By Rev. Dan Bernier, vicar at Christ Episcopal Church, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA
Generally speaking, we are a church-going nation. One simply needs to open a telephone book to discover that there are dozens of church communiites in the immediate Seacoast area.
On television every Sunday, we find a large variety of worship services throughout the day. There are even a few television stations dedicated to religious programming. There are articles such as this one in the Portsmouth Herald and other newspapers on a weekly basis.
Although the number has decreased slightly over the past several decades, a large percentage of our population attends weekly religious services. Others may not attend church on a weekly basis, but do attend services in conjunction with religious holidays. It would appear that we have a strong faith foundation in our country.
At the same time, we are bombarded with daily reports of murder, abuse, and other forms of violence. We continue to live in a world where war is not the last resort, but often the first. Poverty continues to be a reality that will not go away. Discrimination is found in all areas of our society, including the work place, our schools, and our neighborhoods.
Too often the same individuals who attend church on Sunday are responsible for these serious societal problems, either by direct involvement or by passive indifference. What is this saying about church attendance? Does it really matter if we attend church? Does it make a difference?
I believe that in and of itself, it really does not matter whether we attend church. It is not enough simply to sit through a worship service. Neither is it enough simply to pray for our needs, and go home and wait for our prayers to be answered. This alone will not change our world or our individual lives. We may feel good about ourselves for attending church and saying our prayers, but these alone will not transform us in our world.
This does not mean that I believe that a faith community is not important. I believe that within a faith community is where we most effectively receive the spiritual and communal support that we need in order to live as instruments of God’s love, peace, and hope in the world. It is within a faith community that we can most effectively discern the movement of God in our lives. A faith community is a wonderful place to be nurtured in the ways of God; to learn of the ways our ancestors lived their faith; to explore the ways God is calling us today to share God’s love, peace and hope.
Our church attendance should inspire us and compel us to action; to the work of sharing God’s love; to the work of peace and justice. When this happens, then church attendance does matter. When church attendance translates to “faith in action,” then it can make a difference.
Rev. Dan Bernier is vicar of Christ Episcopal Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This article originally appeared in the October 8, 2005 edition of the Portsmouth Herald. Reprinted here with permission. Rev. Bernier can be reached at vicar@christepiscopalchurch.us . As originally appeared in the Portsmouth Herald, October 8, 2005. Reprinted with permission.
