Bored At Church?

I think the reason most people rarely, if ever, attend church is because too many churches are not worth attending. Church can be incredibly boring.I also believe that it’s a sin for church leaders to let things go that way. But sadly, too many do.We aren’t often accused of being boring at The Bridge. Actually, we work hard at bringing music that reflects the excitement and depth of the Gospel. And those who teach spend a lot of time preparing, not just so that we teach the text accurately, but also so that everyone has an immediate application to take home.If  you are bored at The Bridge, it might have something do with you. This is a church worth attending. But you only get out of something what you put into it. If you want to make the most of your time at church, and I’m sure you do, then here’s how:

• Be here every week. Psychologists define boredom as distraction. If church is an afterthought to you, a once-in-a-while thing, or even an every-other-week thing, it’s going to mean less and you’re going to get less out of it. I’d be bored with a book if I skipped every other chapter. Our sermon series are just that, series. When you miss half of them, the ones you do hear will mean less. You will get less out of the sermon and the service. Commitment adds meaning to everything. So do that. Commit yourself to be here every week. If you can’t make it on Sunday, come Saturday night.
• Serve. If you are coming to church just for you, then it becomes more like entertainment. Being entertained by the same thing over and over eventually becomes boring. So get involved. Take ownership of this church as your church and get involved. Serve.
• Get to know someone new every week. In fact, do me a favor and say, “hi”, but please don’t linger and talk to me. I’m looking for people who are new to greet and welcome. And you should be doing that too. Even if you still think of yourself as new, there are others newer than you and they need you to be friendly to them. So seek out people you don’t know and introduce yourself, no matter how long you’ve been coming.
• Come prepared. Spend some time in prayer before you get here and lead your heart to a place where it is eager to worship and hear from God. And get here in time to be in the auditorium for the WHOLE service. :-)
• Leave with a plan. Ask yourself when the service is done, “What do I need to take home and put into practice?” I try to close every sermon with an action plan for you. Take that seriously and leave with a plan to put what you’ve learned into action.
• Invite others. When you have interest in other people in your world connecting at church, your attendance will take on a whole new significance. So try to have a coworker, neighbor, or family member who otherwise doesn’t go to church, sitting next to you. They’ll benefit, and you’ll get a lot more out of it.

Church shouldn’t be boring. And I promise we’ll do our best to keep it from becoming that way. But you have to do your part. If you attend faithfully, serve in some capacity, reach out to meet and get to know others, get here on time and in a mindset to worship and learn, put into practice what you do learn, and invite others, I can almost guarantee that The Bridge will never be a boring place for you.