Ten Things That Happen When You Skip A Church Service

Almost everyone's guilty of it. The Sunday Morning when you miss the alarm.

The Wednesday night that follows an incredibly difficult work day.

The Sunday evening where the family picnic went too long.

You tell yourself that missing one service isn't going to matter. You say it's important that you get enough rest. You say you're too tired to go.

Is it true? What happens when you miss a church service? Here are ten things that you can count on when you skip out of church:

1.  The good stuff always happens when you're not there. The simmering church strife will blow up into a full on church split. The pastor will preach a rip-roaring sermon, pointing out sins and naming names. The choir scandal comes to a head. Trust me, if something's gonna blow, it'll happen the Sunday you don't show up.

2.  You'll get volunteered for the new project. Whether it's taking on the bathroom remodeling or directing the children's program, you're guaranteed to be volunteered. You've got to show up just to protect yourself.

3.  Your pet ministry will be given to someone else. Suddenly you won't have the solo part in the choir special next Sunday morning. And the worst part is, they didn't even give it to another soprano. They gave it to a tenor.

4.  Visitors will take your favorite seat. And with your luck, it'll be visitors that actually come back. And join. Before you know it, they're a vital part of the church body, and they've taken over your usual seat on the third pew, right hand side.

5.  You'll miss the good gossip. Whether you were scheduled for nursery duty or usher work, you'll miss all the latest that would be passed on at the changing table or in the ushers' pew.

6. You'll owe favors. Whoever took over your church duties for you will need you to fill in for them at a later date. And it won't be a convenient one. Believe me, "owe no man anything" can be applied to work swaps. Don't risk it.

7. They sing your favorite hymn (or choir song or before-the-sermon special). You can go six months or more without hearing your favorites, but lay out of church for one service and you guarantee you're going to miss it.

8. You'll double the tithe that you owe. That weekly giving can be especially painful when you have to double up to make up for missing a Sunday.

9.  The pastor will happen to refer to you in his announcements ... and then publicly ask where you're at. The announcement you've been bugging him to make for weeks? He'll remember it the Sunday you're not there. And then ask you from the pulpit about the details. The end result? The announcement is completely botched, and now everyone knows you didn't show for the Sunday evening service.

10. Someone else will take credit for your ideas. You've been complaining for sometime that the foyer needed to be updated or the visitation schedule needed to be revamped. But someone else will point out the needed changes the week you're gone, and suddenly they've claimed credit for your big ideas.

Whatever you do, whatever the excuse, it's not worth it.

Has it happened to you?