Where have all the people gone? This is a question I hear often as pastors discuss worship attendance. Most of us expected in person worship participation would return to pre-pandemic norms by now. But only a few churches report as much. Across America weekly worship attendance is down 20 percent from the period before COVID 19 entered our vocabulary.
We can, of course, attribute much of this to the Delta variant and ongoing concerns with the pandemic. But a recent post by Trevin Wax for The Gospel Coalition notes a cultural shift that for me is much more concerning.
Wax’ post digests the work of sociologists Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk, published in their book Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation. They argue that, while historically society valued religion as a contributor to “community solidarity”, today it’s viewed as an optional means for individual development (emphasis mine). There’s little if any need to gather publicly when faith becomes a mere “personal identity accessory.”
That society functions this way does not surprise me. This is to be expected from a secular world. But what happens when professing believers embrace this mindset?
Many consider their faith in Christ only in terms of how God blesses them, making their lives better. They assess their worship gathering by how uplifting and encouraging it is for them. Attending worship is good for them, like visiting the Chiropractor or therapist. For fear of appearing legalistic, gathering is anything but essential. It’s optional. And when gathered worship is optional, why gather?
But gathered worship with your church family is not optional. It’s essential! True, a church may suspend gatherings for a season on account of a global pandemic. Also true, attendance at a worship service is no prerequisite for salvation. But for the disciple of Jesus Christ, worship in the company of your church family is as essential as food and drink. Scripture commands it (Heb. 10:25). Jesus models it (Luke 4:16-37).
Yet for too many professing Christians, gathered worship is a nice spiritual accessory to better your life rather than an essential appointment to join others in declaring, praising and responding to the glory of our Risen King! Only when we repent of this individualized religion and treasure our place in the gathered community will the tide turn.
Bro. Jim