Ready for a Break from Church?
April 18, 2023
Katherine Schultz
This post contains a biblical perspective on skipping church attendance. It is from a series of personal perspectives on the individual questions of the 3-D Worldview Survey.
If I’m honest…
If I’m honest, I have thoughts like this more often than when I’m away from home. I am a person who likes routines, and who is very comfortable being home. I get tired when I’m around people, even people I love, so being at home in my quiet space is something I value. And being away from home, I’m still going to be the same person I am when I’m at home – happy to be around people for a while, delighted to see new places and learn about other people, but limited in my capacity to do it. So yes, I look forward to times when I can take a break from church.
I also know how easy it would be to take a break that lasts far longer than just a break, and becomes the new normal… When a major change comes, it’s another time when it would be easy to step away unnoticed. You’ve probably seen the statistics about how many people go to church regularly (or rather, don’t). Even people who have grown up in the church can easily just get out of the habit when they move away from home for college, or relocate for a job change. Many of them go intermittently, some of them get back to it with a future life event like having children, and some of them never return at all.
For my husband and me, when we moved to another city, it took us a long time to find a church home that aligned with our convictions and allowed us to use the gifts we had to serve Jesus and the body of Christ. But every week, we were in a local church, committed to being with other believers.
The Truth is…
The truth, though, is
- Occasional extra rest isn’t about staying isolated from God’s people.
- There is real refreshment in gathering to worship Him with His Church.
So it’s best for me not to give myself the option of staying away. Instead, I get involved in my local church in a way that I’d be missed if I wasn’t there.
- Volunteer
- Get to know people through common interests
- Show up.
And when I return home from a trip, I’m right back there again, worshiping the Lord with my church family.
Because I want my worldview attitude to reflect that my heart it oriented toward God.
What about you?
Have you taken a break from church, and just not returned? Are you ready? Go this weekend! And while you are at it, work on ways you can be intentional about recovering the biblical worldview that was important to you in the past. If you are in conversations with others, perhaps your students, encourage them to go, too. And ask questions that get you onto conversations about worldview, like church attendance. If you want some ideas for questions, download the free pdf “10 Questions to Understand Someone’s Worldview” below.
