The Importance of Gathering: Our Statement on Church Attendance

At LAPC, we believe that the local church is not just a building, but a living body of believers. Consistent church attendance is vital for the spiritual health, growth, and strength of every Christian. We gather not out of mere tradition, but out of a biblical necessity to encourage one another and experience the collective presence of the Lord.

The Command to Assemble

The scriptures are clear that we are not to live our lives in isolation. God designed the Church to function as a community, and we are specifically instructed not to abandon our gatherings, especially as we see the day of the Lord’s return approaching.

• Hebrews 10:24-25: "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 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."

The Apostolic Pattern

In the early Church, the believers understood that their strength came from their unity. They didn't just meet occasionally; they made the fellowship of the saints a daily priority. We strive to follow that same dedication today.

• Acts 2:42: "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

• Psalm 122:1: "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."

Why We Meet

We believe that when the Church gathers, something happens that cannot happen alone.

• Strength in Unity: We bear one another's burdens and find strength through corporate prayer.

• Instruction: We sit under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

• Corporate Worship: While we can pray at home, there is a special manifestation of God's power when "two or three are gathered together" in His name (Matthew 18:20).

A Commitment to the Body

We view church attendance as a commitment to God and to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Every member of the body has a part to play, and when one is missing, the whole body feels the loss. We encourage every believer to be faithful to the house of God, finding their place of service and fellowship within the family of LAPC.

Psalm 27:4 "One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple."