My hometown church displayed a board on the side wall of the sanctuary that listed a few numbers. These numbers changed slightly from Sunday to Sunday. As a child I wondered what those numbers meant. When I was old enough to understand, it was explained to me. One number was the count of people who had attended church that day. Another was the number of people who had attended last Sunday. A final number tallied the people who had attended Sunday School.

The reason these numbers were counted and displayed so prominently was not explained to me, but it was obvious that those numbers were important to the church. Maybe the numbers were there to remind the attendees that their presence at the worship services was noticed and valued. Maybe it was a performance metric used to evaluate the pastor. Maybe there was competition with the other churches in town. It may have been a source of pride if the numbers were growing or a source of shame if they were dwindling.

I don’t know whether church attendance numbers are useful or meaningful. I’ve never been a church administrator. I do know that church attendance doesn’t necessarily correlate with changed hearts and belief in Jesus as Savior.

God’s children want to be where God is. We want to be together to worship Him. And when we do gather, in His name, He promises to show up.

The problem is, some churches don’t seem to gather “in His name”. They gather for other business or to sing songs or to socialize and be part of a club. Is God invited? In this case, attendance numbers matter a lot.

When a group does invite God, He shows up with His powerful Spirit. And His children are drawn to His love.

“After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬-‭10,‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

God’s presence draws people in. It changes hearts and changes lives. Numbers are irrelevant. No one can even count the crowds. We are all one church. And we’re all here together to worship the one true God.

Dear God, I’m so glad to be among those who worship you, those who have been saved by Jesus. Please forgive me for the times when I have attended church without making you the star of the show. Reveal your glorious presence among your people as we gather and teach us how to worship you, how to praise you, and how to honor you properly.