Study Tying Regular Church Attendance to Emotional Well-Being Points to Biblical Truth

The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion wanted to know whether regular church attendance had an impact on emotional well-being. The researchers noticed that “most studies of religious service attendance and emotional well-being are only capable of evaluating ‘trait’ aspects of religious attendance, or long-term patterns and habits that form an attendance routine.” But this group didn’t want to know what caused a person to establish a routine. They wanted to know how a routine caused a person to feel.

The study that came from this curiosity was titled, “‘See You Sunday?’ Effects of Attending a Specific Weekend Religious Service on Emotional Well-Being: A State/Trait Analysis of the SoulPulse Study.” It collected information from 2,869 American adults who were tasked with completing daily questionnaires over the course of two weeks. Regarding the effect of consistent church attendance, it found “regular weekend church attendance leads to an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative ones.”

In addition to asking whether the participant had attended church in the past weekend, the survey questions pertained mostly to emotional well-being. The lead author of the study, Blake Victor Kent, shared in a statement, “It’s remarkable. In order to experience a positive emotional benefit from going to church you have to not only attend, but attend regularly.” According to Kent, this is because it’s easier to receive the emotional benefit when you’re “familiar with the routines, the style of worship, and the people with whom you are worshiping.”

In summary, the researchers found that people who did not attend church regularly had little to no change in their emotional well-being. Yet for those who did attend (and more so for those who attended regularly), they had at least “a temporary boost in well-being,” even if it faded away by Monday. “It’s like a shot in the arm,” Kent noted. But really, these findings seem to point to something far deeper than a temporary boost in feeling good.

That shouldn’t be too surprising for someone regularly attending what is designed to be uplifting to feel, well, uplifted. Even from a secular point of view, church is often regarded as something “good to do” (you know, those who at least show up for major holidays). And yet, there’s a spiritual reality at play here, and it’s worth our attention. The believer ought to understand that church isn’t just about feeling good. It’s not about checking off a box. Nor is it something we prioritize to make ourselves appear more upright. Rather, attending church is for fellowship and edification. Let’s tackle these one at a time.

1. Fellowship

The Bible has much to say about fellowship. Proverbs 27:17 states, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to “encourage one another and build one another up.” Galatians 6:2 explains how bearing each other’s burdens is to “fulfill the law of Christ,” and countless other passages like Hebrews 10:24, which discusses the need to “stir one another to love and good works.” God’s people “are members of His body,” and thus, we’re called to “have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind” (Ephesians 5:30; 1 Peter 3:8). We were not meant to be alone, and church is one way in which we engage with those of like mind.

Church services are meant to be reverent and joyful. They’re opportunities for us to examine ourselves and help brothers and sisters in need. It’s not to say these aspects of faith cannot be practiced outside of the church building, but there’s truly something beautiful about carving out specific time to put our minds on Christ and each other in praise and worship. Some pastors and theologians have described church service as “a glimpse into heaven,” where we will have the pleasure and honor of praising our Lord and Savior for all of eternity. If someone were to regularly be a part of this, I can only assume their emotional well-being would be positively affected.

2. Edification

Now, there’s much more that could be said about our need for fellowship. However, the more important point I want to make is that of edification. In the New Testament, the word for “edification” is oikodomé, which translates to “building up.” Edification ties directly into fellowship in that we are called to “build up” one another as the corporate body. And yet, a crucial aspect of edification is not merely who’s around us in the process of being edified, but rather, who is the source of that edification.

Edification is inseparable from that of fellowship. While simultaneously, it stands to reason our edification finds its roots in our understanding of God — who He is, what He’s done, and how He calls us to live. To hear of our Lord, dear Christian, is at the heart of what builds us up.

Consider the plethora of biblical texts that call us to keep our gaze upon Christ. Proverbs 3:5, Psalm 141:8, Psalm 121:1-2, Hebrews 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:18, Psalm 25:15, Luke 1:37, and many other verses all proclaim the same message: Focus on Jesus! It is summarized well in Colossians 3:1, which reads, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” And there’s a very specific reason for why Scripture is so adamant in this call.

Do you want to be built up? Because if so, the only Being truly capable of building us up and raising our souls out of the “depths of Sheol” is Jesus Christ. As such, it’s imperative we keep our eyes on Him.

When we’re downcast, Christ promised to give us rest (Matthew 11:28). When we feel alone, even if we’re surrounded by people, God said He will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). When everything around us feels so overwhelming, Scripture says our God has “overcome the world” (John 16:33). When we fix our eyes upon the cross, we understand just how blessed we are to have a Savior willing to die so that we can live. When we divert our eyes off the messy world and onto Scripture, we will see the perfect King. Eyes glued to Christ are eyes beholding utter majesty, glory, beauty, grace, faithfulness, and love.

All this is to emphasize one primary point, and it’s that these realities are what our church services are supposed to remind us of. When we gather as a body of believers, we’re engaging in much-needed fellowship. And when we gather as a body of believers, we have the chance to put aside our woes and put our entire focus on the good news of Jesus Christ.

So, when a study finds that people who attend church regularly have better emotional well-being, the only thought that comes to mind is, “Well, of course!” A faithful, Bible-preaching church is not just the emotional boost the soul craves. No, more than that, it’s the edification, the building up, and the restoring nourishment that the soul desperately needs. And if we’re being honest, we don’t just need this once a week. We need it every hour of every day.