Are You Voting for Your Church to Close?

This week, I read a heartbreaking article about a 700-year-old church in Wales holding its final service. After centuries of faithful ministry, dwindling attendance and mounting expenses forced the doors to close for good. But here's what struck me as peculiar: the final service was packed! People filled the pews, stood in the aisles, and one by one rose to share how much the church meant to them and their community. My first thought was, "If it meant so much to you, where have you been for the past few years?"

Sadly, this scenario plays out far too often here in Wales. There's even a running joke that churches serve only three purposes: hatch, match, and dispatch (infant baptisms, weddings, and funerals). Yet when another chapel closes its doors permanently—and trust me, it happens alarmingly often—communities act devastated. It's like mourning a friendship you never bothered to maintain.

Here's the hard truth: every time we skip church without a valid reason, we're essentially casting a vote for it to close. I know that sounds harsh, but think about it. A church building needs people to justify keeping the lights on and the heat running. A pastor needs a congregation to shepherd. Ministries need volunteers to keep them going. When we treat church attendance as optional or convenient, we're strangling the very institution we claim to love.

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25).

This verse isn't just a suggestion. It's a command. God knew we'd be tempted to stay home, sleep in, or find a thousand other things to do instead of gathering with fellow believers. He knew we'd need the encouragement that comes from being together.

Now, before you think I'm being too preachy (I'm trying not to be!), let me explain why this matters so much to me personally. Jason and I serve as missionaries here in Wales, and we've watched chapel after chapel close its doors. Each closure represents lost opportunities for outreach, lost gathering spaces for believers, and lost lighthouses in dark communities. It breaks my heart every single time.

But here's what breaks my heart even more: it doesn't have to be this way. We can be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. How? It's actually quite simple. First, attend faithfully. Barring illness or genuine emergencies, make church a non-negotiable part of your week. Your presence matters more than you think. Second, participate actively. Don't just warm a pew. Volunteer, serve, encourage, and invest in the ministry. Third, give faithfully. Your tithes and offerings literally keep the doors open.

I'll admit, there are Sundays when I don't feel like going. I'm tired, I'm not feeling well, or I just want to stay in my pajamas and read. But I go anyway because I know my church needs me, and truthfully, I need my church even more. We're better together than we are apart.

Churches aren't museums or historical landmarks meant to be admired from a distance. They're living, breathing organisms that require our active participation to survive and thrive. If we want our local church or chapel to be there for the next generation, we need to show up for it now. We need to vote with our feet, our time, and our treasure.

So, which way are you voting? Are your actions saying, "Keep the doors open," or are they whispering, "I won't miss it when it's gone"? The choice is yours, but remember, you can't mourn what you never bothered to support.