Think of it Like Fast Food

Why do people stop going to church?

Maybe the carpet was the wrong color.

Or the pastor didn’t visit them often enough.

Or the music was too loud.

                               too soft.

                               too new.

                               too old.

It was full of hypocrites.

The church wasn’t friendly enough.

The church was too friendly.

Or maybe it was something more serious. Legitimately serious. Some type of scandal or immorality.

Some of these reasons for not attending church are valid. At least valid for not going to THAT church. But for not going to ANY church?

This post isn’t about if Christians should go to church. That is another post for another day. This is about the reasons, the 'logic', that people give for not going to church, any church, ever.

I have shared an analogy in the past that helps to show how people are dishonest with themselves when they give up on church.

Think about it this way.

Let’s imagine that you visit the local fast food burger joint. And they mess up your order.

A burger with no pickles.

                               or extra pickles.

                               or made from only pickles.

Now, because of this issue, what action should be taken in response?

At worst, we could give up that particular place. But, in all honesty, we will probably give them another chance. After all, the fries are so good.

But let us imagine that the mistake they made was absolutely terrible. Something unsanitary and in violation of several health codes. A serious issue (and let’s not fool ourselves, some church issues are VERY serious) and therefore a change must be made.

Do we give up that restaurant?

Okay.

Do we give up that chain?

Probably not.

Do we give up fast food completely?

That’s just crazy talk.

But that is what is done to church.

A bad experience is had. And, for the sake of this example, let’s say that it is a truly bad experience.

Avoid that particular church?

Yes. Fine. Maybe.

Avoid that denomination?

That would probably be a bit much.

Avoid church altogether?

That's just crazy talk.

But that is exactly what people do to the church.

I remember one time that our church was hosting a health screening and I was having a conversation with one of the technicians. She was telling me that she didn't go to church because she had a bad experience. A legitimately bad experience. The pastor had been unfaithful to his wife. Therefore, she had decided to never go to church again.

After one bad experience.

Later in the afternoon she was sharing that she was recently engaged. So I asked her a very important question. I asked if she had ever been done wrong by a guy before she was engaged.

Of course she had.

So I pointed out that she hadn't given up on men. Even after multiple bad experiences. But for the church, it only took one.

This is not to say that we shouldn't hold churches to higher standards.

We should.

This is to say that the logic of removing religion from your life entirely, based on one bad experience, just doesn't seem too logical to me.