Some Rules for Killing a Church by G. B. Thompson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 7, 1909

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 86, No. 40.

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Some Rules for Killing a Church

By G. B. Thompson

G. B. THOMPSON

An exchange gives some rules for killing a church, which read somewhat as follows:—

1. Don’t come.

2. If you should decide to attend, get there late.

3. If the weather is too wet or too dry, too hot or too cold, abandon all thought of attending.

4. If you attend, sit on the back seat; people might think you bold if you should take a front seat.

5. Find fault with the services; be sure the family are all present when you express your disapproval of the way the leader conducted the meeting.

6. Never pray for the minister or any of the backsliding members.

7. Don’t sing.

8. Don’t attend prayer-meetings; or if you do, be sure not to take part.

9. Don’t encourage the minister or leader by telling him that his sermon helped you, for it might make him vain. Your criticism will help to keep him humble.

10. If you see a stranger in the audience, do not shake hands with him, or invite him to come again, for people might think you bold.

These negative suggestions may be helpful to us. Prompt and regular attendance at church on the Sabbath or at the weekly prayer-meeting is always to be commended. While we are admonished not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together,” and “so much the more, as ye see the day approaching,” I sometimes wonder if we are as faithful in attending church services as we were a few years ago.

How is it in your church? What about the weekly prayer-meeting? Is it as well attended as it should be by a people who claim to be preparing for translation? Do you attend, or do you excuse yourself for various reasons, none of which will answer at the bar of God?

Has the prayer-meeting died in your church? If so, why? Did you help kill it by not attending? If so, is there not something you can do to resurrect it, and thus bring back new life to the church?

Do you attend the Sabbath-school each week? or are you habitually absent, with the excuse that you can not get there on time, or that you are not able to attend both the Sabbath-school and the preaching services, for the meeting is too long? Poor excuse, indeed! We can get to our own business generally quite early in the morning; why not to the Lord’s work by nine or ten o’clock? We have heard of people who could sit for two hours or more reading a book, or gossiping about their neighbors, who were unable to attend Sabbath services lasting for two hours, without experiencing mental and physical exhaustion.

In many churches we believe there might be a reform in the attendance at the weekly services. Shall we not study faithfulness in this matter, as well as our duty in other things pertaining to the Lord’s work?

Takoma Park, D. C.