When Church Feels Stale

Sunday many of us will be back in the pews of our local church.  Most of the time church is an hour during the week that we cherish, but sometimes it just feels stale.

There are those times when going to church feels empty.  It feels more like going through the motions than going to the throne room to worship the King of kings.  Sometimes you wonder if going to the park would have been better time spent than going to the sanctuary of your church.

First, going to church is something you shouldn't give up even if you don't feel like going. 

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another... and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

Not going to church begets not going to church.  The more you avoid it the more you forget your need to assemble with the congregation with whom you've covenanted to worship the Lord; you might think it would increase your hunger, but it's quite the opposite.  As my friend Harold says, "If you want to get hungry, go where the food smells good."

So, let's say you don't neglect going to worship with your brothers and sisters.  Let's say you never miss a Sunday but the whole thing still feels stale.  What then should you do?

I won't claim to have all the answers, but I will tell what's worked for me in these times:

1) Pay attention to each element.

Your pastor(s) and leaders most likely put the service together in a particular way for a reason.  Why did they assemble the elements of the service the way they did?  Maybe the types of things in the service are the same each week.  Why?  Why was that Scripture passage read?  Why was that prayer prayed?  This can be especially powerful method if a church service that is different than your tradition feels stale to you.

2) Listen to the songs more than singing them.

Pay close attention to the words of the songs and hymns.  Most of these songs have powerful poetic reminders of the attributes of God and the glory of the Gospel.  Notice the music itself.  Does the music itself stir your soul?  The writer of the song probably poured his/her heart into those notes and chords to stir you affections toward Christ and the musicians themselves are aiming to do that for you and everyone in that room.  Listen to your fellow saints singing.  The act of listening to others worship in the congregation helps me immensely; those on the stage may be called worship leaders but the congregants in the pews are lead worshippers for those in a dry spell.

3) Pray about it.

If church feels stale to you, pray about it.  The God of Heaven and Earth doesn't want you to be bored by the worship of Him.  As John Piper famously says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."  When we have great joy in Christ it pleases Him.  He wants full throated, full hearted worshippers.  God is the one that gives us a heart of flesh instead of a heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26).  Ask the only One that can actually change your affections.  Pray to the one that can take a horse to water and make it joyfully drink.

If church feels stale, know that you aren't unsaved.  We will all go through times like this, but we shouldn't be satisfied by type of church attendance.  If church feels stale then commit to trying these tips today.