If you don't attend church, What would you like to see in a church service that would make you want to attend?

Question

Please no atheist answers to this question, for people that just don't like church.

Answer 1

I would like for people to stop being so hypocritical and judgmental. I went to a born again christian church for 4 years. I took in a friend of my teenage son who was 16 years old after his mother was murdered. The pastor called me and told me to put him out because since I was a single mother it was giving the appearance of evil to have this boy living with me. I never went back to church after that and the boy stayed and finished school and now has a great job and a nice apartment. Every Mothers Day he sends me a beautiful card.

Answer 2

While I have enjoyed attending corporate worship in the past, my biggest problem that prevents me from attending regular church services is the lack of time constraints.

When I show up for church at 10:15 and church is scheduled to begin at 10:30 and end at approximately 12:15, I resent the pastor continually going over by 30-45 minutes.

As studies have shown, the most dynamic speaker can only hold a typical audience member 45 minutes max. When preachers go on and on it is "ego" not the Holy Spirit that is driving them. While there may be special services and circumstances that would extend the service, it should be the exception, not the norm. I find this happens during mid-week services as well.

In addition, I resent churches using PowerPoint during sermons. I want to know I'm in church not at a Monday Morning sales meeting.

Lastly, I believe the worship service prepares the congregants to receive the message and it is important that the worship service offer both horizontal worship - songs about brotherhood as well as vertical worship - songs that offer adoration and praise of God.

Hope that helps.

A believer and former church attender.

Answer 3

My mother goes to a Catholic church...and I don't mean any disrespect to Catholics but I would like:
1 People to dress up a little more...I mean if they worship G-d, could they not come to church in skimpy shirts and jeans? (not all do this)
2. No electric instruments, if I wanted to go to a concert I would but I feel a church should have good decent music and not a block party.
3.Shut up babies from crying. Can't the mothers go to the mother's room?
4. Don't' give kids toys, I have seen kids all out playing with little cars on the seats.
OF COURSE: These are just some people and I want to say that many Catholics do not do this.

Answer 4

An objective point of view of Christianity. I would like to see the end of the elitist attitudes and bigotry. But this can be found. It's called Unitarian Universalism.

However, even though I have a high respect for the U.U. churches, I still don't like going to church. I don't like the business aspect that ALL churches have. I would prefer to stay at home and worship in my own way. I'm sure Deity understands.

Answer 5

What's the difference between a person who "don't attend church" and "people that just don't like church"

???

Answer 6

Less finger shaking and more practical knowledge.

Less self piusness and more down to Earth people.
(You know the kind of Christians who think their sh!t don't stink, and snub those who have admitted theirs)

Less money asking and more quiet ways for tithe and gifts (I'd rather see a 'drop box' than a tithe basket basket passed 3 or 4 times a service)

Don't like handshaking during service, some people cough a lot during service...I don't want to touch their tuberculosis!

Shorter services more times a week. I'd rather go 3 times a week to church for 30 min than burn up 2 hours of early day off. I think it would be more effective to keep the Lord in our daily lives too.

Answer 7

I don't think I need that sence of community, some people do so even if I were a believer I still wouldn't go, I'd practice my religion by myself. Church is for people who feel like they need to be around people who believe like themselves. I think more people would go if churchs were more open and allowed people of other beliefs to come in and learn and not be told that if they do this or that they will go to hell. There are churches like that but not as many as are needed.

Answer 8

Educational sermons that teach, discuss, and advise the listeners how to relate to other people in various real-life situations using present-day examples is what would make many people interested in attending the church.

Too many sermons discuss abstract religious concepts and ideas without teaching people the practicalities of how they should relate to others in their every day life.

And too many sermons repetitively focus on historical stories and examples from the Bible that are not anywhere near like the present-day life.

When people feel that they will learn something new, something practical, and something useful by going to church on Sunday morning, then they will go.

An interesting sermon would be 5% religious stories and theories and 95% discussion of real-life, present-day examples and practical advice how to behave in various relationships and social situations that people have to deal with when they go home and when they go to work.

Sermons have to be relevant to and useful in people's everyday lives in order to be interesting. And a good preacher probably needs to have a PhD in Psychology in addition to his religious education in order to be able to teach people something useful about everyday life.

Too much religious theory and history is what makes many people fall asleep and not come the next time.

Answer 9

Well I do go to church but other than the youth services(which is what I go to that church for) the church is really fake!
I think that a lot of that has to do with the kind of worship leader a church has
I fhe acts fake then everyone else will just follow his/her lead
but if the leader really truly gets into it and really starts to worship God then they will too
that s just my opinion

Answer 10

Quit telling people that you must go to church to get into the kingdom of heaven. The lord said, "Lift a rock and you will find me." He is everywhere not just in a structure that man has built. Pray anywhere you like and you will be heard.