Pause and Restart: 6 Tips to Start Going to Church Again
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Speaking of lunch, don’t just go to church and be done. Go to church and then continue on with a special day.
Exodus 20:8-11 urges the Israelites, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”
This doesn’t just apply to God’s people in the Old Testament; a sabbath is important today, as well. Go to lunch after church, or pack a picnic and go to the park if money is tight. Maybe stroll through a public setting and try to live out the message you received from that morning’s service. Make a day of it, a special time set aside for you and God and other loved ones.
Maybe you’ve always dressed up for church because that’s how you were raised. Perhaps now might be a time to consider a different style of clothing. If your church is comfortable with a more casual style, try that and see how it feels. Or try a color you don’t typically wear on a daily basis and that can be your “special church color” that you wear to worship.
Or if you have always worn casual clothing to church, try the opposite. Dress up fully. Shine your shoes and style your hair extra-fancy. Something different can reinvigorate you.
Give yourself a job at church. Commit to some sort of role at church and you’ll find it will help get you there. Sign up to be an usher, a greeter, or someone who works with children. Or maybe give yourself a secret job: your “job” is to offer a genuine smile to everyone you make eye contact with, or to say something kind to four people.
Perhaps it’s not going to church that’s grown stagnant, but God is calling you to try a different community of faith. A common saying is that there will be no denominations in heaven — God’s people are God’s people.
With this in mind, feel free to try another Christian church. If you attend a specific Protestant denomination, try another denomination, or try a non-denominational church. Or just visit a few other churches in the community to get an understanding of different worship styles. It’s all the same religion; only the manner of practice might be a little different. Some churches offer communion, while others don’t. Some sing traditional hymns, while others do all contemporary Christian music.
Shaking up your routine and trying something new might help you understand the message in a new way or open a new door for worship that you haven’t yet experienced.
Maybe you’ve tried all this and still don’t feel enthusiastic about attending church. That’s OK — because worshipping God doesn’t need to have anything to do with how we feel. Christianity is not a feeling, rather, it’s a way, a belief, a lifeline. It’s based on reason and truth, the truth of God’s Holy Word.
So have faith despite feelings, stand firm on the truth despite any doubts, and know that God is with you. Even if you feel distant or disengaged, God isn’t distant or disengaged from you. God is with us always, loves us always, and wants us in His family.
Do you want to be in God’s family, too? All are welcome who believe.
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Leo Malsam
