Why I go to church

When I sit in church on Sunday mornings, I sometimes look
around at the other congregants and ask myself, "Why are these people here? Why
did they choose to come to church?" Some people prefer staying at home to
leisurely read the Sunday paper, or go out for a relaxed Sunday brunch. Why
have these people given up their precious spare time to be here?

Not only is church attendance going down, but those who do
go to church do so less frequently. As Lovett Weems points out in a recent Century article, the definition of a
regular attendee has
changed from someone who is there almost every Sunday to one who attends
perhaps only two Sundays out of a month. And yet 38 percent of Americans report
being an active member of a church or other religious organization. Many keep
coming back to church for some reason.

I can't speak for others, but here is why I go to church. I
go first of all to meet God, to be in God's presence. I go also to make
connection with other people who share many of my foundational convictions and
commitments. I go to find meaning in life, to make sense of my life and to
search for guidance on how I should live out my life.