Where You Worship Matters

I was newly married and excited to be with my wife.  It was the first time we would attend Mass at our church as husband and wife.  However, our worship felt like it was being interrupted every single minute.  Unfortunately, it was not with congratulations or “I just wanted to say hi.”  They ranged from, “What time is the ski trip?” and “My child is getting bored at program, what can you do about it?”

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I get it when I meet youth ministers who work at one church and attend another on the weekend.  It’s not easy to listen to your pastor preach on forgiveness after having a rough week with him.  It’s not easy to always be interrupted about what’s happening in ministry when you are trying to be fed.  You desire anonymity and look to go some place else on the weekend.  While you might get fed, it’s important for you to be present at your place of employment on the weekend.  Where you worship on the weekend matters because:

• Teens Will Notice: Teens want to know if you are practicing what you preach.  If every week at your youth program you are telling them to go to weekend worship, they want to know, “Is he going too?”  If they don’t see you they could build suspicion which would weaken your clout.  Granted you might be worshipping somewhere else but they won’t see that.

• You Can Engage With Families: On the weekend you have an opportunity to meet a teen’s entire family.  Instead of wishing parents would walk inside when dropping their teen off at program, you now can walk up to them.  It also gives you the opportunity to show parents what your relationship with their teen looks like.

• You Meet Potential Volunteers: When you are present on the weekend you have the opportunity to connect with the entire church community.  This means an opportunity to invest in potential volunteers for your ministry.  Hanging around Mass and just introducing yourself is the first step to a personal invitation to getting involved.

It’s not easy to worship where you work because of all the distractions and the tensions pouring over from the week.  To make it possible and live in the tension be sure to:

• Set Boundaries: If someone comes up to you to interrupt your time with God, politely ask them to schedule a time to speak with you.  Just clearly communicate to others what you are doing.
• Communicate With Family: This can be especially hard for you and your family, make sure they understand the tension. Allow them to communicate to you their frustrations and need for space.
• Pray About It: Bring God into the situation, ask Him for patience and guidance.  Remember you are constantly being attacked to stray away from God.  The tension if ignored is one way this can be achieved.

Where you worship matters because it gives you an opportunity to interact with others.  It also says a lot about your investment in the church.  Every day you pour so much into your church; however, what does it say when you don’t want to worship there on the weekend?  

Does it really matter where you worship on the weekends?