Articles
Sample statement regarding regular church attendance
Editor’s Note: The following is a statement from the elders of Del Rey Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. They recently began publishing Pastoral Studies to help their congregation reflect on important biblical themes that impact the life of the church. This first statement is intended to set expectations for what it means to attend weekly worship regularly. It is not a mandatory document, but rather a study to help them understand how their church intends to live together.
According to the New Testament pattern of church life, believers gather together on the first day of the week to worship and serve the Lord and regularly partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of His death for them (1 Cor. 11; 1 Cor. 16:2; Heb. 10:24-26). In keeping with this established pattern, members of Del Rey Baptist Church (DRBC) voluntarily commit to regular church attendance—a responsibility and privilege clearly stated in both the Statement of Faith and the DRBC Constitution. [1] Faithful church attendance does not confer salvation and is not a means of measuring spiritual maturity in relation to others. However, it does reflect a growing commitment to the gospel, the good of the church community, and spiritual health.
We understand this commitment to be a desire for members to attend worship services and various church gatherings more often. We also understand that it means encouraging one another in this privilege and expecting and welcoming spiritual responsibility as part of the duty of membership. Of course, we recognize that some members are unable to fulfill these duties due to unavoidable circumstances, such as mandatory military service, training, or prolonged illness. However, in the absence of such circumstances, we believe that any member who neglects regular attendance at our worship services and meetings violates the Scriptures and the requirements of DRBC membership.
Faithful attendance honors Christ and builds up His church. Neglecting attendance has the opposite effect: it dishonors His name and harms His church in many ways and for many reasons.
Reasons why regular attendance is important
- Faithful attendees confirm the power of the Gospel and support evangelism, while absent members make the work difficult. Jesus said:
«By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another» (John 13:35). Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples, «that the world may believe» that the Father sent the Son into the world (John 17:21). For the world to see our love and unity, we must meet together regularly. Anyone who bears the name of Christ and is confirmed as a «member» by a local church but who deliberately chooses to live apart from the community of believers is, in effect, committing identity theft. They have taken the name of Christ but are not loyally identifying themselves with His body, the local church. By living irresponsibly, they make it difficult for other Christians to evangelize because they often do not live as Christians.
- Faithful attendees become examples for new converts, while absent members cause confusion. New converts need good examples (Acts 18:24-26; 1 Cor. 11:1; Titus 2:2-6). When the doctrine they are taught does not match the behavior of those who are absent, they become confused. They may conclude that it is possible to be a «Christian» and yet have little connection to the body of Christ. Those who do not attend church are not only anti-witnesses (see previous point) but also bad examples. They disregard and fail to obey numerous commands of Scripture, and they do not reflect the character of God in the most basic ways, even though they claim to be His adopted children.
- Faithful attendees encourage other regular members, while absentees depress them. One reason to meet regularly is for mutual encouragement.
«Let us consider one another to stir up love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching» (Heb. 10:24-25). When a church allows those who do not attend meetings to remain members, it effectively devalues the meaning of membership, which hurts and oppresses the faithful.
- Faithful attendees bring peace to their leaders by their faithfulness to the truth, while absent members cause them anxiety. Hebrews 13:17 says:
«Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will render an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing, for this would be damaging to you.» According to this verse, a faithful pastor or elder must feel responsible for the spiritual welfare of each member of his flock. Like a father who is anxious about his son who has not returned home late at night, a good shepherd will not rest until all his sheep are in their place. Absent members make this task almost impossible.
- Faithful attendees can instruct, correct, and support their fellow members according to God’s Word, while those who are absent cannot. Because of their absence, those who do not attend meetings cannot know when or how their brothers and sisters are burdened with sin or suffering. On the other hand, when church members are present and involved, they can speak the truth in love to one another, as the Lord commanded through the apostle Paul:
«And speaking the truth in love, we may in all things grow into the height of him who is the head, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, as each individual part works, grows to build itself up in love» (Eph. 4:15-16).
- Faithful visitors will gradually grow in their faith, while absentees will not.
«Like newborn babes, desire the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up» (1 Pet. 2:2). Since God has appointed certain means for Christians to grow in faith, neglecting them will stifle spiritual health and development. Preaching God’s Word, singing God’s truths in corporate worship, and ministering to the body of Christ according to God’s Word are just a few of the manifestations of grace given for our sanctification. They are primarily available to those who faithfully attend church.
- Faithful attendees are helped to maintain their faith, while absentees are putting their souls in danger. While we are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ, it is also true that God uses the local church to help us maintain our saving faith. In Hebrews, we see that one of the main ways God protects us from apostasy is through spiritual strengthening through the fellowship of other believers (Heb. 3:12-14; 10:19-31; 12:25-13:17). This means that while church attendance does not earn us salvation, God uses it to help us maintain our faith and enter into the final rest prepared for us in Christ (Heb. 4:6-16).
These are issues that deeply concern the elders of Del Rey Baptist Church (DRBC), as well as the entire congregation. God has called us to love one another, and we are obligated by Scripture to care for one another, making sure that we fulfill our obligations to the Lord and to our brothers and sisters in the faith (Gal. 6:1-2; 1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 3:12-13). We do this because, by God’s grace, we are deeply concerned for the glory of the Lord and the welfare of the souls of our brothers and sisters.
For all these reasons, we cannot stand idly by when a member is not attending church regularly (1 Pet. 5:1-3). In such cases, the elders will lead the church in an effort to investigate the situation and, if necessary, encourage the member to meet the obligation to attend meetings. If the member does not respond to the elders’ inquiries or does not provide a sufficient explanation for his absence, we will follow the command of the Lord Jesus, as reflected in the governing documents of the DRBC, and present the member’s name to the church for disfellowshipping as a matter of church discipline (Matt. 18:15-18).
Signed,
Elders of Del Rey Baptist Church
