Church and People

In many societies where faith is regarded as a crucial element of society, attending church services is important. There are a few types of people who go to religious institutions; some are frequent visitors, and others only go once in a while. Some denominations hold services on Fridays, while others hold them on Saturdays, and the rest of them hold them on Sundays. There are also facilities available for children and adults to assist with the instruction of followers based on their age and level of comprehension of the scriptures. Following the service, it is normal to see different groups meeting to discuss important issues that concern their everyday lives and to make plans for future events. Some of church organisations include youths, women, and men groups, which play a vital part in promoting the growth of the facility.
Regular attendees visit services on Sundays and any other time there is a need; their punctuality is one of the main important characteristics. They are considered the most committed and the main pillars of the church because of their dedication of time and resources in running of all kinds of activities. Majority of them occupy front seats and engage actively throughout the service through singing, dancing, praying, and praising making the service quite lively. Most of them are women, especially the middle-aged and the elderly ones, although there are men who attend regularly. Some of the goers are considered as bible addicts because they are always preaching and quoting verses from the Holy book. It is common to find them preaching in church, attending crusades, and doing door-to-door ministries. Every aspect of their life is about the Bible, its teachings, and living according to the word. Their aim is going to heaven, so they will do everything to inherit the kingdom of God. It is easy to spot them since most of them carry their Bibles in small purses and keep on quoting verses during conversations.
Regular church attendees can also be classified as Sabbath observers since they 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. Majority in this category include the young generation and they like taking the back seats. Their participation is limited and it is common to find them sitting down when they are expected to stand. However, they never miss services and consider Christianity as an important aspect in their lives. They possess improper understanding of their church attendance and must go to church or other meetings to avoid God’s wrath and punishment. Whenever they miss the service, they feel guilty even if they have a genuine reason, such a sickness. Some Christian churches encourage the feeling of guilt and pressure the followers to ensure that they commit themselves to religious values. Others attend for physical and psychological issues that affect their health. For instance, people suffering from terminal illnesses and the ones undergoing stressful situations, such as troubled marriages, tend to go to church to pray for healing and relief from pain.
People that willfully avoid going to church have lame excuses, such as having slept late, having read the Bible the previous day, and others blame the preacher for taking too long at the pulpit. Another group will claim that lack of money for offertory made them skip the service, while others will blame waking up late. Occasional churchgoers 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 ones may also be divided into crisis and circumstantial Christians depending on the force that influences them to attend the service. The circumstantial ones only go to church if they have spare time since they are always busy with their work and believe it is their way of pleasing God. They will always debate on a Sunday morning whether they feel like attending the service or not. They are usually late since they take a lot of time thinking whether to go to church or conduct their own activities. Some may leave the service before time claiming they have uncompleted chores at home. The crisis churchgoers only attend religious facilities if they are experiencing personal problems 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 or burial ceremony. 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 challenges, or if they have lost a family member. They believe that the congregation can give them the attention and comfort they need.
To summarize, 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 of people, while other times only a few persons attend. For instance, during religious celebrations it is common to find worship halls full with believers 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.