4 Benefits of Consistent Church Attendance You Don't Experience Until Later

You're tired. Or had a long week. Or have other plans. Or just need time to relax.

It's just one week, so what's the harm in missing church? After all, you can't point to that many church services that radically changed your life anyway.

And while rest is important and sometimes life is busy, church attendance matters more than we realize. Unfortunately, it is because we don't see the majority of its positive effects until later that we don't realize how important it can be.

Below are four of those really good benefits of consistent church attendance we don't experience until later down the road.

1. Real relationships and friendships

New City Church where I lead turns three years old in April. That's not very old, and yet it has been long enough that those who have been with us since the beginning (or close to it) have moved from strangers to friends.

Often times, we don't see the impact that small "deposits" of conversations have on our relationships with one another. I once heard that friendships were formed by consistent spontaneous interactions. It's why we have way more friends growing up going to school than we do as adults because in school we see a lot more people a lot more often.

Consistent church attendance allows for these consistent and continual interactions. What starts as small talk eventually turns into genuine interest. Before you know it, you might have found yourself a couple of really close friends.

As I look at those who have been at New City for a while, this is exactly what I see. People having developed genuine relationships and friendships that never could have happened with sporadic or non-existent church attendance.

At the end of the day, the local church provides us with the community we need and were created to have. It's not just about singing songs and hearing someone preach. It's about the community of people encouraging, forgiving, and caring for one another.

This can't be experienced when we aren't consistent in showing up and being together.

2. A deeper understanding of Scripture and who God is

This year at New City Church (2019) we spent most of our year in 1 Corinthians. I have previously written about some of my reflections on what that was like.

One of the things I saw in our people and had multiple conversations with others about was how much they learned and enjoyed going through the entire book.

Sometimes Scripture can be confusing and so it is helpful to walk through it (even the difficult passages) as a church and see how relevant it is and what it means for us today.

If you stick around long (and consistently) enough, you begin to have a greater appreciation for Scripture and how it all connects.

Current data suggest that the average churchgoer attends somewhere around 1.75 church services a month. While this is much better than 0 times a month, it is also quite lacking if we want to grow spiritually.

It is helpful to have a pastor or teacher who is trained in studying Scripture and preaching to help us make sense and give us a better understanding of who God is. We miss out on this if we rarely show up.

3. The impact you made on others

Just as relationships take time to build, it often takes time to see the impact you have on others.

Church attendance is not simply about coming to consume "spiritual goods." It's about loving and serving one another. And it is when we do that consistently that overtime God uses us to make real impacts on other people.

If are consistent in your involvement in a local church, you can undoubtedly name multiple people who have made an impact on you. And whether you know it or not, you are also on the lists others would give.

When we view church as simply something we "get" something from and not something we "give" to, then of course we see no reason to make it a priority. But small acts of showing up and caring for others ends up making a big impact in the lives of others over time.

4. A family

It might seem self-serving for a pastor to write about the importance of church attendance. But what if I am writing this simply because I know it's benefits are good for us? It's almost like God knew what he is doing when he created the Church.

No church is perfect because none of us are perfect. Families aren't perfect either, but there is nothing like being a part of a good family.

As I look at even New City Church's short time of existence, I see family from those that are consistently a part of what we do. I see imperfect people dealing with the difficulties of life who experience encouragement and hope every Sunday when they see people who care about them.

We miss this when we aren't consistent. Following Jesus isn't about being guilted into doing "good things." It's about following him and what he wants for us so we can experience good things.

An imperfect church with imperfect people that care about Christ and others is a really good thing.

We miss out on these good gifts God has given us to when are rarely show up.