Church Attendance and Prayer

I had the opportunity to comment on a blog referred to by my good friend and colleague Brian Cork. This particular post asked the question why people attend church and why do they pray. The posit was that it was an indicator of weakness, not strength, that people would engage in such activities. I disagree.

Below is the response I provided. What do you think?


I won’t purport by any means to be an expert on the subject, but one that has years of experience on it. So I’ll take a quick moment to share why I pray first, and then why I attend church.

I acknowledge the existence of a higher power, and have chosen to live my life based on a specific theology around that higher power. Part of that involves communion between that power and myself. Now, that higher power, if it truly exists as I believe, is worthy of my time and my praise and thankfulness. And I do that through prayer.

I do ask for guidance and wisdom, since I believe I can acquire knowledge on my own, but that wisdom requires divine intervention. But I’ve learned over the years that seeing the one I serve as a “fairy godfather” both a)diminishes their true value and worth, and b)leaves me disappointed and ultimately weak if my only dependency is to receive a blessing out of my typically self-inflicted circumstances.

So…why do I go to church? It is an opportunity for me to learn more about what I believe, and have it be challenged and strengthened. I don’t go into it blindly; I don’t accept everything I hear. But I do get to hear from others’ perspective how they are working along their road of reconciling their heart and their mind. I also benefit greatly from the gathering of those that share similar interests and convictions in that context. Much like what I receive by attending sales meetings for my firm, or sessions around business strategy.

Am I the wealthiest man on earth? Depends on your measure of wealth. I have a great family, live in a wonderful city, have lots of friends, and a satisfying career.

Does my allegiance to this higher power mean that I am spiritually insecure? If insecurity means that there is something beyond me that I cannot control, then yes I am.

Am I secure in what I believe? Well, that’s part of the journey now, isn’t it…

And one day, I hope to be.