Southern Baptist churches off and on for quite a few years before pulling the plug last year. I never felt entirely comfortable in the environment. After hugely disappointing incidents with both Southern Baptist churches in my small town (a long story, but it involved two pastors and their flocks who independently demonstrated that they cared way more for my elderly, dying neighbor's money and property than they did for him), I and my wife both said "We've seen enough of this." We go for a 7-mile hike at a deserted old Indian ruin almost every Sunday morning, and frankly the experience is far more spiritual than anything I ever experienced in church. We go to the sunrise Easter service on the rim of the Grand Canyon every year for the same reason. To paint with an admittedly overly broad brush, I have never attended a church service in America that I thought had much of anything to do with anything Jesus was talking about. My idea of a church would be WORKship in my old home town of Tucson (https://workshipreformation.wordpress.com/), where they meet for about ten minutes of prayer and preaching and then disperse into the community to actually DO THINGS. My one and only really positive church experience was attending my wife's Baptist church in Minsk, Belarus (a former Soviet republic) in 2008, where I immediately had the feeling, "You know, I don't think I've ever been in a real church before." There was an atmosphere of seriousness, devotion and reverence that I had never encountered in a U.S. church and that my wife was dismayed not to find in any church we attended here after her arrival (even though her pastor, who had been to America, had warned her to be prepared for "Christian culture shock").