Zoning Out at Church? Here’s How to Tackle It

It has been said that anything worth doing is worth doing well. 

I find that this quote applies to more than just our work.

It applies to every part of our relationships and our life as Christians—especially our relationship with Jesus. Human nature, however, craves excitement and entertainment. We get bored easily, and we’re always looking for something new on which to feast our eyes. We provide such wealth for tech companies that feed off our constant need to scroll, to “like,” and to buy. 

This complacency sometimes creeps into our Sunday services.

How many Christians confess excitement when they think of church? Many of us look forward to and actively seek out Sunday fellowship. But 100 percent of us would probably confess that at one point or another, we’ve zoned out during church. With the pandemic still raging and many services still online, concentration is entirely becoming a rare commodity during service. Why is this so?

Fatigue

Long weeks and packed weekends culminate in the perfect recipe for a proper nap on Sunday morning. Even the best of us can start to feel sleepy in a warm, stuffy, quiet church. 

How to Tackle It

Rest ahead of time if you can. Don’t make late Saturday nights a habit. Take a nap on Saturday afternoon if you have to (and if you can). This will allow you to focus on God on Sunday morning. Don’t be afraid to sit in the front!

Boredom

Even the best of us get bored. This is not a sign that you are a bad Christian. Sometimes the message is one we’ve heard before or doesn’t resonate with us. This is perfectly ok. However, this doesn’t let us off the hook. We are called to participate and focus our attention on God so we can grow in our relationship with Him. 

How to Tackle It

• Carry your Bible with you, preferably in hard copy. Manually searching for verses will help keep you engaged with God’s word.
• Participate in the sermon. Nod, respond if your church allows, and take notes. This will help you think about the sermon actively rather than listening passively, and give you something to refer back to in difficult moments.
• Consider serving in a ministry. Whether it’s community outreach or music ministry, ask the Lord to show you how you can best plug in and be present.
• If you are attending service online, consider commenting on the interactive chat. You can still take notes and use your Bible as well.

Separation

The devil thrives in isolation. Jesus was tempted in the desert, alone and away from the fellowship of his family and disciples (Matthew 4:1-11). Because the devil wants to control us fully, he finds ways to separate us from fellow believers and their encouragements and testimonies, all of which are invaluable to the body of Christ.

How to Tackle It

When we spend time with Jesus in silence, He puts in us a longing for His people and His church. We then find that we fully appreciate Sunday service, even if they aren’t lively or we don’t particularly know the songs. We start to see why Paul insisted that we do not overlook the communion of believers. We also slowly begin to appreciate why the early church loved to meet for worship (Hebrew 10:25).

To fully rediscover and revive our attention or our first love for Sunday service, we may need to revive our personal intimacy with Christ Himself. In Him “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).