Church Attendance Prevents Suicide and Has Other Benefits

“I don’t need to go to church.” “I have better things to do on Sundays.” “Yeah, but isn’t there a game on?” 

It turns out that church attendance may be better for your recreational and social life than you think, according to a recent study from The Wheatley Institute of Brigham Young University. The report, entitled “The Religion and Mental Health Connection,” contains extensive information on the surprising benefits of attending church, many of which pertain to mental health.

Yes, church. 

Not the club, the frat party, or even the latest hotspot downtown. Attending church may be better for your health than any of us realizes.

This isn’t about a spiritual mindset of wholesomeness, but about the psychological and physiological benefits to an individual’s sense of well-being.

If that doesn’t hit close to home, nothing will.

Before you determine your Sunday plans after this read, I encourage you to stay aware of other faith-based issues that hit “close to home.” Subscribe to our free newsletter to stay informed about what’s happening in the Church and how real Christians can help defend the love and work of Christ.

Don’t Forsake the Assembly

Church attendance is something that is taken for granted these days. Thanks to technology, it’s easy to attend “Bedtime Baptist” or “Bedsprings Assembly of God.” Whenever you roll over, grab the remote and stream your church on YouTube. It’s time for church. Yet, that’s not quite what the Lord intended.

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)

Who needs to wake up and go to a church building, anyway? Welp, according to this introspective study from the Wheatley Institute, that may be all of us.

Researchers reviewed studies examining depression, anxiety, suicide, emotional well-being, stress management, and substance abuse, concluding that favorable mental health findings associated with religion greatly exceeded negative findings by nearly 10-to-1.

Think about that.

Church attendance, just going to church, is recorded to have a lifesaving kind of benefit to someone’s mental health. The Wheatley Study also compiles studies cataloged in the Oxford University Press Handbook of Religion and Health (2024). Those articles, and this collective study, cover various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, suicide, substance abuse, and all forms of stress.

Researchers said the strongest evidence emerged in the area of positive emotional well-being.

Out of 251 high-quality studies, 93% linked religious participation with “increased happiness, life satisfaction, hope, optimism and self-esteem.” Moreover, the report notes 86% of 103 studies examining stress and adversity concluded that “religious practices were associated with healthier coping mechanisms during difficult circumstances.”

In a world where exvangelicals are reconsidering church attendance and ordinary people are doing the same about Jesus Himself, isn’t that something all of us would prefer for our emotional state of mind?

God is Good…for Our Health

People have their free will, so they are able to do whatever they want with whatever sense of religion they want. They can love Christ and faithfully follow His commands. Or, they can use subterfuge and cloak selfish desires in the name of Christ. Both happen every day, but only one has the worthwhile benefits of a full life.

“Across the mental health domains we examined, the best available science indicates that religious beliefs, practices and participation in faith communities are most often linked to improved mental health outcomes,” said Loren D. Marks, the report’s lead author.

Despite the scandals and 18-inch headlines, reports like this show that this kind of news doesn’t shape the majority of how people feel when they walk out of a church. There is a reason church attendance is stressed. And no, cynics, it’s not just to get a better offering. It’s because God is there. 

Deeper in the study, these positive vibes are reportedly consistent across age groups, ethnic cultures, and racial divides. Despite how people look, where they live, and who they consider “cool,” every group studied benefits from going to church.

And why should that be so difficult to believe?

Because of the stuff we see on TV and read on a website? Probably. Should that be the leading reason? Not at all. What can we do about it? For starters, look like you love God Monday through Saturday as much as you say you do on Sunday. We can start there and maybe smile as much as this report says we do.

Good for mental health. It can be a deterrent for suicidal tendencies. Makes you happy by going. But those extra 30 minutes in bed are so inviting. Sometimes, walking with God can be a sacrifice. Maybe that’s what He meant?