I live in Italy, where the nearest non-Catholic church is a one-hour-and-15-minute journey away. The church started meeting in the evening, and the journey became even longer due to roadworks in the city. I have dealt with chronic fatigue for most of my adult life, and although it’s milder now than it used to be, that weekly journey takes its toll. Monday is often a recovery day, when I don’t get much done. Because of this, I’ve found myself drifting away from regular church attendance.
I’ve noticed that when I do go, I get looks and comments from some members of the congregation. It’s got me wondering: as Christians, do we have to attend church every Sunday?
The Bible doesn’t talk about a weekly obligation to attend church. What it does talk about is believers living closely together. In the book of Acts, the early Church met daily to share meals, listen to teaching, pray and even pool their finances together.
Our modern forms of gathering are so different from the early church that it’s hard to compare, but it is vital to meet with other believers.
Our modern forms of gathering are so different from the early church that it’s hard to compare, but it is vital to meet with other believers. As the writer of Hebrews says, “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 I was reflecting yesterday on the metaphor used in Hebrews; that we are running a race. Hebrews 12 talks about how we are ‘surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.’ Hebrews 12:1. The cloud of witnesses - other believers who have gone before us, could be seen as our supporters cheering on the side lines as we run. By a similar token, the presence of those believers who are still here on earth, our fellow runners, can be a great encouragement, to keep going and to know that we are not alone.
Sometimes I question how the modern church has turned our need to fellowship with other believers into an almost legalistic requirement to attend church every Sunday. Our need for connection to the body of Christ is so much more than that, and yet it can sometimes be reduced to the idea that, if we haven’t attended church this week, we are a failure.
During my walk with Christ, I’ve benefited from many different forms of fellowship, from conversations around the kitchen table with other Christian women to the chats at my Sunday service or meals afterwards.
During my walk with Christ, I’ve benefited from many different forms of fellowship, from conversations around the kitchen table with other Christian women to the chats at my Sunday service or meals afterwards. I’ve also developed lovely online relationships with other ex-New Agers, some of which have become in-person connections. However, one thing I’ve found is that these more informal get-togethers can be sporadic, whereas that regular Sunday morning meet-up is dependable. It’s good to know that, no matter how busy friends get, there’s always a place to go to meet other Christians.
Being an irregular churchgoer has taught me one thing: not to judge others for not attending church. I’ve had thoughts that someone must not be a ‘proper Christian’ if they don’t attend church, and now here I am missing Sundays.
If there’s someone in your community who isn’t attending church regularly, then it may be that going more often could benefit and strengthen their faith. But coming from a place of legalism—”You should attend church more regularly”—probably isn’t beneficial to hear. Instead, listening to them and finding out what is going on for them can help us understand.
For example, I have one friend who believes in God, but his experiences as a child in the evangelical church of the 1980s left him feeling traumatised. He declined my invitations to church, but he did come with me to a less formal Bible discussion hosted by a Christian who facilitates a number of house churches. My friend asked a lot of questions and remarked afterwards that it was the first time he’d ever been given answers in a way that made sense to him.
His observation made me realise that he is never going to attend a conventional church any time soon, but ultimately that’s not what matters. What matters is that we encourage others in their faith. Sometimes that might not mean inviting them to church but instead bringing church to them. As Jesus said: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
I am moving soon, back to the UK, and funnily enough, my new address will be Church Street! I am not sure if the local church will become my regular one, but it will be nice to have an option on my doorstep, and a few others nearby. I’m hoping and believing that part of this move is that God intends for me to find fellowship closer to home. Who knows? Maybe I will now go to church every Sunday!
