What would it take for you to miss worship?

Lifeway has been doing more research.  While it is skewed more toward Baptists and Evangelicals, Protestants all, I suspect the results would favorably compare with the LCMS.  According to this survey, most regular churchgoers say they would probably miss a weekly worship service at least once a year to avoid traveling in bad weather (77%), to enjoy an outdoor recreational activity (55%), or to just for a little more sleep (54%). Half (50%) would do so to meet up with friends or family. Fewer say they’d skip not to go out in the rain (43%) or to watch a sporting event or their favorite team (42%) -- though I suspect that more would ditch for actual seats in the arena than simply to watch on TV.  While we can certainly understand why some would not go out in snow or ice or such, many admitted that they will also skip church if they feel they have a better option open to them.

To unpack those numbers a bit, Churchgoers in the Midwest are the least likely to miss among the regions of the country.  Those under 50 are more likely to miss worship services than those 50 and older. Unsurprisingly, churchgoers who attend the most often -- four times a month or more -- are less likely to say they’d ever miss for any reason. Evangelicals by belief are less likely to skip as opposed to mainline denominations. Additionally, the oldest churchgoers (65+) and those of other ethnicities (such as Hispanic, or African American) are  the least likely to say they’d miss for any of those reasons.  In terms of denominations, Presbyterians are among the least likely to ever miss while Methodists are among the most likely to skip. 

Although the survey had specific reasons listed for missing worship, underneath all of them is the whole idea that they had something better to do than be in church.  That is the point on which I wish to focus.  The sad reality is that for many folks, too many, for whom it is not simply the availability of a better option but the active search for something better to do with their time than to be together in the Lord's House, around the Lord's Word and Table.  This is probably no news to anyone but it is something we are loathe to admit.  On Sunday morning, there are substantial numbers of folks for whom worship is their choice only if they cannot find something better to do.    It is this that defines much of what passes for attendance patterns in most congregations and it is this that is behind the difference between those who say they belong and those who say they attend -- generally substantially less than half and often as few as a fifth of that larger number.  

Evangelization needs not only to address who have net heard the Gospel but also who have heard, responded, and still remain unconvinced that worship is necessary or an option better than I had nothing better to do with my time this Sunday.  If you want to increase worship attendance (and such practical things as offerings), the first job is to get the people who say this is their church in the door weekly or nearly every week.  It is the rather pitiful state of affairs for Christianity today that part of our job as pastors and church workers as well as congregational boards and structures is to convince those who belong to be there on Sunday morning.  That is not something we should ignore.  What a difference it would make to the congregation and to the larger church if we had 75% or 80% of our folks in the pews.  We might have to add services or add pews just to accommodate them all.  If you want to surprise your pastor, start showing up.  Weekly.  It might scare him at first but it could be the very cause for renewal of his own ministry as well as the life of the congregation.