At a recent Elder’s meeting, it was brought to my attention that you have not been attending regular worship gatherings on Sunday mornings. First let me say that we have missed your presence and would love to see you return to church each Sunday. Scripture tells us that believers are children of God (John 1:12), and therefore the church is the family of God. When a member of the family is missing, we all experience that loss (1 Corinthians 12:26). Friend, and fellow family member, we would love for you to return to the regular gathering of the family. We miss you and look forward to one day celebrating Jesus together – I hope that day is soon (even this weekend?).

I want to specifically help you understand that the regular gathering with your church family is not a lifestyle, rather it is an obedient and blessed gathering of the children of God, to worship our Lord and to proclaim Gospel truth. To help bring this understanding, let me ask and hopefully provide clear answers to a few key questions:

1. What is the purpose of our worship gathering? We do not approach worship services with a mindset of what we can get out of it, rather we consider God as the audience of our worship and our desire is to please Him.[1] Our goal in each worship service is to bring praise to Jesus, for He deserves and expects all the honor and glory (Revelation 4:11). From the singing to the reading of Scripture, through to the preaching of the Gospel, the service reflects our desire to please God by worshipping His Son and the completed work on the cross. It is for this very reason that as a church we have a liturgy that takes us through confession of sin, adoration for the Lord Jesus, and proclamation of His Word. The entire worship service is centred on the Gospel that saves.
2. Why are we to gather regularly? Scripture commands us to meet regularly (Hebrews 10:24-25). Obedience to this command brings many benefits that the Lord clearly has established in regular attendance. To name a few – we are spurred on by our fellow believers (Hebrews 10:24), we can serve others with our gifts (1 Corinthians 14:12), and it maintains unity within the family of God (Ephesians 4:3). Attendance is more than a lifestyle; it is a witness that you are obedient to the Word of God and blessed by the Lord’s plan for His church. “The church is not the incidental plan of God,”[2] it is His means of glory and blessing for His people. Our purpose is to please God, and He blesses us through the gathering of His church. He has planned for His people to join, to worship, to serve, to unite, and to reach out to the lost. Friend, you are part of that purpose and blessing.
3. How do I get into the positive habit of attending? I know that life is busy, and I appreciate that family and work pressures mean it is all too easy to hit the snooze button on Sundays and take a day off at home. However, I think H. B. Charles in his book “On Worship” gives a helpful reminder when he wrote, “Christ is the head of the church. And Christ does not have out of body experiences. To submit to the authority of Jesus Christ over your life is to live in fellowship with the church.”[3] As a believer in Christ, you have both the duty and responsibility to honor Him with your attendance each week. He has commanded it, and therefore you are to obey. Having said this, I would also remind you “to not show up just to say you were there. Be prepared to participate fully.”[4] What this means is that it would be helpful to create healthy habits during the week, especially on Saturday. Aim to get to bed early on Saturday so you are ready to go in the morning. Take the preaching passage for next week’s sermon and read it each day through the week. Tell the family you will be at church. Serve on one of our ministry teams. Be prepared and be active in the church and you will find that you look forward to Sunday, rather than seeing it as just another task to complete in an already busy week.
4. Why this letter? We love Jesus and we love you! Jesus has given His instructions for us to gather, to worship Him, and to be blessed. We love you as a fellow family member and we do not want to see you walk outside of the Lord’s commands. We pray that you read this letter through the lens of that love and recognize the seriousness of walking in faithfulness. Scripture reminds us that we are to help our family members honor God’s Word (Matthew 18:15, Galatians 6:1, James 5:19-20) and bring them back to faithfulness. Let me be clear – we desire for you to walk in faithfulness and return to regular attendance at the weekly Sunday worship service.

I hope answering these questions have given you something to think upon and mull over. I would be glad to take you out for a coffee for us to chat some more. When you come on Sunday morning, come sit by my wife and I, it would be our pleasure to stand in worship with you.

All for Jesus, Pastor Ross Ferguson

[1] H.B. Charles. On Worship: A Short Guide to Understanding, Participating in, and Leading Corporate Worship (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2022), 16.

[2] Charles, 43.

[3] Ibid., 40.

[4] Charles, 79.