Why People Go To Church?

A preacher friend of mine recently sent me this post from Facebook: “When a person goes to church, they are supposed to go to hear the Bible preached, not hear the Band play. Church is about the Bible and Jesus, not the band. If you dropped the band from many church services, would people still attend? I say, when the band goes, the people go too, and where the band goes, the people go too.”

Unfortunately, this reveals the sad spiritual condition of many church members today.  Consider the following REAL reasons why many people go to church:

1. To hear the Bible preached and taught.
2. To worship the Lord.
3. Because the church uses their favorite Bible version.
4. Because a family member attends.
5. Because a friend attends.
6. Because they like the music.
7. Because they like the Pastor or a staff member. (A pastor is naïve who thinks everyone attends because of him or his preaching!)
8. Because they like the ministries the church offers to them (Youth ministry, children’s ministries, Nursery, etc.).
9. Because they hold a position in the church.
10. Because the church is conveniently located.
11. Because they like the fellowship when they come.
12. Because they hope to win the lost.
13. Because it meets their “felt” needs.

If a person attends a church primarily for any one of these reasons, if that reason were no longer in the church, the person would leave.  For example, if you attend primarily because one of your friends attends here (#5), if that friend left, you would leave also.  Or, if you attend mainly because you like a church staff member (#7), if that staff member were to leave, you would probably leave also. If you attend because of one of the ministries here (#8), if that ministry ever ceased to exist, you would probably go some place else that offered that ministry.

Those are the cold hard facts of the “seeker-sensitive” mentality prevalent in American Christianity today.