6 Reasons Why Christians Will Return To Church

According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, Americans have begun to return to religious services. More specifically, roughly four-in-ten people who typically attend religious services at least once or twice a month say they actually have done so, in person, during the past month – up 9 points since last summer. Interestingly, the survey also discovered that as in-person attendance has trended upward, there has been a corresponding decline in the share of regular religious attenders who recently have watched services streamed online or on television. In other words, live-streaming hasn’t dramatically added to the numbers of those “participating” in the Sunday morning service.  

While the upward trend is encouraging to Christians who feared that the pandemic would do irreparable damage to their Sunday services, let’s not overlook the fact that some studies indicate that 60% of those who typically attended religious services at least once or twice a month before the pandemic have not yet resumed that practice. Some Christians fear that up to half that number never will.

Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t. Throughout the history of the church, attendance at Sunday services has experienced an ebb and flow. In his history of Christianity in America, for example, Mark Noll notes that “while church adherence remained high in the 1770s (up to 50% of people attending church with regularity), formal church membership was sinking, and in the 1790’s it reached an all-time low (between 5-10% of adult population).  During the twentieth century, dubbed the “Christian Century” by some, attendance gradually increased to about 70% of the population in the 1970’s. Since then, the numbers have steadily declined to just under 50%. Time will tell where the post-pandemic percentage will land. The pandemic may follow the decline of the last fifty years or it may prompt a turnaround.

I may be a half-bubble-off-center, but I have confidence that the vast majority of Christians (a word I use with reference to dedicated Christ followers) will recognize the value of regular participation in in-person Sunday services and respond accordingly. 

Before we jump into the six reasons, I think it’s important to clarify that none of these reasons illegitimize the technological advances and innovative efforts by churches to help their congregations connect virtually, nor are we saying that God cannot move through and in technology. But our observations and research point to a reality that leads us to believe many Christians will resolve to return to church in person again.

Here are my reasons:
 

1. HISTORICAL 

Here are my reasons, The first reason is historical. The 2,000-year history of the church testifies that the Sunday service is resilient. It has survived pandemics, wars, famine, persecution, prosperity, technological advances, and more. While some events and circumstances have had short-term impacts on attendance, in time, Christians prioritized participation in the Sunday services of their congregations. 

2. THEOLOGICAL

The second reason is theological: Christianity is essentially corporate, not private. The following may alarm North Americans who tend to approach Sunday services as an individual consumer:  God the Father did not send his Son into the world to save an individual. He did so to create a royal priesthood, a holy people, a people who belong to God. As believers, we are stones being built into a spiritual house with Christ as the cornerstone (I Peter 2:5-6). Christians who understand this truth will view Sunday services as a time to live out the communal nature of the faith. 

3. EXPERIENTIAL

The third reason is experiential. Allen Ross, in his excellent Recalling the Hope of Glory, writes:
Yes, we know that God is everywhere, that there is nowhere we can go from his presence. Nevertheless, the Bible says again and again that in certain places and at certain times God has made his presence known in more powerful ways. … One of the most frequent occasions in which he has made himself known by coming near to us has been and still is in corporate worship … The presence of the Lord is more of a reality in communal worship than in ordinary gathers and regular activities (504).

Ross’ words harmonize with the testimony of Scripture where we read that, as a gathered community, individual Christians are one temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 3:16).  Furthermore, as a gathered community, we experience the presence and fruit of the Holy Spirit as we share our spiritual gifts with one another.

4. SPIRITUAL

The fourth reason is spiritual. The New Testament repeatedly encourages Christians to gather together (I Corinthians 14:26 & 16:1) and warns us to not abandon assembling together (Hebrews 10:25, 12:28-29, 13:15-16). This means that attending Sunday services  sanctifies us because by so doing we obey the Lord. Add to that, we feel at peace with the Lord and ourselves when we attend Sunday services. I compare it to the feeling I have after having worked out at the health club. While I had to push myself out the door to get there, I am sure glad I made the effort.    

5. PRACTICAL

The fifth reason is practical. The Sunday service is perhaps the most effective of the spiritual disciplines. We employ many spiritual disciplines in an effort to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, many of which are personal and private, like the big three of prayer, giving and fasting—or watching and listening to a service in the comfort of our homes. 

However, the spiritual discipline of attending Sunday services complements and expands upon those disciplines. It offers benefits that the others do not because it is a multi-dimensional communal practice. While gathered we worship the Lord, pray with others, fellowship with one another, share a meal together, serve one another, teach one another, encourage one another, and even put-up with those we don’t really like. 

6. EVANGELICAL

The sixth reason is evangelical. Regular attendance at Sunday services remains the best way to introduce children to the Christian faith. The church provides parents with a support system for raising their children in the way of the Lord. By attending Sunday services, parents supplement the instruction of their children in the home with instruction by others in the church.    

There you have it. Six reasons why dedicated Christ-followers will return to church. While I don’t expect all who attended services before the pandemic to return to that practice, I am confident that many Christ-followers will feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit calling them back to the spiritual discipline of to face-to-face community through Sunday services. I also hope and pray that an ever-increasing number will prioritize this spiritual discipline if but for the simple reason that they long to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit so uniquely manifested when we physically gather.