why attendance matters

"I am on the journey when I regularly attend celebration worship..."

If you think of the beginning of our benediction as a kind of covenant statement of mission, you will see that it is more than just a matter of intent for us- it is in essence a commitment to an important principle. The same principle the writer of Hebrews declared when he wrote, "do not forsake the gathering of yourselves together as some are in the habit of doing." (Hebrews 10:25)

Jack Miller once said, "Thomas missed church one time and Jesus showed up. Don't miss church, you never know what might happen."

The tradition of the ecclesia, or the gathering of saints in local bodies has many benefits, not the least of which is the passing of our faith to the next generation. The training of children was deeply rooted in Jewish history and that value carried forward in the New Testament church. Christianity established educational models that have served as the framework for Western civilization. We neglect that tradition to our peril.

Regular attendance as discipline or "habit" is more than a matter of personal preference, it has some very powerful implications.

According to this study, children who attend church regularly are happier, more balanced and do better in school. The research demonstrated that because church attending children have clearly established values that are not just reinforced in the home by their own parents but by other significant adults in their lives as well, the likelihood of those values taking root increase dramatically.

The obvious message to parents is that if you have developed the habit of not attending church, consider what Thomas missed. But more importantly, consider how it is affecting your children.