Churchgoers who showed up at Rochester Cathedral for worship, located just outside of London, were surprised to find that a mini-golf complex has been constructed within the cathedral, and its design is focused on many bridges. Reverend Rachel Phillips has said those bridges were included to draw connections for people to the bridges that must be built in their own lives spiritually. The course has become quite the divisive topic, causing many people to feel that it is an act of desecration.*
This is, of course, simply a marketing gimmick, meant to have people be more aware of the existence of this church, but why does the pastor feel that she has to stoop to this level to get people to attend?
Is it important for believers to attend regular and consistent church services? And, if so, why? What happens to Christians who don’t attend church services regularly?
Covid-19 & Church Attendance
I recognize that while I am writing this, there is a worldwide pandemic happening, which is causing historic disruptions of church services, causing people to have to attend remotely, via parking lots, or through some sort of electronic device.
With that being said, I’m assuming that at some point, churches will be able to open back up again, and people will be able to begin attending again in person.
A Command, Not a Suggestion
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24, 25, NLT). As you read this, you don’t have to be a Bible scholar to recognize that this is not a suggestion but a direct command.
There are several other passages of scripture that I feel pretty persuasively make a case for church attendance. They are these (in no particular order): Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:12-16; 1 Peter 2:5 & 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
I Need to Vent!
Before we even begin, I need to vent and get three things off my chest:
- The Bible is clear that if you’re a Christian, then church attendance is crucial!
- Your local church is like a great big family; and like any family, there will be people whom you get along with better—and not so much…deal with it. Just as with your own family—you’re stuck with them.
- Ultimately, regular church attendance isn’t about liking or not liking other church members—it’s really about whether you love or don’t love God!
Cold Coals
When I was a kid, I used to go camping all the time. I loved it, and I cried when I had to sleep indoors! My favorite memories were sitting around the campfire and listening to the wood crackle and pop, talking, singing, telling stories, or just staring into it and feeling its warmth. But as all good do, every night, at bedtime, it had to come to an end. To make the fire stop, an adult would do something curious. He would take the logs that were piled together, one-on-top-of-another, and break them up and separate them. When that happened, you could literally see the once bright red/orange wood immediately begin to lose heat, and shortly thereafter, it would start to smolder and would totally go out.
When you choose not to attend a church regularly—for whatever reason, the enemy doesn’t care—you become just like one of those logs that were once together, strong, safe, and sharing warmth; you will slowly but surely lose your fire for Jesus you have in your heart, and instead, you will end up smoldering, and ultimately: totally go out. YIKES!
I know that’s not what you want, so attend church regularly…just don’t yell out when you make a hole-in-one!
*Downloaded on May 20, 2020 from https://www.golf.com/news/2019/08/02/mini-golf-course-installed-in-english-cathedral/
