By Jim Nichols

If you are a person who believes that you should attend worship services at a particular location, you do so for reasons that are specific to you. I use the term “church” with the meaning of a local gathering. It is probable that there are several churches from various “brands” in your community or city. Why do you choose the one you do?

The leader of a Sunday morning class in one church asked the question, “Why do you come here rather than somewhere else?” This prompted a wide-ranging discussion with different rationales. How would you answer the question? Here in no order are some of the responses to “Why do you come to church here?” 

1. I like the preaching. This may be targeting a specific person or just the collection of pulpit speakers. For many people, this is highly important, although it can be overlooked if other aspects of the church are at least as important to the respondent as the preaching.
2. Our family values the children’s program. This is obviously important to a certain demographic of the congregation, but, even for those without parental or grandparental responsibilities, this can be a key decision maker. The respondents are saying, “Children are of high value to me and should be for the church I attend.”
3. Our family values the youth program. This is like the item above but focusing on older children; they have unique needs compared to those younger.
4. I attend this church because of a stimulating and helpful Sunday school class I attend. For many, classes are pivotal for personal spiritual growth and fellowship with a smaller group of believers.
5. I like the music. There are diverse types of music available to a congregation. Leaders trying to accommodate multiple preferences face obstacles in doing so. If one considers the variety of music types, one senses that congregations gravitate toward certain styles. The style chosen may not be the first choice to an individual; that may well be a “deal-breaker” for a person. There is no denying that music often speaks to our hearts powerfully and, for some, this is a definite factor in their church choice. We may feel that music from our past shaped us for today and it is valuable to hold onto that anchor. Perhaps music is simply part of the church service background, but for others singing together is a critical personal and community-building activity. 
6. My family history brings me to this church. For people with any type of church history at all, there are activities, feelings, and expectations from the past that are deep in our unconsciousness. They may be difficult to explain to others, but they represent important players in our choices on Sunday morning.
7. I like the people. I have friends here. This would appear to be a simple yet powerful draw for the choices we make. We have friends elsewhere, for sure, but at this church we not only share space, but we share history and beliefs.
8. I like the evangelistic approach of this church. Bringing others toward God is critical for my religious life. I want to attend a church that shares that goal.
9. There are opportunities for me to use my gifts here and do what I feel is important for me spiritually and helpful for others.
10. I value the leadership of the congregation and believe they have a high dedication to my personal Christian life and have skills to help me grow as God’s person. 
11. I just appreciate this congregation’s overall approach to God. This church has a general theological stance that I believe is most accurate to my understanding and needs.

There were other suggestions during the class, and you may have ones you would have added. Reviewing the ideas, do you see any that seem inaccurate, wrong, or nonsensical? I do not. What I do see is a collage of responses, some of which may not be near the top of my own list, but certainly could seem reasonable for others. They illustrate the power of desiring a church community, but do not provide a clear explanation for that. 

As a postscript, I would add, readers, that some of you may have given up on church in the past. You may have legitimate reasons. May I suggest you reconsider that decision? Perhaps you need to give church another try—maybe you have changed or maybe church has changed.

Jim Nichols is a retired Abilene Christian University biology professor and current hospital chaplain