I hate going to church

Hi everyone

I want to want to enjoy going to Church as we are admonished for not going in Hebrews 10

But I hate the effort involved in going to Church and I feel I get so little from a sermon. It's an hour of boring sermons and then an hour of fellowship. I hate singing although I know the songs are good for you spiritually. I enjoy the fellowship but it's mostly Smalltalk you cannot really share what you truly think as you'll be rejected for your doctrine or rejected for something. Or you won't be understood or listened to.

When I talk I say what I mean and mean what I say. I watch what I say as a result.

If I were to go it would be due to obligation not due to loving going or genuine desire to worship. I want to love God. But I find sermons a really ineffective information transfer compared to writings of the bible. The bible is densely written.

Can I get all my Christian fellowship from the internet? I feel good for going to church for 10 minutes after but I find is severely lacking for me. I don't understand how people can go to church every Sunday for 50 years on top of 1-3 grind of jobs and chores. And Saturday for Sabbath which I keep. I am called to take up my cross but I still feel I don't want to go to church.

Corinthians 13 says we shouldn't insist on our own way. But I really don't want to go to church I feel I get nothing out of the system. I would rather read the Bible myself or study intellectually challenging problems. Or create something.

I don't always agree with other people's understanding of scripture.

MOST who truly walk with Him in relationship as commanded will agree.
Yet, we are NOT to forsake meeting together in His name.
Seems what He intended has NOT been carried out, the first 300+ years the "church" or "ecclesia" being the body of believers meeting in homes and NOT a man made organization built in the manner of the Roman form of government that teaches "if you want to get to heaven, you have to go through us".
Be thankful you are uncomfortable at 'church". His Own truly are.
It has been a help to me to go prepared to give to others, to be His hands and feet in service to others, you may be the only one or one of the few.
You may hear as I do people proclaiming, "I go to church", well.... so does the devil, he has his phony outward form only "Christians" who know not the Savior and he is more regular than many who falsely claim to be be the Lords.

I feel mostly the same. I have been unable to find a good church over here. I would love to find one.
I also stopped going to church about two years ago and started listening to you tube sermons instead. I learnt alot more.
My last church that I attended for the sermon he read from the brochure of the church and that was it. The time before that he asked us to break into groups and discuss what church actually meant. We then had to share with the rest of the church what our group thought. End of service. It was really bad.
I have to say that just talking to God and hearing back from him tops everything. That is what I have been doing lately. He may lead me to watch something but he is in charge and I just follow. That has given me both great delight as well as progression.

The secret to enjoying church is to find one where the pastor knows that his job is to study and teach. If he is doing his job and teaching the Word of God in depth you will not be bored. It is fascinating. The deeper you go in understanding the Word, the deeper your love for God becomes. So find the best teacher you can. It may not be a local church; you may have to get recorded messages or online teaching. I listen to a recorded ministry that is devoted to teaching. There is some music but it is not the emphasis. If the stage of your church is loaded up with drums and musical instruments you are in the wrong kind of church. You are only going to get baby food and no meat. Pray that God will lead you to an excellent teacher of the Word.

The Local fellowship includes teaching the bible but it is more than that. It is a family living their faith together in the real world. It is a local group of Christians trying to preach the Gospel to the lost in their community through various outreach efforts.

Google "Assemblies of God near me" and go visit one this Sunday. Try and find one that is the closest to you first. Then visit the ones that are further away after that. You might be surprised that there was an on fire church so close.

Why do you go to church? What are your expectations of a church? Do you go to receive or give? What is a church service for?
Above all a service is to worship. And worship comes from the heart as God has prescribed...John 4:23-24. So go beyond what you see and interact with the God who really is there. I've never met anyone who truly communed with God in the assembly of the saints who couldn't wait to get to church each week.
It might help to look to give and not receive. Everyone who enters the sanctuary is bearing a myriad of troubles. Ask God to bring someone across your path that you can be salt and light for.
I would continue to look elsewhere to be fed and might even change churches but God does visit His people in their corporate union in a way He doesn't elsewhere.
And lastly, and from personal experience, I have found that delighting oneself in the Lord and being thankful towards God does much to grow our affections of Him.
A man once complained He had no friends. So he set out the next day to make as many friends as possible. He started countless conversations and employed much effort but upon returning home he had added no new friends. The next day he went out and rarely spoke but met the needs of people. He paid for an elderly couples groceries. He helped a young lady pick up the contents of her spilled purse. He helped a young man change a tire. He made 4 friends.

sigh

What a day to read this thread.

My grandmother is 90 and must have somebody here at all times. A lady comes to sit with her while I'm at work. Aunt Diane comes over when I go to Wednesday night service. Uncle Fred and I take turns on Sunday mornings.

Today is Uncle Fred's turn at church.

What a day to read this thread. Church is going on right now. Sunday School just dismissed and they are all right this minute convening in the sanctuary.

sigh

*Lynx goes off to eat some chocolate and play a video game to try to take his mind off church.

I love going to Church and go every day when I can. The # 1 reason is to receive the Lord Jesus into my heart in Holy Communion. The # 2 reason is to hear the Scripture. The # 3 reason would be to Praise and Worship the Lord in Thanksgiving. There are numerous other reasons. The sermon, fellowship with other Christians, the charitable works we can do as a Church after the service etc etc. But these in my mind are the main ones for me. We see, in the Early Church, in Acts: "42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)

Sunday worship just ended for us at jglm.org
One on one with the Father through this ministry, the most Biblical one I have ever been led to.
https://www.jglm.org/live-broadcasts/

Utterly forsake that church then. You don't need them. Read the entire Bible first I would recommend. It will take roughly a year. Learn the Bible first, then dealing with churches and, frankly, cults, will be easier.

Unfortunately I can empathize with your feelings.

Many of the hymns truly sound sad/depressing/melancholic to me, my guess is these songs have roots in Irish or Irish-type music which sound so sad. The hymns are very meaningful but I find it too much to go through this every weekend. On the other hand, contemporary songs are very repetitive and end up seeming empty to me. All this said, I do have some favorite songs that I listen to when I'm in the mood. My favorite type of Christian music is choir music (but not really Gospel choir music) with organ, church bells, etc. I might enjoy worship music more if I could sing in tune, but I usually don't sing because of this.

I've had to change my views on how I approach the sermons. I'm the type who likes to learn something new, or I find it a waste of time. Sermons can be very repetitive, so instead of the aim of learning something new, I try to find comfort in hearing the same message again.

I did meet a few great friends through church, and for that I am grateful. I get more fellowship with them, talking over tea, during walks, etc. then I do through church service. However, I agree most of church socialization is small talk and catch-ups. It also depends on how much we want to bond with others. Unfortunately, I believe politics is a great barrier.

I don't believe internet worship alone is enough. We need to have in-person socialization, whether in traditional church format (despite some items mentioned above) or just meeting with Christians friends on regular intervals.

Get in personal relationship Jesus and stay there. You may experience a season of being alone with Him and growing in Him, then He will send you out to do His will.
That is how you will walk out life so that your will hear the words "well done, good and faithful servant" on that day we each will experience.

Well my son and myself went to a different church today. We found the one we went to before lacking in close fellowship. Plus the sermons were mostly personal things about his children and wife. We enjoy more teaching and the word ,but also a personal touch. Plus the church we had attended everyone ran out of it afterwards. It was a very big church.
Anyways happy to say the church we attended today was a much better church. People were friendlier , the sermon was spot on and the pastor gave plenty of scriptures and they aligned with one another. It is a very small southern style church. But for me is preferred. We want more then just a general meeting place for other believers. We feel we can be fed, but also can be used by God here. That is what we are looking for though in a church. I do believe though when we had services at home it was our church and it was what God had wanted us to do atm.

Great to hear, you are in tune with what He wants you to do and where he wants you to be.
Blessings to you sister!

I went to church today, one I'd never been to before, and it was wonderful!

Great! Glad you had a a good experience, i "attended" the jglm, both services, received greatly and palpably from the Lord, it was on the importance of consecration, spirit, soul AND body.

The message today was from Ezekiel 34. It was a small, kinda plain church. The people were genuinely friendly. The Lord told someone to provide me with a ride to church and I'm going out for a coffee with a guy. It was small, perhaps 40 people. I like that. I'm looking forward to going back.

maybe you just havent found a good church congregation though I know the feeling

an hour of sermons is too long and then what really happens in fellowship?
when its centred around the Lord supper it can be good, or the way sunday school can be taught where its more hands on an active than passive.

I have tried just straight quiet worship Quaker style but the meeting house is so far away it sort of negates the time taken to even get there

I do want to start a quiet reading at the local library but so far, its never really been the right time

sometimes the whole sit down stand up sing song sit and listen routine then small talk is just not engaging enough for me. I dont need to be entertained, but when I suggested everyone get pedicures - foot washing WAS something the early church pacticed everyone is like Im some kind of freak for suggesting it.

I find Church to be void of joy and happiness and very solemn and depressing.

Everything is so serious. I understand the nature of God is serious but God is good.

When I go to Church it is due to God due to Hebrews 10. And I want to talk to people with wisdom or intelligence. I also want to do things that I find worthy. Such as giving good deserving poor people money.

God is good and the news of God is good news. Why aren't people extremely excited and happy?

Why do we go to Church one or two days a week and not have our faith shared and exhibited in our working day

We spend 5 days a week at work, why isn't this time Jesus focused. We work 1-3 jobs and fit Jesus into church one day a week what are we doing the rest of the week? Why isn't God the highlight of all our thinking and decisions in work environments ?

I find Church WORK. I do enough of that during the week. When it should be more joy and satisfaction and happiness. Writing sermons, writing songs, writing music, creating powerpoints is all work.

If nobody remembers an uninspired sermon afterwards was it a waste of time?

I am actually upset that organised religion has evolved into what it did and is so void of any soul and joy. I question the value of most of the sermons I went to. I question the value of the operation of the Church as it exists today.

Yeah, no, that doesn't sound at all like my church.

Where do you live? Not the specific town, but what country or region? Maybe they are different there.

Or... Maybe you just haven't found the right church.