Churches are evident in almost every community but have you ever wondered why people attend services in different churches and houses of worship? What are the factors that affect church attendance? Is it the preaching, doctrine, music or church ambiance? Communities have different churches from Christian Church Ministries to Catholic churches each with their own set of followers. Both attend to the spiritual needs of their congregation but what are the factors that people look for in order to increase their involvement and participation in the church?
* Tradition – More often than not, most families go to the church their parents and grandparents have attended. As a child they used to tag along to the church services which were instilled in their minds up to adulthood.
* Distance – Most people do not want to travel far to attend church services.High fuel prices including time limitations discourage families from going to another distant church just to attend a service when one is easily reached within a few minutes of travel time.
* Culture and traditions – Cultural differences makes members attend a church which is identified with their country of origin. An individual who comes from a predominantly Catholic country will typically choose to attend mass in a Catholic church while those who were brought up in a Christian environment will go to Christian Church Ministries.
* Music – Many churches have made modern innovations to encourage membership and church attendance by incorporating contemporary music.Based on studies, this innovation has sparked the interest of most youth who are attracted with music that they can identify with. It is seen as a motivation for the youth to attend services and be part of a more enjoyable church ambiance.
* Personality of preachers – Many preachers have the magnetic personality and traits of imparting the words of God in a convincing and lively manner which makes them a popular reason why many churchgoers prefer to attend the services. More often, preachers can be boring lacking the dynamism which makes church service more interesting.
* Modern technology – Churches have websites and from here the tech savvy gain information on schedule of church services, events and activities that they are planning for the community. Church leaders are able to propagate faith more effectively since they easily use social media to send messages to members and non-members. Through emails they can establish active interaction to generate comment and opinions and be updated with the concerns and issues of their flock.
Churches cannot do it alone since it needs the active involvement of the community to propagate the words of God. It heavily depends on parents to encourage their children to attend church services to instill on them good morals and values they will bring to adulthood. The church can provide a good foundation for children during their growing years to make them handle their life responsibly and with strong faith in the Lord. With all the temptations in society, children need all the help they can get not only from the church but their own families.
Christian Church Ministries want people to attend church services on a regular basis and they have undertaken steps to encourage people to listen to the words of God.
