What’s missing?

Question

As a young adult/adult what stops you from going to church? What’s missing from the church that doesn’t draw you to it? What could your church or churches in general do that would attract people to being more open to coming and staying at church?

Answer

Have service a little later in the day than first thing in the morning. With a toddler and being pregnant and being 30 mins from my church it's really hard getting up early enough to get there on time. Not everyone is a morning person 🤗

Answer

I think events are very helpful, and encouraging for people to come participate at church. Especially for those that haven’t grown up in the church or are familiar with church in general, it also acts as an “ice breaker”. Perhaps more spreading the word, like passing out flyers to the surrounding community, would make people more aware of these things. I think people hold back because they aren’t an “active member”. Although honestly people will make whatever excuse to justify feeling out of place if they aren’t a regular church goer. I think bottom line is people want to feel welcomed, but it takes their own decision to start getting involved. A lot of churches already hold events and classes and group meetings to socialize and are friendly! It’s just a personal decision to go and check it out!

Answer

For me I love church as it is. I know its effective how it is as long as the Holy Spirit is in the building.  Which it should be if the people have the holy spirit. But something our church is starting to do is have services outside to draw people who otherwise would never come inside the building. And we occasionally walk around our city and witness to people.

Answer

Honestly, it's just society. It's easier not to go. People are so busy that it's easier to use that time to relax.  We are in a culture where people want to do what they want, and church isn't typically that way. 
 Many people claim they feel judged at church, but few have actually experienced that. I think they've seen it on TV shows or extreme church group riots.  Some church people ask new members a lot of questions to get to know them, which can seem like being nosy or judging.

Answer

I live in the south eastern part of the US where there is literally a church on every corner. It is mostly Baptist here which is the type of church I was raised in. Unfortunately, there are still thick, ugly roots that grow within some of these churches consisting of racism, entitlement, fraud, and even fear. As a small child I recognized this and refuse to tolerate such behavior. My job as a parent and a Christ follower is to teach my children to be Christ like instead of breeding hate into them. No church is perfect as we are all sinners and are in need of the grace and mercy that flows from the Lord above, but it has been hard to filter through the “masks” that many of these churches portray. I continue to pray for guidance on finding a church in which God is calling us to and I know he will flood me with his peace when we finally find our church home.

Answer

I’m tired of the entire structure of modern church. I have attended many churches, the one I am at now is pretty good, I like it. I found one with the smallest stage possible.
But I think it needs to be entirely turned upside down. I’m tired of events and bulletins and spiritual social media posts and strangers greeting me at the door. I don’t care about any of that nonsense, I want God and I want community. REAL community, not people who are church friends. I want a church that is willing to change anything and everything if God called them to, but most are too busy debating wether the church can handle two new songs in one Sunday.
Most churches run like a business first and a family second, even if that’s not the intention. 
They are a business with programs that aim to achieve biblical things and provide community. So...how come these outings and gatherings don’t happen naturally without the programs and sign up sheets? Because people are not truly united as a family. The leadership is the church...the people are attendees who can come and go and the church will go on without them as long as the overall numbers are still good.
The whole structure is just not ideal for actual relationships, it’s an uphill battle to stay connected. 
I really like Frances Chan’s new church structure, there are videos about it on YouTube. It’s literally backwards, they have small groups that meet on Sunday morning and everyone meets in one big group once a month. More people use their gifts. More people leading means more growing and rising to the challenge. You can’t attend without being seen and known. Your group naturally becomes a family without having to be intentional after service. The running costs are gone too, imagine how much farther all those tithes can go? As a small group you can pool your giving and actually help someone instead of just going  mostly into building costs.

Answer

Church is too early. Services past an hour are too long. Everyone knows about tithe. They don't need to beat a dead horse. More churches should consider online donations. Hypocrites are an issue. The church needs to file police reports when abuse occurs. Not handle it themselves. Inclusivity in regards to socioeconomics, race, gender and sexuality need to be addressed. Church needs to the work of the Lord, not Gods job for him.

Answer

I love my church, sometimes I'm just too busy to go.

What’s missing?

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