Is going to church a chore?

[Bumperlicioso]

I'm an atheist, just so's you know. But I spent the a large part of my childhood in Sunday schools.

I was just wondering if those of you who go to church see it as a chore, a necessity or something you look forward. I couldn't imagine, now I have the choice, dragging myself to church every Sunday morning. Do you go without fail? Do you not bother if you don't fancy it? What makes you go? Could you be a good Christian if you didn't go? If not, why not?

I hope no one sees this post as inflammatory. It's really not intended to be. I'm just wondering why people chose to go when they don't have to (and really some services are really boring!). Is it some sort of childhood guilt, the same one that makes you eat your sandwiches before your biscuit even though you don't have to because your mum is not the boss anymore?!

I don't find church a chore either - I find it revitalising. A bit like recharging my batteries.

You can worship on your own, whenever you feel like it, and I do - I frequently take myself off somewhere quiet to pray - but that is something different to worshipping with other Christians. I think that the community aspect of it, being part of the body of Christ, is very important. As a Catholic the sacraments are very important to me too.

However, there have been occasions when it has felt like a chore - not often - but there have been times when it has been more of a struggle.

Going to church for me is something i thoroughly enjoy but also it is also a neccessity because the bible says "not to forsake the gathering of believers" .

do you go without fail ?

Yes, except if a family member is ill or someone we know needs help on that day, or sometimes i might just be feeling exhausted, so we miss it, so on average out of 52 weeks i'd say i attend maybe 48.

What makes you go ?

attending church, hearing the sermons, participating in coporate worship, and sharing with other believers all help a christian to grow.
You get to find out where there is need in your community and abroad.
You develop friendships with other christians so you can share any struggles.
In the church you can share eacother's burdens.
You've got other xtians watching out for you when you attend regularly.

What i love most is the worship and the sermon, my pastor is very funny and his analogies are hilarious, its nice go and get a nice "belly laugh" every sunday.

Could you be a good xtian if i didnt go ?
If i didnt go, im sure i would intend to be a good xtian but for me it wouldnt because

I would gradually forget what God says in the bible because i will not be reading it regularly.
I would miss the richness of the bible being explained to me, and i wouldnt understand everything on my own, leading to wrong actions and decision making.
I wouldnt be able to "serve" the body of Christ if i stopped going, im a youth teacher.
I would start to fill the void with other things that would separate me from Christ.
There will be no accountability.
I would be doing myself a diservice really, For me christianity is not something you practice in isolation.

I hope this answers your questions somewhat.

I like going to Mass, I don't go every week and I take varying amounts of the children with me. Its quiet, apart from my baby but all the older parishoners love seeing her, she also has a habit of joining in the singing, she's 7 months and quite tuneless I can have a think and I also like us all praying together for someone who needs a bit of support, who has just lost a spouse, friend, child.

Yes, I agree - of course people can be good xians without attending collective worship. Some people have no opportunity to - perhaps they live in a country where xians are persecuted and not allowed to meet, or (less dramatically), perhaps they are housebound or have other reasons they simply can't attend. And of course, some people may have had such bad experiences of church in the past that they can't quite get over that and prefer to worship on their own, in their own way. But I do think we should try to attend if we can. As I said before, the discipline of doing so is important. And there's also something, as someone said above, about gathering together as the body of Christ. We are not called to be xians for ourselves alone, but also for our impact on the people around us, and sharing in collective worship is an important aspect of that. There is - for me - something important about gathering together in Jesus' name (even when, as at the moment, my own faith is more than a little wobbly, I want to try and keep hold of that).

I don't think that you have to attend corporate worship to be a Christian, as such, but for me it's simply a matter of getting together with other believers (and non believers) and sharing the journey of faith, exploring together. In that sense, church does not have to be Sunday morning in a large cold building, but can be any gathering of people coming together to worship, study, pray, talk - like purple said. I think it's good to keep redefining church in today's world, as the misconceptions that are around about what it is are widespread, and the early church was merely a gathering of Jesus followers.

So I love church, because I see it as something we do - a verb as such - rather than a place, and it's something that re-invigorates and inspires. I find that if a church is too inward looking it invariably becomes more of a chore, but if there is welcome and mission and caring for others prevalent in the church community it reflects where it should be going.

I also love the worship aspect and couldn't do without it - it completely keeps me going :)

"...So I love church, because I see it as something we do - a verb as such - rather than a place..."

that catches the essence of church perfectly

Yes - that's right, there should be many new ways of being a church. Being a Methodist, I sometimes think that we are sitting in a C19 building, singing C19 hymns and worshipping completely in the idiom of another era. Someone once told me that there was a Methodist church in Liverpool that no longer had a congregation, but instead of closing they had found an alternative form of witness, that once - or perhaps several times - a week the building was open to anyone who wanted to come and make bread. So a small group of people made bread there together and chatted and shared experiences as they did so. Wouldn't be for me, I don't think - but it's an inspiring idea.

Cat64 - great minds! I got into a slightly unChristian argument with one of the stewards at a meeting recently talking about mission, who was fixated on the idea that the ultimate aim of any outreach has to be getting the people you engage with to come to church regularly. But church on our model might not be for them. Surely the ultimate aim is to help them find God's love as a reality in their life. (And sadly our church doesn't have housegroups...I really miss ours from our previous church but haven't got quite the time/energy to set one up myself.) I think I envy you your C20th building on the whole. Ours is beautiful and a great community resource as it's huge and well used by community groups, but is a huge drain on finances and energy.

absolutely with you on your argument dotty! Mission is so not about how many people you can get on a Sunday morning, and so much about facilitating people's relationship with God. Unfortunately because the church is essentially a human institution it's almost impossible to get away from the numbers game

I used to, but now have found the 'right' church for us, and have re-ignited my enthusiasm! I look forward to it!

"Do you go without fail?"

Almost always, unless I'm ill or similar

"Do you not bother if you don't fancy it?"

I generally enjoy church, so that isn't an issue. I went through a phase at my old church where Sundays were completely miserable, and after a lot of thought changed churches and started enjoying it again. My problem with the old church was I completely ceased to feel that God was there - it was just empty. For whats its worth I think 'church' is a community of people worshipping God together, not a building.

"What makes you go?"

As I said, I enjoy it. I meet God there, which is the main thing. Its a very warm, friendly community and the teaching is very strong on how to live a Christian life in a practical way. The style of worship isn't really my thing, but that doesn't bother me hugely.

"Could you be a good Christian if you didn't go? If not, why not?"

Christianity tends to be big on the idea that Christians are all one family (ie children of God and brothers and sisters in Christ). Like most families we can be an argumentative, dysfunctional bunch at times, but we still need each other. I guess it depends on what you think makes someone a 'good' Christian. I tend to think that the essence of Christianity is accepting that we are all crap Christians really, but that God loves us anyway even though we don't deserve it. We are 'good' Christians in so far as we live like loved and forgiven people. Its not box ticking.

my dc's dont like it and complain a lot which makes it difficult to get in the 'zone', but when I was sole searching and looking for God (and myself) church was there for me. church is a community, not just a building. I do feel guilty if I miss but as it is rememberance sunday me and the dc's are going to the cemetary instead. i think it will be too long a service for them today.

An institution of any kind needs subscribers or else it cannot survive. churches close when numbers are too low and communities are split up. I see people at church who rely on this community as i might one day.

I look forward to, and generally enjoy Church services, especially when we have a bigger congregation, as this makes the hymn singing better, I also enjoy smaller mediational services, and our Church has regular 'cafe' services, very informal, noisy, fun events, which I find ok, but a bit more challenging, as I'm out of my comfort zone in these. I have especially enjoyed 'in conversation with...' services, when our minister interviews someone who practices in more unusual situations, eg. prison chaplain, these help me to interpret worship in new ways. All in all, I have never found attending Church to be a chore.

As a kid, yes, church was a chore. But now I go because I want to be there. I see church as family - they provide support in the tough times, celebrate in the good. They've been especially great at supporting us while we struggle ttc.
Sometimes yes I'd like a lie in on a Sunday, especially when I have to be there at 9.15am to play in the worship band yes I'm that kind of person but when I don't go, I really miss it.