I don’t want to go to church.

[YahuahSaves]

My church has been a great comfort for me for over the last two years but I find myself trying to attend less and less. Especially when my church is an hour away and I have to be in the car for two hours every Sunday. It gets quite annoying and costly. Of course my elder and Deacon always offer to pay for gas but I feel badly just taking money from them even for food and to pay my rent once. Our congregation isn't the largest (maybe about 40 people) so I feel really bad taking their money. Especially when I was hospitalized in New Hampsire last year for blood clots. The church gave me $500 so I could take a cab home.

I always put some money in everytime I attend because I feel guilty taking so much money from the church in the two years I've been attending. And let's face it, I'm an introvert. So every luncheon and every Christmas, Easter, even refromation day I try to stay far from the church because I don't want to socialize with the congregants and I'm afraid they would make fun of me. It doesn't matter how close I am to my elder (We're like inseparable friends) my elder is all I talk to. So I attend Church maybe 1 to 2 times a month. Not good and I feel guilty for not attending. Every single social event I don't attend and now I feel like not attending at all. What should I do?

I'm an introvert too so I completely understand where you're coming from not wanting to attend the social events.. my view is our most important relationship is with Jesus and we need to put him above all else (people, places and things). Even though your experience is not similar, there is a site that has been useful to me when trying to get out of the religious mindset (this is where the guilt can sometimes overwhelm us, because there is a lot of peer pressure in the Christian community to join a denomination or attend a physical church building). We can attend the building for fellowship, but it should not take away from the primary relationship with Jesus.

My advice is to perhaps take a break and get closer to Jesus in this time and get some idea of the direction HE wants you to go.

Relationship, Not Religion | The School of Christ

theschoolofchrist.org

 

[Diamond7]

What should I do?

I would find a church closer to home. But I get in trouble for attending more than one church. It is no problem for me though because I can be comfortable in most any church. I use to attend different bible studies in different churches.

 

[Diamond7]

my view is our most important relationship is with Jesus and we need to put him above all else (people, places and things).

I believe the atonement is two fold. Jesus died so we can be reconciled with the father but also with each other. The Church is our family: brothers, sisters, sons, daughter, mothers & fathers.
Matthew 19:29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life."

 

[YahuahSaves]

I believe the atonement is two fold. Jesus died so we can be reconciled with the father but also with each other. The Church is our family: brothers, sisters, sons, daughter, mothers & fathers.
Matthew 19:29 "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life."

Agreed, but "the church" is not a building or a specific denomination.
We as believers are the temple, traditional churches are good for fellowship with other believers, but our priority is to follow the Holy Spirits lead.

 

[Sawsar]

My church has been a great comfort for me for over the last two years but I find myself trying to attend less and less. Especially when my church is an hour away and I have to be in the car for two hours every Sunday. It gets quite annoying and costly. Of course my elder and Deacon always offer to pay for gas but I feel badly just taking money from them even for food and to pay my rent once. Our congregation isn't the largest (maybe about 40 people) so I feel really bad taking their money. Especially when I was hospitalized in New Hampsire last year for blood clots. The church gave me $500 so I could take a cab home.

I always put some money in everytime I attend because I feel guilty taking so much money from the church in the two years I've been attending. And let's face it, I'm an introvert. So every luncheon and every Christmas, Easter, even refromation day I try to stay far from the church because I don't want to socialize with the congregants and I'm afraid they would make fun of me. It doesn't matter how close I am to my elder (We're like inseparable friends) my elder is all I talk to. So I attend Church maybe 1 to 2 times a month. Not good and I feel guilty for not attending. Every single social event I don't attend and now I feel like not attending at all. What should I do?

Let me suggest, messages written by member AGTG. He has messages on such subjects as attending church. Start reading through as many as possible.
God bless you