The essential way we can grow in church is by going with an open heart and mind. Pastor Paul McCart brings the first part of a three part blog.

1. paulmccart
How To Attend Church: Part 1
paulmccart.com/how-to-attend-church-1/
It may seem odd to write about how to attend church. All you need to do is just show up, right? Well not exactly.
There’s more to attending church than just showing up.
Getting to church, though, is the first step. In fact, for many, it is the biggest step. Recent studies completed or run
by organizations like the Pew Research Center have found that only 35% of people attend church weekly while
most only attend a few times a year or less. Other studies have found that these numbers could actually be much
lower with weekly attendance, for example, falling as low as 20%. Whatever the case may be, what seems clear is
that a large number of people aren’t attending church.
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2. The challenge of people choosing not to attend church, though, isn’t new. In fact, this has been an issue since the
beginning of the church. Take a look at what it says in the book of Hebrews:
“And 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
Since the beginning of the church, it seems that people have struggled with making the commitment to get together
with others for church. This is why God encourages us to stay connected to the church. So then why is there this
struggle? Could it be that the struggle to show up at a church service might be related to how we choose attend?
I believe there is a direct connection between our willingness to attend church and how we approach our time when
we actually choose to show up. Not only that, but I believe our mindset when we are at church directly impacts how
much we get out of our church experience and our ability to personally give our best to the church we attend.
So we need to make sure that when we show up we are approaching our church experience in the right manner,
and one of the most impactful ways we need to align our minds is this:
We need to go to church with a spirit of anticipation and not evaluation.
When attending church, we need to be expecting God to speak to our hearts. We are to be at church like children
before a loving parent, understanding that whether it is a time of conviction, celebration, or both, we know that God
has our best interests in mind and we will be blessed as a result of having shown up. We should show up expecting
God to do a good work in us.
Too often, though, people approach church with a consumer mindset. They continually rate the quality of the music,
the message from the pastor, and all of the aspects of the worship service in their minds, yet they miss out on the
more important reason for showing up. They assess rather than experience. If we aren’t careful, all of us can
approach our time at church like this. We can act like judges at a talent show rather than engaged participants in the
real event aimed at changing our lives and others.
When we attend church, we are to come with the conviction that God is always up to something, we are there for a
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3. reason, and He is able to impact us along with others, far more than we could imagine. Or to put it another way, we
need to have a measure of faith when we attend church. As it says in Hebrews, chapter 11:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
– Hebrews 11:6
We need to earnestly seek God. When we do, we will be blessed, and this truth certainly applies to how we are to
attend church. Now, some of you may be wondering “What if I’m not sure He exists?” Well, the good news is that
you can be, and I will address this topic in a future series. Don’t worry if you have doubts. This is normal, and what’s
awesome is that even in the midst of your doubts, God will meet you there, if you are simply open to it.
Attending church is meant to be an experience where God genuinely impacts our lives. One essential aspect for
this to happen, though, is that we need to show up, and do so with a sense of anticipation of what He will do.
In part 2 of “How to Attend Church” , I will continue to address the topic of attending church. It is my hope that you
are looking forward to what is coming next.
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