Does a Christian have to attend every service a church has?

Answer

Of course, with some churches—the larger ones with three or four services every Sunday and an additional one on Saturday—it is neither practical nor expected for a member to attend every service. However, attending the services that most churches offer imposes no real burden on one’s schedule. Many individuals were raised in households that mandated church attendance: “When the doors were open, we were there!” Such testimonies are less common nowadays, as church attendance in general is decreasing.

Does a Christian have to attend every service that his church provides? The simple answer is “no.” There is no New Testament directive for believers to uphold perfect attendance at church. Being present at every church service does not make a person “holier” than someone who misses a service now and then. Our connection with God is not founded on adhering to rules or clocking in at church; it is based on our standing in Christ «unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s: », (1 Corinthians 1:2). The crucial question for eternity is not “How many times was I in church” but “Did I truly know Jesus Christ?” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Nevertheless, there is an issue with adopting a casual approach to church attendance. We should not be indifferent about this matter. God’s plan in this era involves the church, which Jesus pledged to establish «And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. », (Matthew 16:18), and we should be supporting God’

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). It’s interesting that, even in the early church, there were those who made a “habit” of not fellowshipping with other believers. Their example is not to be followed. The church is where our spiritual gifts best edify the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12), and it is difficult to “spur” each other to love and good works if we are not attending church. How can we encourage one another if we’re never around one another?

Christians should be committed to their local church, involved in their local church, and supportive of their local church. This requires regular church attendance. A believer will naturally love his brothers and sisters in Christ «And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.», (1 John 4:21), and that love will manifest itself in a desire to fellowship, not avoidance. When the church is praising the Lord, all believers should want to join in the praise; when the church is praying for others, all believers should want to join in the prayer; when the church is studying the Word, all believers should want to join in the learning.

We live in a world of distractions. So many things call us away from our commitments, our involvement, and our support of the local church: sports activities, work schedules, community projects, etc.—the list is never-ending. There are valid reasons for missing a church service, and we must avoid legalism in such matters. At the same time, we should make sure absences are the exception, not the rule.

Each believer should examine his or her own heart to determine the motives for missing church. It may be necessary to rearrange priorities.