I got married on a Friday afternoon and was in church on Sunday morning. In fact, we even went back for the Sunday evening service…on our honeymoon! I’m not sure if that was just old school or stupidity, but I’d like to think it was neither. Rather, we attended church on our honeymoon because we believed then, as we do now, that church is important. Obviously, that dispensation has passed, and a new generation seems to have lost that kind of commitment when it comes to church.

Church attendance in the last decade has been declining in America. As of 2015, less than 60% of evangelicals faithfully attend church. It’s not so much that people no longer attend church at all—they just do so less frequently. According to Thom Rainer: “The number one reason for the decline in church attendance is that members attend with less frequency than they did just a few years ago.…This phenomenon can take place rather quickly in an individual church. And leaders in the church are often left scratching their heads because the behavioral change is so slight, almost imperceptible. We really don’t notice when someone who attends four times a month begins to attend only three times a month. Nor do we typically catch it when the twice-a-month attendee becomes a once-a-month attendee.”

Enthusiasm over excuses

Statistics also indicate that men are far less committed to church than women. This is simply tragic considering the biblical doctrine of the church. The Word of God describes the church in the most amazing images that should kindle a fire of enthusiasm and commitment within our souls. I believe three images in particular demand that every Christian man be committed to a local church:

1. We’re members of Christ’s body.

As the church, we are the body of Christ, of which he is head. Therefore, the local church expresses a profound unity between us and Christ being in the same body. And before you get carried away with the worn out excuse that you are a member of the “invisible church,” you need to understand that being a member of the invisible church without commitment to a local church is never taught in the New Testament.

Historically, Christians who did not participate in church were an aberration. John Calvin wrote, “The church is the common mother of all the godly, which bears, nourishes, and governs in the Lord both kings and commoners; and this is done by the ministry. Those who neglect or despise this order want to be wiser than Christ. Woe to their pride.”

The Word of God describes the church in the most amazing images that should kindle a fire of enthusiasm and commitment within our souls.

2. We’re part of the bride of Christ.

Christ, as our heavenly bridegroom, loved us and gave himself up for us. He will eventually bring us to the great marriage supper, and so shall we ever be with our Lord. Think about your own marriage—it can never be satisfying, secure, or growing without your whole-hearted commitment. Yet, the tired old phrase still exists: “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” Well, you don’t have to go home to be married, but your relationship will certainly suffer if you don’t. The same is true of your relationship to Christ and his bride, the church.

3. We’re a temple for the Lord.

Paul says in Ephesians: “We are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:19, 21) There is a sense of God’s presence within the corporate worship of the church. Gathering on the first day of the week with our brothers and sisters in Christ affords a more intense experience of God’s presence; coming before the Lord in awe, reverence, and humility to adore him in spirit and in truth.

Five responsibilities to your local church

In addition to this profound imagery of the church, the New Testament also confronts us with direct imperatives about our involvement with a local church—which we neglect to our spiritual detriment. Church was never intended to be a spectator sport, and there are clear instructions that lead us to five responsibilities that we are obligated to perform. Therefore, I challenge you to commit to the following:

1. Commit to show up. A lot of men miss church for reasons that are just plain shameful—and would never fly if they tried them at their jobs. You must resolve to make church attendance a priority over anything that would compete for your presence. Such faithfulness will bless your life and the life of your family and impart to your children the importance of church.

2. Commit to pray. Rather than just praying, “Lord, bless our church,” spend time praying for specific things like the pastor, your fellow members, and for the leadership and ministries of your church. I truly believe that those who pray for their church receive greater blessings from it than those who don’t pray. Make a commitment to pray for your church daily.

3. Commit to serve. Sometimes men say they don’t really get anything out of attending church. These are the guys who fail to realize that church isn’t just for their benefit, but for the benefit and blessing they might impart to others through faithful service. Every believer has been gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve within the body of Christ. Are you actively using your gifts to edify the church? Because that’s why you have them!

4. Commit to give. The New Testament teaches that the local church be supported by the tithes and offerings of God’s people. Our Lord Jesus said, “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also.” One of the best ways to develop a heart for your church is by investing in it. Jesus also said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Are you being a good steward of that which God has placed in your hands?

5. Commit to belong. Rick Warren said the difference between members and attenders can be summed up in one word: commitment. What would you say if asked about church? Would you say, “I go here” or “I attend there” or would you say, “I belong to.” Kent Hughes wrote, “church attendance is infected with a malaise of conditional loyalty that has produced a generation of ecclesiastical hitchhikers.” He is referring to those who are simply along for the ride.

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God’s church is the greatest institution on the planet because it’s how He has chosen to accomplish His mission in the world. Does your behavior toward church reflect that truth—or does it indicate a different belief? Your life is diminished by neglecting church, and the church is diminished by your neglect. Therefore, the scripture teaches, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)

I love Thy church, O God;

Her walls before Thee stand,

Dear as the apple of Thine eye,

And graven on Thy hand.

For her my tears shall fall;

For her my prayers ascend;

To her my cares and toils be giv’n,

Till toils and cares shall end.

- Timothy Dwight