How often do you attend services at your local Church?

Seems like someone asked this a few weeks ago.

We attend Sunday School and second service and Wednesday night. Most weeks we do NOT attend on Sunday night. Those night services are generally aimed at the younger crowd and the music and preaching is either done by them or for them. Tonight is a 'Cruise' type music program done by the middle school kids. We've gone to it before.... but....

 

Unfortunately times have changed. Evening services are only sparcely attended, although no one whant to admit that they should be abandoned. The Wednesday prayer meeting has gone the way of the Edsel---there's softball with the kids, then ballet and soccer practice, etc.

Personally, I attend two services on Sunday morning, then evening service when its offered (usually). Then I lead a "Growth Group" on Wednesday evenings. There is personal time spent discipling a friend; and time spent in various ministries (hospital visitation) on a when needed basis.

 

Hi, all.

We go everytime the doors are open and have since I was saved Dec. 18,1992. The only times we haven't was while on vacation and just weren't sure where to go. I now realize we should have just looked up a IFB church in the area and went anyway. We also go to any "good" meetings we hear about within driving distance, of course this would depend on which day of the week,or whether anyone is sick. I haven't gone today, (shame on me!), but I am really feeling down. I did some work with my weed-eater yesterday and I have this incredible headache along with stopped up sinuses, (I almost wonder if I've got SARS), no just kidding. I don't mean to joke about something that serious.

I'll add this, I believe DEDICATED members won't have a "lame" excuse for not attending any service. Our congregation is always there, unless some one is sick or out of town. I'm not boasting about this, some of you will know what I'm saying, but we just went last week, 3 1/2 hour drive,one way on Monday, to back our pastor up in a revival he was preaching in Dayton, Tenn. Brother Leland Frazier is the pastor there. Not only did I want to back up our pastor, but I wanted a good excuse to go to the church, I have heard so much how the Lord worked in that church since he took the pastorate from his and his wife's testimonies.

Also, I believe if you're in a church that you feel "left-out" due to the music, the age groups, style of worship, etc., all that brings about is divisions and disunity is evidenced, it's time to consider finding another church, or do you want to become stagnant, and dry up and blow away? We all have the same God don't we? We don't have children's church because we don't have a Jr. Holy Ghost! We don't have contemporary music for the CCM god, and do have what many call traditional hymns in the regular service. We're an old fashioned Baptist church, unashamedly so!

Just to brag a little on our Lord, we have three missionaries and one full time evangelist out of our church. We have 5 other preachers, including myself, did have 6 but he just left to pastor a church in Alabama, (better watch out, I almost typed an Alabama joke just then!). I just realized, I'm the oldest at 43, the pastor is 41, another is 38, another 31, and the last but not the least is only 15.

Check your dedication level, the church service is the closest to what Heaven will be like down here, or it had better be! If not, put more into it! like your whole heart for instance! Imagine what it would do for your pastor if the entire congregation started showing up for every service! He might just feel like you're helping to hold up the hands of Moses in the midst of the battle and not pulling them down! (Oops! I feel conviction creeping out of your computer as you are reading this, and Praise the Lord if it's so!)

Man, I miss the house of God, and if I wasn't feeling so bad I would've gone anyway. I almost wish I had.


Pray for me to get feeling better, and if you don't attend your local church on a regular basis, I'm praying that God will get ahold of your callous heart and you'll start today!


In Christ and loving every minute of it!

Brother Ricky

 

I attend each service unless something comes up that I cannot go, which is seldom.

Deacon you wrote:
Unfortunately times have changed. Evening services are only sparcely attended, although no one whant to admit that they should be abandoned. The Wednesday prayer meeting has gone the way of the Edsel---there's softball with the kids, then ballet and soccer practice, etc.

I agree with your statement. I also believe that it just isn’t kid’s softball etc but it is also at times for more selfish reasons such as golf, fishing, etc… To me it just shows ones priorities and the Church isn’t high on the list for many.

Randall

 

Morning and evening services on Sunday and a good old fashion Wednesday night prayer meeting every week. And if we're travelin' we find a baptist church to attend. Of course, there's no tellin' what you'll walk into then. We stopped at one church and when the pastor started reading from the Bible I thought I had turned to the wrong chapter for a second. Then I figured out he was reading from the XYZ version. Sure was glad to get outa there.

 

We attend Sunday school and morning worship, then Sunday night class and worshi, and sometimes wednesday night.

 

We attend both the morning and evening Sunday services. Prior to the morning service there is a church prayer meeting at 10.00am. Unfortunately this is very poorly attended, usually only about 6 of us. We have a mixed congregation with quite a few young couples with babes and young children so there are about 30 youngsters in Sunday School. The evening service is usually quite sparce maybe around 30 of us, which is such a shame as I find the evening services such a blessing. Tuesday evening is our Church prayer evening and that too is poorly attended...mostly about 6-7 of us. People don't seem to value prayer, they don't seem to see the church as a community and have a real commitment to it. Wednesday afternoon is when we host our House Group. We are the only group to meet in the afternoon, specifically for those who can't attend morning or evening groups. If there are five Wednesdays in the month then the fifth Wednesday we have a Missions Night. This is a new venture and I don't know how well that will be attended. We continue to pray that the Lord will lead people to have a commitment to the church family, of which we are all a part.

 

Even without all the excellent data that you provided for us Dr. Griffin, it is apparent that Baptists in general do not become more spiritual just because there are expanded opportunities to go to church. Go to any church and a person can see that the majority of attendance is Sunday morning worship, many don't even bother to go to Sunday School.

Using myself as an example, I wouldn't let a church schedule dictate my relationship with the Lord either. I go to hear the Word of God preached whenever the doors are open because I know I need it. If no one else does, I do. But I also go to the Lord in prayer at different times during the day while working, just little short prayers, I carry my Bible with me so that I may read a few verses when time permits, listening only to Christian music, etc. I guess my point is that my relationship with my Lord has nothing to do with our church schedule. I try to stay in "constant prayer" or to keep Christ in mind during the whole day, every day. It sure seems to make the day go by a lot easier. God bless.

 

My family always attends Sunday morning worship and sunday school.

Sunday evenings are occasional depending on the discipleship course offered. We have no sunday night worship service.

Usually attend Wednesday evening Bible Study and Prayer meeting.

 

I go to:
Sunday School
Sunday Worship
Sunday Night Worship
Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
BrotherHood (4th Saturday of each month)
Visitation (Once a month)
Revival's


Like my pastor says:
"If you go on sunday moring you love the pastor, if you go on sunday night you love the church, and if you go on wednesday night you love GOD." All i am saying is we need to be dedicated to our home church. Including myself!!!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA

 

Ricky: It sounds to me like you have an allergy problem. I have to wear one of those paper masks when I mow or weed-whack now or I develop the same symptoms you do.

Bapterian: I noticed you did not go to the welcome forum and introduce yourself so we could all welcome you; it's at the top of the main page. So welcome anyway from the state of Illinois!

We attend Sunday morning and evening services, Wednesday evening services and revivals etc., when we have them (unless one of us is really sick, then the other one goes and brings home a video or audio tape so the 'sick' one doesn't miss out completely)

Blessings,
Sue

 

So are you saying if people don't go to church 3x a week they don't love God?
bologna!

 

Your love for God would give you the DESIRE to attend church as much as you can. Sometimes, that isn't possible (work, sickness, emergencies, whatever).
If you're able to go, and make excuses as to why you're not going, and do it on a consistent basis, then I would say that your love for God is in question.
But if you truly love God, and have that desire to be there, but you can't for whatever reason, I see no problem.

 

The Primitive Baptist Church I'm currently attending meets the first, third, and fifth Sundays. They have services at other locations on the "off" Sundays but they are usually some distance away. I haven't tried going to any of those.

Occasionally I would like to attend a service on a Wed. night, however I work on Wed. nights and seldom ever have the opportunity to go to one. The Primitive Baptist do not meet on Wednesdays though, so if I went it would be to another local church.

I occasionally go to a Sunday night service at our local Church of God-Holiness, but I haven't been there in quite some time.

 

Thank you, That is what i was saying...

God Bless America

 

I ask the same question a couple wk's ago.
But to answer your question..I do attend ever
service that i can...And we have Sunday morning
& evening services & Wednesday night Bible study
And i try my best not to miss, Cause evertime i
did, I always missed out on something..& that
made me feel very sad.

 

I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't attend Sunday morning for Sunday school and main service , Sunday evenings,and Wednesday nights. I also attend every Friday night for Reformers Unanimous. I also try to go whenever anything else is going on and the doors are open. It sure beats where I use to hang out during these times.

Our IFB church and pastor always ties Sunday evenings message with the morning message and it always ties together real well. Our Wednesday nights are almost like a college class and if we can complete a test we can get college credits. Right now we just started a series on the Holy Spirit and it is very interesting.

 

Thanks for the advice. I never had this problem until this year, this was the first time. As you can probably tell, I don't do much in the weed-eating dept. I never had anu alergy problems doing yard work, except I hate doing it. I love to plant things, though.

I never even had alergy or hayfever until a couple of years ago. Growing old I guess. Just getting closer to home! Heaven that is!

In Christ,

Brother Ricky