What Kind of People Go to Church Anyway?
If you have never gone to church (or maybe you have, but didn’t stay long), you probably have a preconceived idea of what kind of people go there. The list may look something like this:
Nuns
People who dress like nuns
People who have no life and don’t know how to have fun
Rich people (because you KNOW they are going to want your money)
Uptight people who only care about rules and want to tell you everything that you are doing wrong
Perfect people who have never made mistakes (like all the ones I have made)
And so on…..
Can I be honest? This is what my list looked like, too. Oh trust me, I had my excuses all ready to go about why I couldn’t go to church whenever I was invited - I was busy, exhausted from such a long week, I will check with my husband and see if he already has plans (of course he did!), my child has a game that day, someone’s birthday, etc. Piece of cake! The problem was that people kept inviting me! It was like they never gave up. Sheesh! What was a girl to do?! I believed in God, okay?! Why did I need to go to church ?
My opinion changed in a dramatic way at a picnic one Sunday afternoon. My ‘busy-body’ neighbor invited his pastor to stop by my house and invite us to church! The nerve of that neighbor?! And to make things worse – it was a Baptist pastor! Oh I had heard about those guys…legalistic, full of rules and judgment! I could never fit in at a place like that! I already had my mind made up. I knew what these people were like, or so I thought….
The pastor stopped by unannounced one day when my husband was at work. He had an invitation in his hand to a Old Fashioned Picnic. I smiled politely and thanked him for the invite and told him I would talk with my husband and, if we were free, would might stop by. After I closed the door, I laughed and thought, “Ya, right! Like my husband is going to want to give up his day off to go to some church thing!” Well, as luck would have it – my husband agreed to go. He liked our neighbor and thought it wouldn’t kill us to stop by and have a bit to eat. No commitment, just a free meal.
What happened next is just the beginning of the rest of our story. We went to that picnic and had a GREAT time! Wow – that was completely unexpected! We met people who had similar interests as us – they rode dirt bikes and motorcycles (even the ladies!), had four-wheelers, enjoyed sports, loved camping, and more! I never knew church people could be so normal! I even met people who did not grow up in church and were still learning about God. They had only just started attending church. They didn’t even know everything about the Bible – something I could relate to.
We had such a good time at the picnic, we thought we would go ahead and try attending a Sunday service. Once again, my preconceived ideas were challenged! I looked around me in the pews and realized these people looked ‘normal’. The music started and not everyone knew the words. Fortunately, there were books in the pews to help with that. When the pastor started to preach, I sat back in the pew prepared to be bored and ready to ‘endure’ until after the service. Then the unexpected happened...I actually understood what he was saying. The pastor was reading from the Bible (which I admit, can be confusing at times), but then he explained stuff and helped me to understand what it was that God was trying to tell us through His Word. He used real life examples and made me feel like I wasn’t horrible because I made mistakes. He made me feel welcome and valued and loved – not only by our Creator, but by the church and the people who attend there. What a wonderful surprise!
So where am I today? I have learned that there are no perfect people. There is no perfect church. Even better….I don’t have to be perfect, cleaned up, fixed up to belong! The church is a hospital for broken people. That’s right – BROKEN. God didn’t create the church only for those that ‘have arrived’! He created the church for His people to have a place to come together, grow, learn, and have fellowship and support from other imperfect people. Who do I go to church with? Friends, family, and friends who are like family. They are divorced, jobless, wealthy, poor, thin, fat, well dressed, tattered, happy, sad, broken, young, old, brand new Christians, people who have been in church their whole lives, people who have been in jail, addicts, single parents, ‘Susie homemakers’, and more. Is there a place for me here? YES. Is there a place for you? YES! Don’t let your idea of what ‘normal’ church people are like stop you from finding out yourself. You may be surprised to find out you fit right in! Don’t have a church home? I am inviting you to mine. There are many great churches out there, ours is just one of them. J