We didn’t go to church this past Wednesday evening. Before you jump to conclusions, no, I have not lost my job, and yes, things are fine at the church. We didn’t go to church on Wednesday because it was fall break for our local school system, and we didn’t have our regularly scheduled activities. Our local school system actually has a two-week fall break. Our student ministry had a game night during the first week, and then the second week, we gave our leaders and families a break. Many people were out of town for both weeks anyway.

This past Wednesday actually ended up being a very eye-opening, confirming night for me. Let me explain by giving you four observations/confirmations I made by being home on a Wednesday night.

Our neighborhoods are full of people not connected to a local church. I saw many of our neighbors and their friends. At one point, I looked out our front door and counted 8 kids of various ages. The driveways were full of cars, not empty. I had a great conversation with my next-door neighbor about his job, family, and what it is like raising kids. It lasted about 30 minutes, but nowhere in the conversation did he say, “Wait a minute, aren’t you a pastor? Why aren’t you at church right now?” We talk about missional living as this trip we go on 10 hours down the road in a different city, all while we have people we see every day, that live right next to us, that may not be saved and aren’t connected to a local church.

Our start times may be difficult for some. Several of my neighbors got home right before 6pm or right after 6pm. Most of the ones I personally know work 30-45 minutes away from our neighborhood. Our church has an optional dinner that begins at 5pm and then activates start at 6pm or a little bit after. People are busy, no doubt. Several families have two working parents, leaving/picking up kids at daycare, practices, recitals, and so many other things. We have to have a start time for programming. If you start earlier people can’t get off work to be there in time. If you start later you run into bedtimes for younger kids, middle and high students cramming to finish homework, and so on. It’s a hard call when is the best time to start. Again just an observation about how crunched people are for time.

People miss church. I received a text message from one of our leadership high school students right before 6pm asking what time the party started at my house. We joked for a little while, and I thought to myself, “What a great idea for another fall break down the road!” If I had student stuff that night, would some have come, yes. Would it have been a great night, yes. The next two-week fall break, am I going to meet both weeks, no. Why? It’s totally okay and valid to give volunteers a break every once in a while. It gives them a necessary break and tells them I appreciate what they do. You also have to have volunteers to pull it off. If you don’t, then you need to seriously evaluate what and how you are doing ministry. It was good to hear from students and know that they miss it when we don’t meet.

I love what I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and spending time with them, but I missed church as well. It was an odd feeling. What was on TV? What were we going to do? I ended up thinking a lot about church and actually began writing this blog post. Outside of family vacation and if I’m so sick I can’t see straight, we are always at church on Wednesday. Some may say, “Well, you are paid to be, right?” Technically, yes, but I have gone to church on Wednesday nights long before I was a paid staff member. That does not make me more spiritual than someone who works the third shift and simply can’t make it on a Wednesday night at 6pm. Church is a priority in my family, always has been, and always will be.

We didn’t go to church this past Wednesday evening. Was that a bad thing? Not at all. Should that be the habit, not at all.