Does Church Attendance Mean Anything? (Part 6)

Throughout these series of bulletin articles dealing with attendance, I think at least one valuable insight has surfaced. The valuable insight that has surfaced is that attendance is more of a result than a cause. For instance, attendance by itself cannot cause an individual to be faithful anymore than a student merely attending college will guarantee learning. Now it certainly helps a student to become educated if he or she actually shows up to class, participates, and studies. In a similar fashion to a college student, an individual who attends and participates in congregational worship, Bible studies, and fellowships will also likely learn and grow in faith.

Additionally, we know from the book of Hebrews that at least one cause for the result of attendance is the fact that we see the Day of Christ approaching, and so we increasingly spur each other on to more and more good deeds and the fellowship of mutual encouragement (Heb 10:24-25). Therefore, if attendance is more of a result then a cause, then does attendance not partially serve as an outward sign of an inward belief and conviction concerning matters of faith?

We are now bumping up against a difficult question concerning what takes place in an individual’s heart. However, the truth is, there are multiple causes operative within an individual’s heart that may prompt him or her to attend activities of congregational life. Unfortunately, there is not a strict one to one correspondence between congregational attendance and purity of heart. In other words, a genuine belief and conviction concerning the coming of Christ and the common faith we share does not necessarily drive all the internal causes within the heart. Members attend for all kinds of reasons that may or may not be rooted to the best of motives.

One example of congregational attendance not rooted in the best of motives is the case of some Christians we read about in the books of First and Second Corinthians. In Corinth, apparently, there were individuals who gathered in part for the purposes of showing off, pride, and control of others (1 Cor 1:1ff; 3:1ff; 5:1-2; 12:1-13:1ff; 2 Cor 11:1ff). Another example of a faulty sign of attendance is from the book of Jude that speaks of men who are “blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves” (v.12). Now I doubt that individuals in Corinth or those of whom Jude speaks of actually stood up in the gathered assembly and said, “We are attending this congregation because we like to show off, flaunt our pride, and control and take advantage of others.” Therefore, attendance can be a deceptive outward sign of what is actually taking place in the heart.

Nevertheless, despite the above mentioned difficulties discerning the outward sign of attendance, attendance is still one criterion by which faith, belief, and conviction in the heart becomes manifest. Not all signs are false signs. The question, dear saint, is what does your outward sign of attendance say about what is truly in your heart?

--Terry