Church Services and their Significance
Church services are relevant in a number of cultures, as some people attend regularly, whilst others frequent the church only. Few churches hold their services on Fridays, others on Saturdays, and others on Sundays. There are also programs for children and others for elders to help believers preach according to their age and level of knowledge of the Scriptures. After worship, it is normal to see groups attending sessions to address crucial topics that concern their everyday lives and to schedule any upcoming plans of the Congregation. Some of them include youths, women, and men groups, which play a vital part in promoting the growth of the church.
Categories of Churchgoers
Since the time I started going to church, I concluded that there are three categories of churchgoers. These include the regular ones, the occasional goers, and those that do not go to church at all.
The Regular Attendees
The regular attendees are always in the church every week, such as on Sundays, and maintain punctuality. They are considered the most committed and the main pillars of the church because of their dedication of time and resources in running the church affairs. Most of them are women, especially the middle-aged and the elderly, although there are men who attend regularly. Again, the regular attendees can be grouped into the normal goers and the bible addicts depending on their behavior in the church. I consider the bible addicts as those that live the bible, talk the bible, walk according to the bible, and keep on quoting the bible in almost every statement that they utter. It is common to find them preaching in church, during crusades, and door-to-door ministries. Every aspect of their life is about the bible, its teachings, and living according to the word. It is easy to spot them since most of them carry their bibles in small purses and keep on quoting verses during conversations. The normal goers tend to obey the commandment that requires them to keep the Sabbath day holy. Every week they will attend the service, contribute, and congregate with others but will not let their faith dominate every aspect of their lives.
The Occasional Goers
The ones I classify as occasional goers consider religion important in their lives but do not need to attend the service every week. Some may attend when there are religious functions, when faced with personal problems, and when invited. The occasional one may also be divided into crisis and circumstantial Christians depending on the force that influences them to attend the service. The circumstantial only go to church if they have spare time since they are always busy with their work and believe it is a way of pleasing God. The circumstantial goers will always debate on a Sunday morning whether they feel like attending the service or not. The crisis churchgoers only attend the church if they are experiencing personal crisis and need someone to comfort or give them some hope. They can only be seen in church when faced with hardships or have an important celebration such as a wedding. Once their issue is solved, they disappear and come back when faced with other issues. For instance, some people go to church when sick, facing marriage tools, or if they have lost a family member. They believe that the congregation can give them the attention and comfort they need.
The Non-Practitioners
In my last category, there are individuals that never see the need of going to church and wonder why people waste their time and resources attending services and church functions. I consider them as churchgoers since they are affiliated with certain religious groups and associate with its values yet they will never go to church. They can be categorized as non-practitioners, such as those who do not see the need to attend the service yet they claim membership, and the lost sheep that were once committed Christians but have lost their faith and are seeking answers to things that seem mysterious. They need someone to give them hope and renew their faith in Christ. They are very difficult to convince and ask questions about the negative happenings in their life. For instance, they will wonder why some people that do not miss church services are poor or face several challenges in life, which are difficult to solve.
Motives for Attending Church Services
People go to church for various reasons, and the level of commitment is different for every category. Some will never miss a service unless circumstances do not allow them, such as sickness, while others will never think of going to church yet they claim to be members of certain religious affiliations. Sometimes, the church is full, while other times only a few people attend. For instance, during religious celebrations, it is common to find worship halls full with worshippers who disappear and wait for another church function. The motive of attending church services depends on individuals since no one can be forced to worship, as it is a personal choice.
