A Confession

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25.

One of the realities of the contemporary church is a decline in regular worship attendance. In my forty-two years of ordained service, I have seen this decline developing for several years. One can draw as straight line of correlation between declining worship attendance, and declining membership. I know the sociological and scientific maxim, correlation does not imply causation. However, in this case it is very tempting to come to the conclusion that one leads to the others.

I cannot count the number of times I have said, “If the butts are not in the pews the bucks will not be in the plates.” I do remember times when members who had been on vacation or for other reason had to miss attending worship for a few weeks would bring several offering envelops the next time they were in worship. One does not see that much anymore. Of course, it is impossible for the casual observer to know if several weeks offering is included in one check, automated withdrawal or online donation.

Now, for the confession, since my retirement I have missed far more weeks of worship than I have attended. Additionally, I have not maintained the regularity of our contributions. We attend a traditional congregation. The pastor’s sermons are solid. The choir is good. Folks are friendly. I have known some of the members for years in my executive service. My daughter and her family attend very regularly. The church is denominationally loyal, which is important to me. The support the Rwanda Partnership, which is also important to me.

Ok, Wayne, why your sporadic attendance and contributions? Why do you stay home and watch CBS Sunday Morning rather than going to worship? Does your answer give any indication as to why others may also be sporadic in attendance and contributions? For one, my faith is as strong as ever. I am gratefully amazed with the blessings I and my family enjoy. The Church, especially the tribe I have served (PCUSA), is dear to me.

There were times, in my twenty-four years of executive service that I felt and said that I might not be involved in the Church after retirement. Generally, that was thought and said in times of frustration with the wrangling in the organizational structures around the theological and social polarities which have divided us into opposing camps.

The bottom line is I am not personally involved in the life and mission of the congregation. In part, that is because of the nature of having been in executive service, which for me required a neutrality toward all the congregations. I have not exerted myself to find ways to be more involved, but neither has there been an effort to find a way for me to be involved. Part of that is a result of me being a teaching elder with membership in the presbytery and not the congregation. However, to make space for new leadership to arise and for new things to be tried, I have needed and will need not to be involved in the life and mission of the presbytery. The physical, emotional and spiritual distance required before and after retirement has meant being in “no place.”

The only correlation might be congregations making an intentional effort to involve people in the life and mission of the congregation. If one is physically, emotionally and spiritually involved, the more likely they will be more regular in attendance and contributions. Here is another perspective about why attendance may be declining, http://careynieuwhof.com/2015/02/10-reasons-even-committed-church-attenders-attending-less-often/